Europe Daily News, 7 February 2024

STATE AID 

• State aid in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic: the General Court annuls the approval of State aid from the Netherlands amounting to €3.4 billion in favour of KLM (see CPR No.25/2024 - Judgment of the General Court in Case T-146/22; Ryanair Vs. Commission)
• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.109911; SA.110163; SA.109250; SA.107898 & SA.105381
• EFTA - ESA approves Icelandic tax scheme for employee share options

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)) - 09 February 2024
• Agenda for: Customs Programme - Meeting on the Update and enrichment of ECICS - 01 March 2024
• Agenda for: Customs Programme - 26th Meeting of the Customs Laboratories European Network (CLEN) - 13 February 2024
• Minutes - Customs Programme - CLEN Action 2 - Proficiency Test on Tobacco Products - 25 October 2023
• Report of the Expert group for Preparatory meetings of the WTO Committee for Sanitary and Phytosanitary Issues (SPS) - 15 -17 November 2023
• Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on exceptional trade measures for countries and territories participating in or linked to the Stabilisation and Association process
• Commission publishes guide to help EU producers with anti-dumping complaints
• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - Sustainability and competitiveness of the EU banana sector
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Construction products
• WTO - Aid-for-Trade Global Review 2024 to look at mainstreaming trade into development strategies
• UK to wave through animal products from EU if ports are overwhelmed - Contingency plan comes after trade bodies warn new post-Brexit checks risk disrupting supply chains - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Technical Harmonisation (Safety of Toys) - 13 February 2024
• February infringement package: key decisions
• Strategic Technologies for Europe Platform: provisional agreement to boost investments in critical technologies

CHEMICAL

• ECHA consults on recommending five substances for REACH authorisation - ECHA/NR/24/04
• Final Draft Agenda - 3rd Meeting of the Committee for Risk Assessment - DWD Working Group reporting to RAC-68 - 14 & 15 March 2024
• Draft Agenda of 85th meeting of the Member States Committee - 13 February 2024
• ECHA Weekly Newsletter - 07 February 2024

NET-ZERO INDUSTRY ACT

• Net-Zero Industry Act: Council and Parliament strike a deal to boost EU’s green industry - See the EP Statement
• Commission welcomes political agreement to make clean technology manufacturing in the EU resilient and competitive - IP/24/680
• 2040 target: enabling conditions for unlocking investment in industrial transition cannot wait any longer, warns Eurofer
• EU promotes costly, unproven technologies on final net-zero industry plan, see EBB Statement

FINANCE

• Capital markets Union: Council and Parliament agree on improvements to EU clearing services
• Commission welcomes political agreement on the clearing package, a boost for the Capital Markets Union - Midday Express
• EFAMA - Joint letter asks European Commission to delay technical changes by supervisors until broader review of SFDR is complete - Statement

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Easier access to EU funding for rural areas thanks to EU Rural Toolkit - IP/24/656
• Support to Ukraine, response to farmer’s concerns: MEPs review latest EU summits
• EU’s 2040 climate ambition is undermined by distractions and shortsighted decisions on agriculture - see EEB Statement
• Copa-Cogeca Statement - EU 2040 climate target and carbon management Communications – A dialogue with farmers has finally been chosen!
• Brussels bows to farmers’ protests by slashing environmental targets - Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says plan to halve pesticide use had become ‘symbol of polarisation’ - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Expert Group on Waste (end-of-life vehicles) - 12 February 2024
• Commission sets out how to sustainably capture, store and use carbon to reach climate neutrality by 2050 - IP/24/585; QaA; FactSheet & Communication
• Commission presents recommendation for 2040 emissions reduction target to set the path to climate neutrality in 2050 - IP/24/588; QaA; FactSheet; Communication & Impact assessment
• Press remarks by EVP Šefčovič and Commissioners Simson and Hoekstra on the Communications on a recommended emissions reduction target for 2040 and Industrial Carbon Management
• Waste: Commission decides to refer Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failure to apply the waste management requirements - IP/24/266
• Water and floods: Commission decides to refer Bulagaria, Ireland, Spain, Malta, Portugal and Slovakia to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failure to finalise the revision of their water plans - IP/24/265
• Nature: Commission decides to refer Portugal back to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failure to comply with previous judgment on conservation of Natura 2000 sites - IP/24/268
• EP legislative resolution of 6 February 2024 on the proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE)

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• EFSA - Developing an integrated approach to assess the emergence threat associated with influenza D viruses’ circulating in Europe
• EFSA - Follow‐up of the re‐evaluation of quillaia extract (E 999) as a food additive and safety of the proposed extension of uses

