Europe Daily News, 29 January 2025

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11772 - Nippon Express / SH)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11853 - Novo Holdings / TA Associates / Biocomposites)
• Austria - The Federal Competition Authority concludes investigations and submits applications to the Cartel Court against two companies in the security services sector
• UK - Start of CMA Merger Investigation: Anticipated acquisition by William Grant & Sons Group of The Famous Grouse, Naked Malt and affiliated brands
• UK: The CMA is investigating the completed acquisition by Iberdrola, S.A., through its subsidiary Scottish Power Energy Networks Holdings Ltd, of North West Electricity Networks (Jersey) Ltd
• Microsoft stifling competition in cloud services market, finds UK regulator - CMA decision comes as the US tech giant and Amazon face potential probes into their dominance of the market - Financial Times

STATE AID

• Judgment of the General Court of 29 January 2025 in Case T‑334/22, Danske Fragtmænd A/S supported by UPS Europe NV/SA and Dansk Avis Omdeling A/S interveners, Vs. European Commission, supported by Kingdom of Denmark and by Kingdom of Sweden, and by Post Danmark A/S, PostNord Group AB
  Re: Action for annulment - State aid - Postal sector - Capital contribution in favour of Post Danmark - Decision finding no State aid - Capital contribution in favour of PostNord - Decision declaring the aid incompatible with the internal market - Lack of individual concern - No substantial effect on the competitive position - Inadmissibility
• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.116563
• Iceland agrees to abolish existing State aid in the waste-management sector

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Meeting of the EP INTA Committee - 29 & 30 January 2025
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Working Party on Dual Use Goods - 10 February 2025
  
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/184 of 28 January 2025 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
• Council Decision (EU) 2025/172 of 17 December 2024 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Specialised Committee on Energy established by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part, as regards the adoption of a recommendation concerning the preparation of technical procedures for the efficient use of electricity interconnectors
• Commission proposes tariffs on remaining agricultural products and on fertilisers from Russia and Belarus - see the Proposal for Tariffs
• Report of the 8th meeting of the Commission Expert Group on Outbound Investment - 20 January 2025
• Agenda for: 5th Meeting of the Specialised Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade under the Agreement for an Economic Partnership between Japan and the EU - 28 January 2025
• Joint Minutes of the 5th Meeting of the Working Group on Motor Vehicles and Parts under the Agreement between the EU and Japan for an Economic Partnership - 09 October 2024
• US Court of International Trade sustained the Commerce Department’s second remand redetermination regarding the antidumping duty order on wind towers from Spain
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Motor vehicles of categories M and N
• The EFTA Council held its first meeting of 2025 on Tuesday 28 January in Geneva.
• Trade, Jobs and Technological Change: What to Expect in the Next Five Years? See the ECIPE Policy Briefs by Lucian Cernat of DG TRADE

EU/UK RELATIONS

• Agenda for: Working Party on the United Kingdom (Implementation of the Windsor Framework) - 31 January 2025
• UK hopes of security deal with EU hit by fishing dispute - Member states’ demand for a youth mobility scheme also bogging down ‘reset’ talks - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Technical Harmonisation (Motor vehicles) - 05 February 2025
• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness & Growth (Industry) (Attachés) - 06 February 2025
• Reducing regulatory burden to restore the EU's competitive edge - See the Report by BusinessEurope
• Could European industrial alliances be the hidden drivers of European growth? - See EPC Commentary
• Europe needs more growth and jobs – Enhancing competitiveness by cutting back bureaucracy and over-regulation - See EPP Statement

FINANCE

• Agenda for: Commission Expert Group on Banking, Payments & Insurance - 06 February 2025
• Agenda for: 54th meeting of the Expert Group of the European Securities Committee - 27 February 2025
• Agenda for: Ad hoc EGESC meeting FISMA C4 - Boosting venture and growth capital financing in the EU - 05 February 2025

ENERGY

• Minutes of the Fusion Expert Group - 18 December 2024
• Energy subsidies report shows progress in 2023
• METIS 3 - The role of regional energy networks in a decarbonised European energy system - Study 57

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Judgment of the General Court of 29 January 2025 in Case T-6/24, Northtechnic OOD Vs. European Commission
  Re: Environment - Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 - Fluorinated greenhouse gases - Allocation of allowances for the placing on the market of hydrofluorocarbons - Commission implementing decision allocating a reference value - Calculation method - Failure to take into account certain quantities of hydrofluorocarbons placed on the market - Article 16 of and Annex V to Regulation No 517/2014 - Obligation to state reasons
  
