Europe Daily News, 02 July 2025

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Denmark will hold the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2025.
  - Priorities
  - Programme of the Danish Presidency.
  - Message from Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen

COMPETITION

• Merger control: the General Court upholds the Commission’s decision to examine, at the request of Luxembourg, the acquisition of Boissons Heintz by Brasserie Nationale (Munhowen) (See CPR Nº 80/2025 - Judgment of the General Court in Case T-289/24, Brasserie Nationale and Munhowen Vs. Commission)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11699 - A-Warea Dairy A & Cream / The Dairy Food Group)
• Czech Republic: Office fines major cartel in Railway construction sector More than CZK 150 million
• Denmark - The Competition Authority said it has conducted onsite inspections at companies operating in the accounting services sector
• The Netherlands - ACM market investigation into computer-controlled consumer prices in the airline sector: research methods and consultation
• Slovakia - The Association of Fuel Industry and Trade has been fined 10,000 euros, first-ever penalty for a labor market cartel agreement
• UK - The CMA is investigating the anticipated acquisition by Kingspan Group Limited of Coverworld Holdings Limited

STATE AID

• Judgment of the Court of 02 July 2025 in Case T-489/21, Kingdom of Spain Vs. European Commission
  Re State aid - Digital television - Aid for the roll-out of DTT in remote and less urbanised areas (except Castilla-La Mancha) - Decision declaring the aid unlawful and incompatible with the internal market - Decision to initiate the formal investigation procedure - Article 6, (1) of Regulation (EU) 2015/1589 - Concept of “aid scheme” - Selectivity - Burden of proof - Technological neutrality - Advantage - Unjust enrichment
• Judgment of the Court of 02 July 2025 in Case T-715/21, Cellnex Telecom, SA, Retevisión I, SA Vs. European Commission, supported by SES Astra SA
  Re: State aid - Digital television - Aid for the roll-out of DTT in remote and less urbanised areas (except Castilla-La Mancha) - Decision declaring the aid unlawful and incompatible with the internal market - Decision to initiate the formal investigation procedure - Article 6(1) of Regulation (EU) 2015/1589 - Procedural rights of interested parties - Rights of the defence - Selectivity - Burden f proof
• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.107476; SA.113383 & SA.113357
• Commission Decision (EU) 2025/1270 of 25 November 2024 on the measures on SA.39182 (2017/C) (ex 2017/NN) (ex 2014/CP) Alleged illegal aid to Tartu Agro AS implemented by Estonia

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Judgment of the Court of 02 July 2025 in Case T-165/23, Arkema France Vs. European Commission
  Re: Trade policy - Dumping - Imports of fatty acid originating in Indonesia - Definitive anti-dumping duty - Article 9(1), of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 - Continuation of the investigation after withdrawal of the complaint - Article 1(1) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Article 3(6) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Injury analysis - Article 21(1) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Union interest analysis - Manifest error of assessment - Error of law"
• Judgment of the Court of 02 July 2025 in Case T‑176/23, PT Musim Mas, Vs. European Commission
  Re: Commercial policy - Dumping - Imports of fatty acid originating in Indonesia - Definitive anti-dumping duty - Article 9(1) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 - Continuation of the investigation after withdrawal of the complaint - Article 2(3) and (6) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Constructed normal value - Article 9(4) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Article 21(1) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Union interest analysis - Manifest error of assessment - Error of law
• Judgment of the Court of 02 July 2025 in Case T‑187/23, PT Permata Hijau Palm Oleo, PT Nubika Jaya, Vs. European Commission
  Re: Commercial policy - Dumping- Imports of fatty acid originating in Indonesia - Definitive anti-dumping duty - Article 17(3) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 - Request for individual examination - Unduly burdensome - Article 9(1) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Continuation of the investigation after withdrawal of the complaint - Article 3(2) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Article 9(2) and (4) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Injury analysis - Article 21(1) of Regulation 2016/1036 - Union interest analysis - Manifest error of assessment - Error of law
• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union - 04 July 2025
• Agenda for: Working Party on Trade Questions - 08 July 2025
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Full Members) - 03 July 2025
• Council Decision (EU) 2025/1308 of 23 June 2025 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the World Customs Organization (WCO) Council in relation to a WCO Article 16 Recommendation amending the Harmonised System
• Answer given by Mr Hansen to a MEP written question - Mercosur agreement: Agen prunes sector at risk!
• WTO - The eighth review of the trade policies & practices of Norway takes place on 30 June and 2 July 2025
• WTO - Committee on Regional Trade Agreements - 113th session - Free trade agreement between the EU and New Zealand - Goods and services - Note on the meeting of 17 June 2025
• EU to exempt heavy industry from carbon tax on exports - Concessions to support European producers in the face of foreign competition follow calls to ease climate targets - Financial Times
• EU won’t negotiate on tech rule books in Trump trade talks, Brussels says - EC tech chief Henna Virkkunen defends the rules as “based on our European values.” - Politico.eu
• EU blocks Britain’s attempts to join pan-European trading bloc - The PEM convention would reduce exporters’ post-Brexit difficulties with supply chains - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Commission launches new strategy to make Europe a global leader in life sciences by 2030 - Q&A and FactSheet
  
• Answer given by EVP Séjourné to a MEP written question - The future of ArcelorMittal and the steel industry in the EU
• Answer given by Mr Kubilius to a MEP written question - Is the European defence industry represented by an American lobbyist?

FINANCE

• Meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 8 July 2025
  - Current financial services legislative proposals - Information from the Presidency
• ESMA finds convergence opportunities for pre-trade controls
• ESMA promotes clarity in sustainability-related communications
• ESMA finds improvements needed in supervision of sustainability risks and disclosures
• The EBA consults on draft amended Guidelines on the application of the definition of default under the Capital Requirements Regulation
• The EBA provides its technical advice to the European Commission on fees to validate pro forma models under the European Market Infrastructure Regulation
• The EBA publishes its final Guidelines on Acquisition, Development and Construction exposures to residential property under the standardised approach of credit risk
• EU’s shift to a US savings model risks dismantling its social contract - Political choices should be debated democratically, not hidden in technocratic agendas of ‘financing gaps’ - Financial Times

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• European Union trade marks: the General Court annuls the decisions revoking Ferrari’s rights in the word mark TESTAROSSA for certain goods, N including cars, parts and accessories, and scale models of cars (See CPR Nº 81/2025 - Judgments of the General Court in Cases T-1103/23, T-1104/23, Ferrari Vs. EUIPO - Hesse (TESTAROSSA))

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• EU's Climate Law presents a new way to get to 2040 - See the Q&A , FactSheet, the Proposal for a 2040 EU climate target & Working Document
• Key actions launched to advance the circular economy
  • Commission adopts key legal act to simplify and digitalise waste shipments in the EU - See the Implementing Regulation, the Annex and the Public Consultation
  • Circular Economy: New evaluation looks at how to improve WEEE Directive - See the Working Document; the Final Report & the Executive summary
• Answer given by Ms Roswall to a MEP written question - Measures to retain and recycle black mass from electric vehicle batteries within the EU