Europe Daily News, 05 February 2025

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11684 - Midea / Teka)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11821 - Segro / PSPIB / Real Estate Assets)
• Commission clears acquisition of Climater by Krefeld and ICG (M.11866) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of OEM International by EFMS (M.11806) - Midday Express
• Banco BPM has sought EU foreign-subsidy approval for its plan to buy Italian asset manager Anima - Provisional deadline: 11.03.2025
• Answer given by Mr Tzitzikostas to a MEP written question - Unfair competition in the aviation sector owing to Russian sanctions
• Norway - The Competition Appeals Tribunal has upheld the decision of the Norwegian Competition Authority to prohibit Norva24 Vest’s acquisition of Vitek Miljø
• Romania - The Competition Council has authorized the takeover of certain assets of Ciech Soda Romania S.A by Aloref S.R.L. and Ascom International S.R.L.
• UK - The CMA has published its Full Text Decision of the anticipated acquisition by Carlsberg UK Holdings Limited of Britvic plc.
• Vodafone chief says UK’s under-fire competition watchdog is ahead of EU - Della Valle suggests Brussels should ‘broaden the horizon’ of its own assessments to allow mergers to happen - Financial Times

STATE AID

• The General Court dismisses Ryanair’s action against the European Commission’s decision once again approving rescue aid to TAP in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic (See CPR No.13/2025 - Judgment of the General Court in Case T-743/21)
• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.116256; SA.116653 & SA.116695

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Judgment of the General Court of 05 February 2025 in Case T‑122/23, Ege İhracatçıları Birliği, Vs. European Commission
  Re: Subsidies - Imports of rainbow trout originating in Türkiye - Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/2390 - Definitive countervailing duty - Manifest error of assessment - Pass-through analysis - Calculation of subsidy amount - Methodology differing from that used in the original investigation - Change of circumstances - Existence of a benefit - Preferential loans and tax treatment - Definition of the product concerned
  
• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union - 11 February 2025
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Experts - Services & Investment) - 12 February 2025
• Agenda for: 103rd Electronic Customs Coordination Group (ECCG) held jointly with the Trade Contact Group (TCG) - 20 & 21 February 2025
• Corrigendum to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/74 of 13 January 2025 imposing a provisional anti-dumping duty on imports of lysine originating in the People’s Republic of China (OJ L, 2025/74, 14.1.2025)
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/218 of 29 November 2024 amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446 concerning simplifications for declaring accessories of musical instruments
• Overview of economic partnership agreements updated on 31 January 2025
• EU-Chile trade and investment - Facts and figures - as of 04 February 2025
• Report of the 21st meeting - EU-Ukraine IPR Dialogue - 22 October 2024
• Overview of EPA table updated on 31 January 2025
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - Trade liberalisation with Ukraine
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - Consequences of the EU-Thailand free trade agreement for the canning industry
• European Union trade with Israel’s illegal settlements: Letter by 163 NGOs and trade unions to President von der Leyen
• EU prepares to hit Big Tech in retaliation for Trump’s tariffs - ‘Bazooka’ tool being considered as bloc’s trade ministers express support for punitive action if necessary - Financial Times
• China hits back at Trump’s tariffs and complains to the WTO - Chinese measures won’t take effect until Feb. 10, leaving Donald Trump and Xi Jinping time to defuse their growing trade war - Politico.eu

EU/UK RELATIONS

• Starmer will ‘fight’ to restore closer EU ties, says UK’s Brussels minister - Upbeat speech by Nick Thomas-Symonds comes ahead of official reset talks - Financial Times
• The EU and UK need to get practical about their relationship - A forthcoming summit is the perfect opportunity to reset but it requires both sides to commit to concrete steps - Financial Times
• Has Brexit finally paid off? What Trump’s tariff reprieve means for Starmer - The U.S. president hinted he’ll spare Britain from his trade war, while hammering the EU. But as Nigel Farage surges in the polls, Keir Starmer isn’t safe from Brexit yet - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Minutes of the 52nd formal meeting on SME Envoy Network - 18 November 2024
• Bio-based textiles in a sustainable and circular bioeconomy - See the JRC Report
• Barriers to implementing EU green policies - Behavioural insights from a workshop with the Expert Group on Public Administration and Governance - See the JRC Report
• Answer given by Executive Vice-President Séjourné to a MEP written question - Articles 10, 11 and 12 of the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and their application to EU candidate countries

ENERGY

• Investment needs of European energy infrastructure to enable a decarbonised economy - Final report
• ACER consults on inter-temporal cost allocation mechanisms to finance hydrogen infrastructure
• CEER report finds no major regulatory changes in 2024, but more incentives in electricity sector
• CEER launches public consultation on the Handbook for National Energy Regulators on Retail Markets

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Minutes of the 103rd Meeting of the CITES Scientific Review Group - 03 & 04 December 2024
• Implementing the rural proofing principle - Information from the Presidency - Exchange of views
• Statement by Commissioner Roswall on the "state of water" in the EU

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

SCHEER

• Minutes of the Working Group meeting on Emerging Risks of 20 January 2025
• Minutes of the Working Group meeting on Groundwater Directive & Water Framework Directive of 24 January 2025

EFSA

• Stakeholder Focus Groups: Co‐creation of a toolkit for public consultations
• Benchmarking exercise and identification of AI tool to detect false information on food
• Report to support the ranking of EU candidate priority pests: Spodoptera frugiperda; Popillia japonica & Thrips palmi

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Minutes of the Meeting of the "AI Committee" - 11 December 2024
  - Draft implementing regulation to establish the scientific panel under Article 68 AI Act - V2
• Commission publishes the Guidelines on prohibited artificial intelligence (AI) practices, as defined by the AI Act
• Commission announces actions for safe and sustainable e-commerce imports - see the Q&A,  the Communication & the FactSheet

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• The 2019 reform of the Polish judicial system: the General Court confirms that Poland must pay a total amount of approximately €320,200,000 in respect of the penalty payment decided upon by the Court of Justice during the infringement proceedings (See CPR No.12/2025 - Judgments of the General Court in Cases T-830/22, T-156/23, T-1033/23, Poland Vs. Commission)

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Possible items for College agendas from 11 February to 26 March2025

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Speech by President António Costa at the EU Ambassadors Conference 2025
• Counter-Terrorism: The European Union and the UK hold second Dialogue in London
• Answer given by HR/VP Kallas to a MEP written question - EU-Saudi Arabia relations
• Answer given by HR/VP Kallas to a MEP written question - Measures and sanctions against Türkiye
• Answer given by HR/VP Kallas to a MEP written question - China’s refoulement of DPRK escapees, and the situation of detainees in the DPRK

EU/UKRAINE/RUSSIA

• 12 new modular clinics installed in Ukraine in 2024 through WHO, European Union, and Ministry of Health Partnership
• Ukraine: Remarks by HR/VP Kaja Kallas at the joint press point following the meeting of the Core Group on the Establishment of a Special Tribunal for the Crime of Aggression Against the country