Europe Daily News, 09 April 2025

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11947 - AP / LGP / Green Epic Topco)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11771 - Adnoc / Covestro)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11960 - BWGI / Verallia)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11839 - Blackrock / HPS)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11934 - Bain Capital / Apleona Group)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11917 - Segro / PSPIB / Central Bohemia Target Asset)
• Commission clears acquisition of Schenker by DSV (M.11746) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Agri Holding by CDPE and Trilantic (M.11880) - Midday Express
• Germany - Google will stop restricting competition in connection with Google Automotive Services and Google Maps Platform
• Germany - On the planned merger of Arla Foods and DMK Group: Market concentration cements market power imbalance to the detriment of dairy farmers
• Greece - Initiation of the full investigation procedure regarding the notified concentration, which concerns the acquisition by the company 'Alphabet Education S.A' (Alphabet) of exclusive control over the company 'Delta Schools of Northern Greece S.A' (Delta)
• Ireland - CCPC outlines competition concerns in preliminary assessment of Circle K/Pelco deal

STATE AID

• Answer given by Executive Vice-President Ribera to a MEP written question - Small regional airports across the European Union

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for : 1st EU-New Zealand FTA Committee on Trade in Goods - 09 April 2025
• Agenda for: 7th Meeting of the CETA Regulatory Cooperation Forum - 14 & 15 May 2025
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Trade Policy Committee (Services & Investment) - 15 April 2025
• Agenda for: Meeting of the EU-Serbia sub-committee on Trade, Industry, Customs and Taxation - 10 April 2025
• Agenda for: Third Meeting of the EU-Singapore FTA (EUSFTA) Trade & Sustainable Development (TSD) Board Public Stakeholders' Forum - 15 April 2025
• Agenda for: 268th meeting of the Customs Code Committee - Tariff & Statistical Nomenclature Section (Sub-Section Mechanical/Miscellaneous/Textile) - 05 to 07 May 2025
• Agenda for: “Economic Tariff Questions Group” meeting (Tariff suspensions for chemical and agricultural products & for microelectronic products; Tariff quotas) - 15 & 16 May 2025
• Joint Statement of the Second EU-Singapore Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Board Meeting to the TSD Public Stakeholders Forum (22 March 2023)
• Agreement on Digital Trade between the European Union and the Republic of Singapore - See the Council Decision on the conclusion and on the signing
• MEPs agree on tighter screening of foreign direct investments - see the Draft report / Draft recommendation, Opinions by the ITRE, IMCO & TRAN EP Committee
• MEPs agree to exempt Ukraine from steel safeguard measures for a further three years - see the Amendments; the Coreper Letter
• Aswer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - Anti-dumping duties on Chinese lysine
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - US AI chip export restrictions: a challenge to EU unity and technological sovereignty
• EFTA and Ukraine sign a new modernised free trade agreement
• DDG Ellard: WTO a pillar of security and predictability amid global uncertainty
• Moldova formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies

EU/US TARIFFS

• China initiates WTO dispute regarding US “reciprocal tariffs”
• EU targets Trump’s red states with tariffs on US trucks, cigarettes and ice cream - European trade officials sure know how to have fun - Politico.eu
• Meloni’s solo Trump visit triggers anxiety in France - French industry chief warns against European disunity on trade as Italian PM heads to the White House - Politico.eu
• Trade war makes improved UK-EU relations ‘imperative’, says Reeves - Britain could exploit the chaos unleashed by Donald Trump - Financial Times
• Industry chiefs urge UK-EU leaders to deliver defence and security pact - Pressure mounts on both sides to sign deal at Brussels summit on May 19 - Financial Times
• Brussels eyes fresh retaliation as it struggles to counter Trump tariffs - EU slow to agree measures as member states divided over how hard to hit back - Financial Times
• US tariffs cause car import pile-up at American ports - Executive warns situation could become ‘quite ugly’ in a few weeks as carmakers park vehicles amid levy uncertainty - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/681 of 8 April 2025 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1182 as regards harmonised standards for medical gloves for single use, sterilization of medical devices and patient handling equipment used in ambulances
• Read-out of the Dialogue with the Pharmaceutical Industry
• Europe still not up to par on EV purchase and tax schemes, new publication confirms disparities - Acea Statement