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Making the online world safer for children and young people on Safer Internet Day - Midday Express
• Commission welcomes new measures to boost the rollout of gigabit networks - IP/24/669 & see the ETNO statement
• Commission Recommendation on the regulatory promotion of gigabit connectivity
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2024/482 of 31 January 2024 laying down rules for the application of Regulation (EU) 2019/881 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the adoption of the European Common Criteria-based cybersecurity certification scheme (EUCC)

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues - 07 February 2024
• EPlegislative resolution of 6 February 2024 on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Decision 2009/917/JHA, as regards its alignment with Union rules on the protection of personal data
• ENISA - Joint Statement on Ivanti Connect Secure and Ivanti Policy Secure Vulnerabilities - Assessment and advice on recovery and mitigating actions
• Hungarian SA’s decision: failure by an airline company to comply with an erasure request concerning an email address used for direct marketing - See EDPB Statement
• Final decision of Hungarian SA about infringement of Article 26 GDPR by a foundation - See EDPB Statement
• Data brokers: French SA fined Tagadamedia €75,000 - See EDPB Statement

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) …/... amending Delegated Regulation (EU) No 305/2013 supplementing Directive 2010/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to the harmonised provision for an interoperable EU-wide eCall
• Near-disaster shows EU air traffic control is nowhere near good enough - Bordeaux incident highlights the need to accelerate technological innovation in aviation management - Financial Times

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Schengen: Council and European Parliament agree to update EU’s borders code
• Commission decides to partially register a European Citizens' Initiative on Cannabis - IP/24/650
• Procedural rights: Commission decides to refer Belgium and Luxembourg to the Court of Justice of the European Union for not fully granting the right of access to a lawyer and communication upon arrest  - IP/24/651
• The fight against child sexual abuse receives new impetus with updated criminal law rules - IP/24/631, Q&A, see the Proposal for a Directive, Opening remarks by VP Šuica and Commissioner Johansson
• The Commission welcomes the political agreement on new rules for a more resilient Schengen area - IP/24/667
• Commission welcomes political agreement on new rules to combat violence against women and domestic violence - IP/24/649
• Violence against women: Council and European Parliament reach deal on EU law - See the EP Statement

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Deal on mid-term revision of EU’s long-term budget - see the EP Statement
• Isabel Schnabel: ‘The last mile of disinflation may be the most difficult one’ - The ECB board member on combating price rises, the effect of climate change on costs and the importance of money supply - Financial Times; see the full interview by Isabel Schnabel

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Possible items for College agenda from 14 February to 23 April 2024

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Commission signs €400 million agreement with Türkiye to support its recovery after the 2023 earthquakes - IP/24/664 & Joint statement by HR/VP Borrell, Commissioner Lenarčič and Várhelyi 
• Germany on board with EU sanctions against Israeli settlers, but EU disunity remains - EU struggles to play role in Israel-Gaza war because of internal frictions - Politico.eu

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Judgment of the Court of 7 February 2024 in Case T-289/22; Igor Shuvalov Vs. Council of the European Union
  Re: CFSP- 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 which the freezing of funds and economic resources applies - Inclusion and maintenance of the applicant's name on the list - Status of natural person supporting actions or policies undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine) soveeignty and independence of Ukraine - Article 2(1)(a) of Decision 2014/145/CFSP - Obligation to state reasons - Error of assessment - Freedom of expression - Equal treatment - Proportionality - Right to property - Right to effective judicial protection - Misuse of powers
• Judgment of the Court of 7 February 2024 in Case T-237/22: Alisher Usmanov Vs. Council of the European Union
  Re: CFSP- 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 which the freezing of funds and economic resources applies - Restrictions on admission to the territory of the Member States - List of persons, entities and bodies subject to restrictions on admission to the territory of the Member States - Inclusion and maintenance of the applicant's name on the lists - Concept of 'support for actions or policies which jeopardise or threaten the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine' - Article 2, Article 2(1)(a) of Decision 2014/145/CFSP - Article 3(1)(a) of Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 - Jurisdiction of the General Court - Obligation to state reasons - Error of assessment - Rights of the defence - Right to property and freedom to conduct a business - Freedom of movement
  
• Parliament and Council agree on long-term solution for Ukraine’s funding needs
• Answer given by HR/VP Borrell to a MEP written question - Treaty compliance of bilateral talks between the Prime Minister of Hungary and the President of the Russian Federation in the light of EU sanctions
• EU capitals fear Russian retaliation and cyberattacks after asset freezes - G7 is drafting a workaround to use frozen assets to rebuild Ukraine - Politico.eu