Europe Daily News, 28 March 2025

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11899 - SRI/Dunlop Tires Business)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11912 - M&G FA / P Capital Partners)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11856 - EPH / SE)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11897 - Grohe / VKB / Suru)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11916 - Advent / Mubadala / Prosper Link International)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11898 - Sonaca / Govera Inversiones / Aciturri Aeronautica)
• Order of the Vice-President of the Court of 21 March 2025 in Case C‑720/24 P(R), Nuctech Warsaw Company Limited sp. z o.o., e InsTech Netherlands BV, Vs. European Commission
  Re: Appeal - Interim relief - Foreign subsidies - Inspections within the EU - Regulation (EU) 2022/2560 - Accessibility of data requested by the European Commission - Application for suspension of operation of a measure - Urgency
• France - The Interim General Rapporteur of the Autorité confirms an unannounced inspection in the sector for the manufacture and marketing of glass packaging
• UK - The CMA has accepted final undertakings and the reference has now been fully determined in the Vodafone / CK Hutchison JV merger inquiry
• EU set to limit Apple and Meta fines to avoid Trump ire - Brussels to push ahead with enforcing digital rules on Big Tech groups but with low financial penalties for breaches - Financial Times
  

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.117215

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union - 02 April 2025
• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union - 03 April 2025
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Antici Group (Simplification: CBAM) - 31 March 2025
• Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - EU-Mercosur trade agreement Opportunities and Challenges for Europe
• US car tariffs help Chinese EVs to race ahead - BYD’s technological advances show where the centre of innovation now lies - Financial Times
• EU looks to hit US services in tariff retaliation - Scale of Trump administration’s trade war requires bloc to consider more powerful measures, officials say - Financial Times
• US trading partners warn of retaliation against Donald Trump’s 25% car tariffs - Carmakers’ shares drop as Asian, European and North American countries respond to US president’s latest measures - Financial Times
• EU leaders under influence of booze bosses as trade war escalates - Politicians from France, Italy and Ireland front for the drinks industry as it tries to escape Trump’s 200% tariffs - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Draft Opinion by MEP Daniel Caspary on public procurement - Deadline for tabling amendments : 03-04-2025
• How Europe can make it easier for start-ups to scale - Entrepreneurs and investors are rallying behind a call for a voluntary pan-European legal framework for fledgling companies - Financial Times

CHEMICAL

• Presentation by Polish Chamber of Chemical Industry (agenda item 2.) during the Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth (Industry) on 27 March 2025
  
• 'One substance, one assessment' package - See the EP Statement

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• Opinion of Advocate General Spielmann of 27 March 2025 in Case C‑76/24, Tradeinn Retail Services S.L. Vs. PH
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Intellectual property - National trade marks - Directive (EU) 2015/2436 - Article 10(3)(b) - Effects of the trade mark - Right to prohibit all third parties from stocking goods for the purpose of offering them or putting them on the market - Concept of ‘stocking of goods’ - Stocking of goods in another Member State - Principle of territoriality - Online commerce - Consignment of the goods to the Member State in which the mark is protected
• Opinion of Advocate General Emiliou of 27 March 2025 in Case C‑168/24, PMJC SAS Vs. [W] [X], [M] [X], [X] Créative SAS
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Trade marks - Directives 2008/95/EC and 2015/2436 - Grounds for revocation of the trade mark - Misleading use - Trade mark corresponding to the surname of the designer - Transfer of the trade mark - Acts of the new proprietor intended to make the consumer believe that the designer is still involved in designing the goods covered by the trade mark

FINANCE

• Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament pursuant to Article 294(6) of the TFEU concerning the position of the Council on the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2016/1011 as regards the scope of the rules for benchmarks, the use in the Union of benchmarks provided by an administrator located in a third country, and certain reporting requirements
• The EBA releases the draft of the technical package for its 4.1 reporting framework
• Froukelien Wendt's speech at the Amsterdam Derivatives Academy, 25 March 2025

TAXATION

• Agenda for: 58th meeting Working Party on ACDT - 06 May 2025
• Agenda for: Working Party IV - Direct Taxation (Faster) - 08 April 2025
• Minutes of the Working Party IV - Direct Taxation (DAC7) - 13 March 2025
• Minutes of the 24th Meeting of the Committee on Administrative Cooperation for Taxation - 06 March 2025

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Commission approves new geographical indication from Indonesia - Midday Express
• Commission supports the EU wine sector in the face of new challenges - See the Proposal
• Minutes of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets 
• Minutes of the Quality Policy Committee for agricultural products, wine and spirit drinks - 14 March 2025
• Minutes of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets
  - Horizontal questions on 17 March 2025
  - Animal products on 20 March 2025
  - Subgroup Promotion on 5 March 2025
  

ENERGY

• Answer given by Mr Jørgensen to a MEP written question - Threats posed by the Astravets nuclear power plant
  Answer given by Mr Jørgensen to a MEP written question - Transposition of Directive (EU) 2024/1711
• Getting the price signals right: ACER’s principles for fair and cost-reflective electricity network tariffs

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Draft Opinion by MEP Ana Miranda Paz on the draft Council decision on the termination of the Voluntary Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Cameroon on forest law enforcement governance and trade in timber and derived products to the Union

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Commission to invest €1.3 billion in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital skills
• Answer given by EVP Virkkunen to a written question - EU law, Meta, X and freedom of speech. Digital Services Act and monitoring compliance
• Answer given by EVP Virkkunen to a MEP written question - Defence of Russian spy by the Commission, credibility of reports on the rule of law and procedural violations
  

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Minutes of the meeting of the European ITS Committee - (EIC) - 11 March 2025
• Minutes of the 97th Meeting of the Committee for Maritime security - 05 March 2025
• Italy's Bologna and Czech association Pěšky městem win European Mobility and Action Awards for sustainable initiatives - Midday Express
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the EU in the Port State Control Committee of the Paris Memorandum of Understanding on port State control
• European airlines urge EU to pull back on climate policies - Chief executives call for easing of green fuel and carbon pricing rules - Financial Times

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the EP Plenary session - from 31 March 2025 to 03 April 2025

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Council Decision (EU) 2025/646 of 27 March 2025 in support of facilitating a successful outcome of the 2026 Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons
• Political and Security Committee Decision (CFSP) 2025/626 of 25 March 2025 on the appointment of the EU Force Commander for the European Union military operation in the Mediterranean (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI) and repealing Decision (CFSP) 2024/2641 (EUNAVFOR MED IRINI/1/2025)
• ESA, European Commission meet for third Annual Surveillance Policy Dialogue
• The EU issued a joint communiqué following the 20th EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting on 27 March 2025, in Ashgabat
• Meloni rejects ‘childish’ choice between Trump and Europe - PM tells the FT in an exclusive interview she will respect ‘first ally’ in White House while working to avoid transatlantic rift - Financial Times

EU/RUSSIA/UKRAINE

• Belarus: EU lists further 25 individuals and 7 entities in the context of the so-called presidential election and for supporting the repressive regime of Lukashenka - see Council Implementing Decision (CFSP) 2025/632 & Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/631
• Doorsteps by President von der Leyen following the meeting on peace and security for Ukraine
• European Council chief: No backing down on Russia sanctions - EU leaders aim to find a collective response to U.S.’s intention to ease sanctions on Moscow as an incentive to stop fighting Ukraine - Politico.eu