Europe Daily News, 27 May 2024

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11432 - Haier / CCR)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11537 - Enbridge / MPLX / ISQ / WPC)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11410 - Hedin Mobility / Iveco Sweden / Iveco Denmark/ Iveco Finland / Iveco Norge)
• Commission clears acquisition of Eco Fox by Fox Petroli and Kupit (M.11461) - Midday Express
• Public Consultation - Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation - evaluation - Evaluation - Feedback period: 27 May 2024 - 24 June 2024
• Germany - The Bundeskartellamt has authorised the planned acquisition of all shares in Shockwave Medical, a medical technology company from Santa Clara/USA, by Johnson & Johnson
• France: Sustainability: The Autorité publishes its notice on the provision of informal guidance to companies
• Portugal: Speech by Nuno Cunha Rodrigues: "A New Era of Cartel Enforcement" - ICN 2024
• UK - Updated CMA transparency and disclosure statement, including new overseas investigative assistance guidance
• UK - Consultation on the proposed variation to the commitments in respect of Meta’s use of advertising data (24.5.24)

STATE AID

• Commission approves €3.2 billion Czech State aid scheme to support high-efficiency combined heat and power generation (SA.108368) - IP/24/2849
• Commission approves €486 million Polish State aid scheme to support cereal producers in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine (SA.113894) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Experts - Services & Investment) - 29 May 2024
• Notice concerning the date of entry into force of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Argentine Republic amending the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the European Union and the Argentine Republic pursuant to Article XXVIII of the GATT 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff-rate quotas included in the EU schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the European Union
• European Union, Australia affirm intention to implement recent WTO rulings - See Summary of the WTO DSB Meeting - 24 May 2024
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Clay targets containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Nutrition and health claims made on foods
• Indonesia urges fair treatment from EU amid prolonged trade talks - Jakarta Globe

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Meeting of the 1st Meeting of the Sub-Group of the Non-financial sector - 27 May 2024 (see the Mandate)
• A competitive European industry driving our green, digital and resilient future - Council conclusions (approved on 24 May 2024)
• A Single Market for the benefit of all - Council conclusions (approved on 24 May 2024)
• The European Battery Alliance met to discuss a new action plan, reflecting the current geopolitical context
• Call for Evidence: Pressure Equipment Directive & Simple Pressure Vessels Directive - evaluation - Evaluation - Feedback period: 23 May 2024 - 20 June 2024
• The EU chemical industry moves forward to net-zero: "progress report" unveils major strides in the green and digital transition
• Industrial policy: Council gives final approval to the net-zero industry act - NZIA
• Net-Zero Industry Act makes the EU the home of clean tech manufacturing and green jobs - IP/24/2309 & QaA

TAXATION

• Council Decision (EU) 2024/1489 of 21 May 2024 authorising the opening of negotiations for the amendment of the Agreements concerning the automatic exchange of financial account information to improve international tax compliance between the European Union and the Swiss Confederation, the Principality of Liechtenstein, the Principality of Andorra, the Principality of Monaco and the Republic of San Marino, respectively

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL AFFAIRS

• Declaration on the implementation of the common electronic form for the declarations of postings of workers - eDeclaration - Information from the delegations of Germany, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Ireland, Poland, Greece, Slovenia, Hungary and Portugal

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Council meeting ("Agriculture and Fisheries") on 27 May 2024
  - Dual quality of foodstuffs: An issue that persists - Information from the Slovak delegation
  - Country of Origin Labelling for foodstuffs - Information from the German and Austrian delegations, supported by the Estonian, Finnish French and Portuguese delegations
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Standing Forestry Committee - 03 June 2024
  - Draft Opinion of the Standing Forestry Committee on the forestry interventions of the Common Agricultural Policy
• Agenda for: Expert Group EU Fruit and Vegetables Market Observatory - Subgroup Stone Fruit - 10 June 2024
• Agenda for: Expert Group EU Fruit and Vegetables Market Observatory - Subgroup Tomatoes - 21 June 2024
• Minutes of the Commission Expert Group for Agricultural Markets - Subgroup animal products - 23 May 2024
• Commission notifies Senegal of need to step up fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing - IP/24/2848 & QaA
• Commissioner Wojciechowski leads agri-business delegation to Kazakhstan to strengthen EU market access - Midday Express

ENERGY

• Fit for 55: Council gives final green light to cut methane emissions in the energy sector
• New EU Methane Regulation to reduce harmful emissions from fossil fuels in Europe and abroad
• ACER will consult on the introduction of voluntary templates for Power Purchase Agreement contracts in the EU energy market

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment - 27, 28, 30 & 31 May 2024
• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (UNECE Aarhus) - 03 June 2024
• Agenda for: 101st Meeting of the CITES Scientific Review Group - 05 June 2024
• Minutes of the Meeting of the Commission Expert Group on Waste - 13 May 2024
• Minutes of the Meeting of the Commission Expert Group on Low Waste Batteries - 08 May 2024
• UNFCCC: The sixtieth session of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB 60) (Bonn, 3 June - 13 June 2024) = first EU coordination
• Green transition: Council gives its final approval to the ecodesign regulation
• Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Côte d’Ivoire on forest law enforcement, governance and trade in timber and derived products to the European Union (FLEGT) - see the Council Decision (EU) 2024/1412 on the signing and Council Decision (EU) 2024/1413 on the conclusion

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Council adopts new rules on substances of human origin
• Cancer concerns us all - Statement by Commissioner Kyriakides at the occasion of the European Week Against Cancer
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the 77th World Health Assembly
• SCHEER - Draft Agenda of the 8th plenary meeting, Luxembourg - 04 June 2024
• SCHEER - Minutes of the Working Group meeting on phthalates in certain medical devices - 17 May 2024
• Dashboard update - Study supporting the monitoring of availability of medical devices on the EU market
• SCCS - Scientific Advice on Titanium dioxide (TiO2)

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues - 29 May 2024
• Opinion 11/2024 on the use of facial recognition to streamline airport passengers’ flow (compatibility with Articles 5(1)(e) and(f), 25 and 32 GDPR - EDPB
• Facial recognition at airports: individuals should have maximum control over biometric data - EDPB
• Report of the work undertaken by the ChatGPT Taskforce - EDPB

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• The Council has adopted a Directive adding the exploitation of surrogacy, of forced marriage and of illegal adoption to the EU’s anti-trafficking law

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• G7 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors’ Communiqué, Stresa, 23-25 May 2024
• Commission receives first payment request from the Netherlands under the Recovery and Resilience Facility
• Commission disburses the second payment of €336 million to Latvia under the Recovery and Resilience Facility

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Possible items for College agenda from 29 May to 16 July 2024

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Foreign Affairs Council: Press remarks by HR/VP Josep Borrell upon arrival
• Palestine: Joint statement by the EU and Norway on International Partners Meeting in Brussels
• Palestine: Remarks by HR/VP Josep Borrell at the joint press conference with the Norwegian and Saudi Foreign Ministers
• Palestine: Press remarks by HR/VP Josep Borrell before the Ministerial meeting hosted by Norway and Saudi Arabia in Brussels
• Palestine: Press remarks by HR/VP Josep Borrell ahead of the Ministerial International Partners Meeting on Palestine in Brussels, with the Palestinian Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Norway