• Commission Regulation (EU) 2025/130 of 28 January 2025 amending Regulation (EC) No 865/2006 as regards developments in the framework of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora and the possibility to issue retrospective permits
• Far-right Bardella’s letter to EU conservatives: Join my anti-green crusade - Politico.eu
• Green Claims trilogues: the first test for von der Leyen’s simplification revolution - See the APPLIA Statement
• Von der Leyen builds bonfire of EU’s environmental red tape - Politico.eu

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• SCCS - Scientific Advice on HC Red No.18 (Colipa No. B124) - Submission II
• SCHEER - Minutes of the Working Group on Brain stimulators meeting of 16 January 2025
• SCCS - Scientific advice – children’s exposure to Methyl salicylate (methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate) - Revision of SCCS/1654/23 -  Deadline for comments: 17 February 2025
• EC/ECDC/EFSA Country visit to North Macedonia to advance One Health responses against antimicrobial resistance

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Decision No 1/2025 of the Joint European Union/Switzerland Air Transport Committee set up under the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on Air Transport of 16 January 2025 replacing the Annex to the Agreement between the European Community and the Swiss Confederation on Air Transport
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/192 of 9 September 2024 on procedures for the accreditation of verifiers pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2023/1805 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the use of renewable and low-carbon fuels in maritime transport, and amending Directive 2009/16/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

DIGITAL, DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Judgment of the General Court of 29 January 2025 in Joined Cases T‑70/23, T‑84/23 and T‑111/23, Data Protection Commission, Vs. European Data Protection Board
  Re: Protection of personal data - Article 65(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) 2016/679- Binding decision instructing a lead supervisory authority to broaden the scope of its investigation and issue a new draft decision - Competence of the European Data Protection Board
• The Future of European Digital Competitiveness - See ECIPE Policy Briefs by Oscar Guinea Vanika Sharma

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Public consultation - EU financial aid to 10 partner countries (COVID-19 macro-financial assistance package) – evaluation  - Feedback period: 28 January 2025 - 25 February 2025
• ECB - Monetary developments in the euro area: December 2024
• ECB - Consolidated financial statement of the Eurosystem as at 24 January 2025
• Decision ECB/2025/2 on access by non-bank payment service providers to Eurosystem central bank operated payment systems and central bank accounts
• ECB set to cut rates as Europe eyes Trump tariffs - The central bank wants to find a ‘neutral’ level for rates. It just doesn’t know where that is - Politico.eu

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Main Results of the General Affairs Council, 28 January 2025
  - Remarks and Q&A by High Representative Kaja Kallas at the joint press point following the informal breakfast meeting

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Judgment of the General Court of 29 January 2025 in Case T-178/23, Halima Bent Zine El Abidine Ben Haj Hamda Ben Ali Vs. Council of the European Union.
  Re: CFSP - Restrictive measures directed against certain persons, entities and bodies with regard to the situation in Tunisia - Freezing of funds - List of persons, entities and bodies to whom the freezing of funds applies - Maintenance of the applicant's name on the list - Concepts of “persons responsible for the misappropriation of Tunisian public funds” and “natural or legal persons, entities or bodies associated with persons responsible for the misappropriation of Tunisian public funds” - New plea - Obligation to state reasons - Freedom to conduct a business - Right to work’
• EU Statement – UN General Assembly:
  - Informal interactive dialogue on Promoting compliance with international humanitarian law
  - Adoption of the Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2024–2034
• EU provides €60 million humanitarian aid to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Judgment of the General Court of 29 January 2025 in Case T-1106/23, Alexander Semenovich Vinokurov Vs. Council of the European Union
  Re: Common foreign and security policy - Restrictive measures taken in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine - Freezing of funds - List of persons, entities and bodies to whom the freezing of funds and economic resources applies - Whether the applicant's name remains on the list - Plea of illegality - Article 2, (1)(g) of Decision 2014/145/CFSP - Concept of ‘businessman active in economic sectors which provide a substantial source of income to the Russian Government’ - Proportionality - Legal certainty - Error of assessment
• Russia’s threat to Europe goes beyond the battlefields of Ukraine - See EPC Commentary
• EU lets Russian LNG slip in new sanctions package - Politico.eu