Europe Daily News, 28 March 2024

COMPETITION

• Austria - Welding technology cartel: Cartel court imposes a fine of €505,000 on Zultner at BWB's request
• Austria - Energy task force: BWB and E-Control focus on the gas market and extend the investigation period
• Bulgaria - The CPC sanctions “Water supply and sewerage – Varna” Ltd for abuse of a monopoly position
• Bulgaria - The CPC initiates proceedings against “Tir Parking Ruse” OOD for potential anticompetitive practices at the Bulgaria-Romania border in violation of art. 21 LPC and art. 102 TFEU
• Greece - The Hellenic Competition Commission (“HCC”) carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of a large number of IT and related service providers
• ICN Technologist Forum - First international meeting of competition authorities to strengthen their digital capabilities - see the Joint Statement
• Spain - The CNMC terminates the infringement proceedings against Naviera Armas after payment of the fine and the company's admission of liability
• Spain - The CNMC authorises with commitments the purchase of World Padel Tour by Qatar Sports Investments
• UK - The CMA’s latest monitoring report on road fuel shows that prices at the pump have risen since late January, accompanied by above average margins and spreads.

STATE AID

• Commission approves €900 million French State aid scheme to support the production of energy and fuel from biomass and renewable hydrogen to foster the transition to a net-zero economy (SA.109766) - IP/24/1549

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Commission Implementing Regulation amending Implementing Regulations (EU) 2020/761 and (EU) 2020/1988 as regards the creation, modification and management of certain tariff quotas following the free trade agreement between the European Union and New Zealand
• EU-China relations: De-risking or de-coupling − the future of the EU strategy towards China - Study for the EP AFET Committee
• Anti-subsidy tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles would benefit European industry, according to T&E
• Transitional CBAM Registry user manual for Declarants
• CBAM Quarterly Report structure XSD and “stypes.xsd”
• CBAM Quarterly Report sample file for representatives and for importers
• UK car exports to Canada face 6% tariffs within days as trade dispute deepens - Allies in stand-off on how much EU content can be in vehicles as post-Brexit deal runs out - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Regulation (EU) 2021/1173 as regards an EuroHPC initiative for start-ups to boost European leadership in trustworthy Artificial
  Intelligence [COM(2024) 29 final/2 - 2024/0016 (NLE)] - Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC)
• France: Medical robotics company Quantum Surgical gets EIB loan to advance tumour treatment

CHEMICAL

• CSR - REACH Authorisation decisions - Chromium trioxide submitteed by BWI Poland, Weber-Hydraulik and by Egal - Created by GROW.F.1 - Last update: 27 March 2024
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - European Chemicals Agency decision to limit medium-chain chlorinated paraffins and other substances containing chloro-alkanes with carbon chain length
• ECHA Weekly Newsletter published - 27 March 2024

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Intellectual Property - 10 & 11 April 2024
• Agenda for: Working Party on Intellectual Property (Patents) - 12 April 2024
• Agenda for: Working Party on Intellectual Property (Copyright) - 10 April 2024

FINANCE

• German rating agency fined €2.2mn for Greensill-related breaches - Esma levies rare penalty against Scope over failures to manage conflicts of interest - Financial Times

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• The long-term vision for the EU’s rural areas: key achievements and ways forward - COM(2024) 450 final, Working Document
  - Taking stock of the implementation of the EU rural action plan (2021-2023)
  - Reviewed EU rural action plan
• Tenth Session of the Governing Body of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (Rome, 20-24 November 2023) - Declaration of Competence and Voting Rights and final statements
• Submissions by the Participants to the CEG - EU Fertilisers Market Observatory - 19 March 2024
  - EU fertilisers market analysis
  - The European fertilizer industry: a nutrient-wise review
  - Quantifying the impact of an abrupt reduction in mineral nitrogen fertiliser use on EU crop yields

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Whaling) - 08 April 2024
• The European Parliament and the origins of environmental policy - see the EP Study
• EU hits roadblocks in reaching green milestone as elections loom - Progress in the fastest-warming continent is thwarted by a constituency fatigued by inflation and trade tensions - Financial Times

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Minutes of the 85th meeting of the Radio Spectrum Committee - 20 March 2024
• AI investment: EU and global indicators - see the EP Briefing

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Agenda for: 23rd TCT Regional Steering Committee meeting (in person only) for the members of the Working Party on Transport - Intermodal Questions and Networks - 03 April 2024

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• EU Court of Justice: three judges and two advocates-general appointed

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• ECB - Monetary developments in the euro area: February 2024
• Recent threats in the Red Sea - Economic impact on the region and on the EU - see the EP Briefing
• Consumer participation in the credit market during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond - ECB Working Paper Series No.2922
• Poland’s economy gets €600 million boost with deal between EIB and the Finance Ministry

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

•  HRC55 - Item 9 General Debate on racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related forms of intolerance, follow-up and implementation of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action - EU Statement