FINANCE

• European Commission issues €8 billion in its 4th syndicated transaction of 2025
• Answer given by Ms Albuquerque to a MEP written question - The online promotion of crypto-assets by Elon Musk in relation to the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA)
• ESMA consults on clearing thresholds under EMIR 3
• ESMA consults on rules for external reviewers of European Green Bonds
• EBA updates list of institutions involved in the 2025 supervisory benchmarking exercise

TAXATION

• Agenda for: 112th Meeting of the Standing Committee on Administrative Cooperation - 08 May 2025
• Minutes of the Indirect Taxation Expert Group meeting - 29 November 2024

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Minutes & Working Documents of the Meeting of the Expert Group European Union Sugar Market Observatory - 25 March 2025
• Commission Implementing Decision of 8 April 2025 establishing a list of geographical indications protected under Regulation (EU) 2024/1143 of the European Parliament and of the Council for their international registration pursuant to Article 2 of Regulation (EU) 2019/1753 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• European Union-financed AgriFI launches Country Window Sri Lanka to boost smallholder farmers

ENERGY

• Decision No 2/2024 of the Specialised Committee on Energy established by Article 8(1)(l) of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part of 7 November 2024 as regards the establishment of a Working Group on Security of Supply
• Unlocking flexibility: ACER’s 12 no-regret actions to remove barriers to demand response

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Plastic pellet losses: Council and Parliament agree on new rules to reduce microplastic pollution
• Commission welcomes provisional agreement to reduce microplastic pollution

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Judgment of the General Court of 09 April 2025 in Case T‑9/23, Koppers Denmark ApS, Vs. European Commission, supported by French Republic, by Kingdom of the Netherlands, and by European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
  Re: Action for annulment - Public health - Biocidal products - Regulation (EU) No 528/2012 - Renewal of the approval of creosote as an active substance for use in biocidal products of product-type 8 - Restrictions on the placing on the market of treated articles - Application for partial annulment of Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1950 - Contested provisions not severable from the rest of the act - Inadmissibility
• Commission authorises use of safe genetically modified maize as food and animal feed - Midday Express
• SCHEER - Minutes of the Working Group meeting on Groundwater Directive & Water Framework Directive of 7 April 2025

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Minutes of the 4th meeting of the High Level Group for the Digital Markets Act - 07 March 2025
• Commission sets course for Europe's AI leadership with an ambitious AI Continent Action Plan - see the QaA, FactSheet and the Communication
  - Remarks by Executive Vice-President Virkkunen on the AI Continent Action Plan
  - Call for expression of interest in AI Gigafactories (AIGFs)
• Have Your Say: Future cloud and AI policies in the EU - from 09 April to 04 June 2025
• Commission launches public consultation and call for evidence on the Apply AI Strategy - from 09 April to 04 June 2025
• Answer given by EVP Virkkunen to a MEP written question - The first General-Purpose Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Code of Practice: Appointment of Chairs and Vice-Chairs

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Bosnia & Herzegovina: remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Kaja Kallas following the meeting the Members of the Presidency
• Albania: remarks by High Representative/vice-President Kaja Kallas at the joint press conference with Prime Minister of Albania, Edi Rama
• Commissioner Brunner in Egypt to discuss migration management cooperation at the Khartoum Process Ministerial Conference - Midday Express
• Answer given by HR/VP Kallas to a MEP written question - Increased military spending in the EU: balance between strategic autonomy and NATO cooperation
• The Commission proposes the signature and provisional application of the EU-Switzerland agreement authorising Swiss participation in EU programmes - Midday Express