Europe Daily News, 6 February 2024

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.110443; SA.109037; SA.109350 & SA.111392
• Commission opens State aid in-depth investigation into Corsair amended restructuring plan (SA.109662) - IP/24/516

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Law Enforcement Working Party (Customs) - 19 February 2024
• EEA Joint Committee highlights 30 years of the European Economic Area
• EFTA and Thailand moving closer to sealing a comprehensive Free Trade Agreement
• Agenda for: 4th Meeting of the CETA Joint Committee Plenary Session - 09 February 2024
• Report of the 5th round of the EU-India negotiations on protection of Geographical Indications - 14 & 15 December 2023
• Report of the 4th round of the EU-India negotiations on protection of Geographical Indications - 13 & 14 July 2023
• FactSheets on benefits per EU Member State of the EU-Canada CETA - 2022
• Working Documents for the Meeting of the Commission Expert Group on Trade and Sustainable Development - 30 January 2024
• Public consultation - White Paper on Dual-Use Export Controls - White Paper - Feedback period: 02 February 2024 - 30 April 2024
• Public consultation - Recommendation to monitor outbound investments for further risk assessment - White Paper - Feedback period: 02 February 2024 - 30 April 2024
• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - Ban on exports of high-tech components for drones intended for acts of aggression
• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - Labour rights concerns in the negotiations on the free trade agreement with Indonesia
• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - Ratification of the EU-Canada CETA and Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA)
  
• Answer given by Mr Gentiloni to a MEP written question - Cross-border trade in tobacco products within the EU

CBAM

• Provisional list of National Competent Authorities (NCAs) for the CBAM - 05 February 2024
• IT Releases - Fixes in CBAM Transitional Registry - 05 February 2024
• CBAM - Default values transitional period - 02 February 2024
• Answer given by Mr Gentiloni to a MEP written question - Commission’s implementation of Recital 52a and Article 30(7) of the CBAM Regulation

INTERNAL MARKET

• Environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings: Council and Parliament reach agreement

FINANCE

• Public consultation - Third-country insurers - prolongation of US provisional equivalence decision (Solvency II) - Delegated decision - Feedback period: 06 February 2024 - 05 March 2024
• Report on 2023 stocktaking of BigTech direct financial services provision in the EU - Joint-ESA Report

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• EU backs down on agricultural emissions after farmers’ protests - Reference to a 30% cut in nitrogen and methane gases by 2040 removed from proposed road map - Financial Times
• Ursula von der Leyen scraps pesticide reduction bill, in gift to farmers - The European Parliament already rejected the contentious text, which the Commission President described as a “worthy aim.” - Politico.eu

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Joint answer given by Mr Sinkevičius to a MEP written question - Revision of import criteria for protected wood species
• Iceland and Norway’s pioneering CCS technologies play a vital role in securing Europe’s sustainable future

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Commission Regulation (EU) 2024/451 of 5 February 2024 amending Annex III to Regulation (EC) No 396/2005 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards maximum residue levels for nicotine in or on certain products
• Public consultation - Product safety – ways for consumers and others to report potentially dangerous products - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 02 February 2024 - 01 March 2024
• Core protocol for ECDC studies of COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation with Severe Acute Respiratory Infection, laboratory-confirmed with SARS-CoV-2 or with seasonal influenza - Version 3.0
• SCHEER - Minutes of the Working Group on EMF: technical advice for an amendment of annexes to Council Recommendation 1999/519 - 02 February 2024
• SCHEER - Minutes of the Working Group meeting on phthalates in certain medical devices - 10 January 2024
• SCCS - Minutes of the Working Group meeting on Cosmetic Ingredients - 25 & 26 January 2024

EFSA

• EFSA - Extension of use of isomalto‐oligosaccharide as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283
• EFSA - Guidance for reporting 2023 animal population data using the SIGMA data model
• EFSA - Guidance for reporting 2023 laboratory data on avian influenza

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Gigabit infrastructure act: Council and Parliament strike a deal for faster deployment of high-speed networks in the EU
• Minutes of the 3rd high-level meeting of the Expert group on Artificial Intelligence and Digitalisation of Businesses  - 12 December 2023

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Newly proposed rules to strengthen GDPR enforcement in cross-border cases - see the EP Briefing

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Public consultation - Revision of the amount of the visa fees in accordance with Article 16(9) of the Visa Code - Delegated regulation - Feedback period: 02 February 2024 - 01 March 2024
• Workshop: Preventing EU funds from reaching sanctioned individuals or entities - see the Study for the EP Committee on Budgetary Control

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Work programme 2024 - economic and financial affairs
• Ukraine Facility: Council and Parliament agree on new support mechanism for Ukraine
• National Recovery and Resilience Plan: Latest state of play for: Croatia; Ireland; Poland; Finland; Czechia & Sweden
• ECB Consumer Expectations Survey results – December 2023

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Speech by President von der Leyen to the EP Plenary on the conclusions of the European Council meetings, in particular the special European Council meeting of 1 February 2024
• Report by President Charles Michel to the EP Plenary session on the conclusions of the European Council meetings

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Poland: Press remarks by HR/VPJosep Borrell after meeting with Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski
• Global Gateway: EU and Argentina strengthen partnership on sustainable raw materials value chains with high-level visit
• EU Statement - UN Preparatory Committee for the Third UN Conference on Landlocked Developing Countries: General Discussion
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the European Parliament Plenary on the need for unwavering EU support for Ukraine, after two years of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine