Europe Daily News, 10 January 2025

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11855 - Macquarie / Dow / Dow Infraco JV)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11816 - OTPP / Nordic Capital XI / Max Matthiessen)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11742 - Sennder / EST)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11799 - TPG / M&G / JV)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11752 - OEP / Ethos Energy)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11613 - CVC / Emma / Foxpost)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11722 - Lone Start Funds / Crown)
  
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11763 - KKR / Baupost / Marriott Assets)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11757 - Vista / Warburg Pincus / Redwood)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11714 - One Rock Capital / Europe Snacks)
• Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee - Report from the Commission - Report on Competition Policy 2023 (COM(2024) 115 final)

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.115809
• Answer given by Ms Ribera to a MEP written question - Accountability of Airbus in the Privatisation of TAP
• Answer given by Ms Ribera to a MEP written question - Ensuring sustainable, decent and affordable housing in Europe
• Answer given by Ms Ribera to a MEP written question - Obstacles to the financing of social services resulting from EU state aid rules
• Answer given by Ms Ribera to a MEP written question - Legal dispute between the Commission and US microprocessor manufacturer Intel
• Answer given by Ms Ribera to a MEP written question - Possibility of granting state aid to the Šoštanj Thermal Power Plant in accordance with European legislation

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Minutes of the 262nd meeting of the Tariff and Statistical Nomenclature Section (Sub-Section Agriculture/Chemistry) of the Customs Code Committee - 2nd to 3rd December 2024
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/36 of 9 January 2025 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and definitively collecting the provisional duty imposed on imports of certain polyvinyl chloride originating in Egypt and the United States
• Council Decision (EU) 2025/48 of 28 November 2024 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Association Council established by the Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an association between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the State of Israel, of the other part, as regards the amendment of that Agreement by replacing Protocol 4 concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation
• Joint Report of the 11th EU-Moldova Association Committee in Trade Configuration - 14 & 15 November 2024
• Overview of economic partnership agreements - FTA Negotiations as of 08 January 2025
• EFTA-India Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement text as of 10 January 2024
• CCCEU Statement on China declaring EU's FSR practices towards Chinese companies as Trade and Investment Barriers
• National governments approve definitive duties on biodiesel from China - See EBB Statement

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Directive (EU) 2025/25 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 19 December 2024 amending Directives 2009/102/EC and (EU) 2017/1132 as regards further expanding and upgrading the use of digital tools and processes in company law

CHEMICAL

• ECHA - Provisional Draft Agenda for: 89th meeting of the Member State Committee - 12 & 13 February 2025

FINANCE

• Opinion of Advocate General Medina of 09 January 2025 in Case C‑665/23, IL Vs. Veracash SAS
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Payment services in the internal market - Directive 2007/64/EC - Unauthorised payment transactions - Notification of unauthorised payment transactions - Notification deadline - Delay in notification which is not intentional or the result of gross negligence - Obligation of the payment service provider to issue a refund - Payer’s liability for unauthorised payment transactions

TAXATION

• Council Directive (EU) 2025/50 of 10 December 2024 on faster and safer relief of excess withholding taxes

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL AFFAIRS

• Decision (EU) 2025/47 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2024 on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium – EGF/2024/002 BE/Limburg machinery and paper

ENERGY

• Council Decision (EU) 2025/51 of 16 December 2024 authorising the Commission to negotiate renewals of the Agreement between the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) and the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation (KEDO)
• Joint statement by Commissioner Dan Jørgensen and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico following their bilateral meeting
• Answer given by Mr Jørgensen to a MEP written question - ITC mechanism
• ACER launches a virtual hub price correlation simulator for electricity forward trading
• Italy: EIB Group and Findomestic agreement - €250 million energy efficiency of new loans for families and households
• Hungarian energy bid under review over Russia concerns, says Romanian minister - Bucharest could mirror Spain’s recent decision to block a takeover on security grounds, says Sebastian Burduja - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues
  - (Basel Convention) - 16 January 2025; (Global) - 17 January 2025; (Biodiversity) - 20 January 2025 & (WPIEI Desertification) - 21 January 2025
• Minutes of the Standing Committee on Biocidal Products of 06 December 2024
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) …/... of XXX amending Implementing Regulations (EU) 2020/761 and (EU) 2020/1988 regarding the creation, modification and management of certain tariff quotas following the Interim Agreement on Trade between the European Union and the Republic of Chile
• Commission Notice - Commission guidelines to facilitate the harmonised application of provisions on the removability and replaceability of portable batteries and LMT batteries in Regulation (EU) 2023/1542
• Copernicus Global Climate Report 2024 confirms last year as the warmest on record, first ever above 1.5°C annual average temperature - Midday Express
• Answer given by Ms Roswall to a MEP written question - EU Industrial Emissions Directive
• Answer given by Ms Roswall to a MEP written question - Forest land, declassification and change of forest use
• Answer given by Ms Roswall to a MEP written question - The presence of PFASs in the air and in the water in Alessandria Province
• Answer given by Ms Roswall to a MEP written question - Fires in the Amazon and the application of Regulation 2023/1115 on deforestation-free products
• Answer given by Ms Roswall to a MEP written question - Harmonisation of packaging legislation and the administrative burden on small enterprises in the EU
• EIB provides €4.7 million for waste management improvements at Lviv’s Hrybovychi landfill
• VW strains to hit EU emission targets as EV deliveries tumble - Europe’s largest carmaker hurt by greater competition from rivals in China - Financial Times

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT & SAFETY

• New EU rules on Health Technology Assessment open up a new era for patient access to innovation - QaA

EFSA

• Scientific Opinion - Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum NCIMB 30094 for all animal species (Volac International Ltd)
• Scientific Opinion - Revised dietary exposure assessment of the food enzyme thrombin from cattle (bovines) and pig's blood
• Scientific Opinion - Pest categorisation of Lepidosaphes pistaciae

ECDC

• The first six EU reference laboratories for public health are now operational

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Judgment of the Court of 9 January 2025 in Case C‑583/23 [Delda], (i) AK, Vs. Ministère public
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Judicial cooperation in criminal matters - Directive 2014/41/EU - European Investigation Order in criminal matters - Material scope - Concept of ‘investigative measure’ - Service of an indictment accompanied by an order that the person be remanded in custody pending trial and make a bail payment - Hearing of the accused person
  
• Opinion of Advocate General Ricard de la Tour of 09 January 2025 in Case C‑536/23, Bundesrepublik Deutschland Vs. Mutua Madrileña Automovilista
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Judicial cooperation in civil matters - Regulation (EU) No 1215/2012 - Article 11(1)(b) - Article 13(2) - Jurisdiction in matters relating to insurance - Scope of the special rules of jurisdiction - Road traffic accident - Direct action by the injured party against the insurer - Concept of ‘injured party’ - Subrogation of the employer to the rights of its employee who was injured in the accident - Initiation of direct actions by a Member State in its capacity as an employer - Place where the claimant is domiciled
• Council conclusions on future priorities for strengthening the joint counterterrorism efforts of the European Union and its Member States

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Commission disburses first €3 billion to Ukraine of its part of the G7 loan, to be repaid with proceeds from immobilised Russian assets
• Interview with ECB's Piero Cipollone, conducted by Federico Fubini
• Climate-linked bonds - ECB Working Paper Series No.3011
• The intersection between climate transition policies and geoeconomic fragmentation - ECB Occasional Paper Series No.366
• Why gradual and predictable? Bank lending during the sharpest quantitative tightening ever - ECB Working Paper Series No.3010
• Investing in Europe’s green future: green investment needs, outlook and obstacles to funding the gap - ECB Occasional Paper Series No.367

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• President von der Leyen establishes fourteen Project Groups to deliver on political priorities

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Lebanon: statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the presidential election
• EU fears Donald Trump rolling back Biden-era measures - Bloc concerned about president-elect reversing US sanctions against Russia and other policies - Financial Times