Europe Daily News, 11 September 2025

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12068 - Philips / Ambulanzzentrum des UKE / JV)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12049 - Sixth Street / F2i / New Sorgenia JV)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12070 - Meta / Reliance / JV)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12064 - Strabag / WTE)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11995 - Prada / Versace)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.12004 - Salic / Olam Agri)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.12110 - Stonepeak / Triton / IFCO)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.12088 - Swiss Life Holding / APG / Itinere)
• Commission invites comments on draft revised EU competition rules for technology transfer agreements
• Commission clears acquisition of Cayenne-Félix Eboué airport by Tikehau, CDC, CCIG and CTG (M.12051) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of joint control of German real estate assets by PLD and NBIM (M.12084) - Midday Express
• Austria - Construction cartel update: At the request of the Federal Competition Authority, the Cartel Court imposes fines on Eibel (€26,000), Neumayer (€90,000) and Schwartz-Bau (€ 140,000)
• Belgium - The Competition Authority publishes guidance on the exchange of information between pharmaceutical companies in the context of reimbursement applications for combination therapies
• France - Cross-Channel freight transport: the Autorité considers that the anticompetitive purpose of a capacity-sharing agreement is not established
• Portugal - AdC sends SO to beverage industry companies over involvement in no-poach agreements
• UK - CMA: Consultation outcome - Proposed decision: SMS investigation into Google's mobile platform and Apple's mobile platform
• UK - CMA is seeking views on the anticipated acquisition by Rundvirke Industrier AB of Calders & Grandidge (Boston) Limited (Invitation to comment until 25 September 2025)

STATE AID

• The Court of Justice annuls the Commission’s decision to approve aid from Hungary for the Paks II nuclear power station (See CPR No.116/2025 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-59/23 P, Austria Vs. Commission)
• Commission opens in-depth investigation into alleged Slovenian State aid measures granted to Javni Zavod Lekarna Ljubljana (SA.43546) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Minutes of the 4th Trade Specialised Committee on level playing field for open and fair competition and sustainable development under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement
• Commissioner Šefčovič and Commissioner Hansen travel to India - Midday Express
• Answer given by Ms Albuquerque to a MEP written question - Spain’s diesel imports from Morocco (possible circumvention of sanctions)
• WTO - Thailand launches safeguard investigation on polypropylene
• VW vows to defend Europe crown in fightback against Chinese EVs - Competition in region’s electric vehicle market intensifies as German carmaker launch new models and software - Financial Times

FINANCE

• ESMA - Updated 2025 IFRS taxonomy introduced into the European Single Electronic Format

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Commission approves new geographical indications from Greece (‘Κρήτη / Kriti') and Spain (‘Queso de Burgos') - Midday Express
• MEPs want a bigger stand-alone post-2027 agriculture budget, with less red tape for farmers and incentives to achieve environmental and social objectives - See the EP Resolution

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Consultation Forum - 30 September 2025
• Commission Decision of XXX establishing the EU Ecolabel criteria for decorative paints, varnishes, and related products, performance coatings and related products, and water-based aerosol spray paints and repealing Decision (EU) 2014/312 - See Annex 1, 2 & 3

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• CBAM: Parliament adopts simplifications to the EU carbon leakage instrument - See the EP Resolution
• Position of the Council at first reading with a view to the adoption of a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on preventing plastic pellet losses to reduce microplastic pollution

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

• Discrimination at work: the rights of persons with disabilities to protection against indirect discrimination extend to parents of children with disabilities (See CPR No.119/2025 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-38/24, Bervidi - Social policy)
• Banco Popular: the rights arising from actions for a declaration of nullity and for damages brought before the resolution of that bank are enforceable against Banco Santander (See CPR No.117/2025 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-687/23, Banco Santander - Freedom of movement for persons)

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Opinion of Advocate General Biondi of 11 September 2025 in Joined Cases C‑448/24 and C‑449/24; British American Tobacco Belgium NV, Nicoventures Holdings Ltd (C‑448/24) and DSE International BV (C‑449/24) Vs. Belgische Staat
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Raad van State (Council of State, Belgium) - Interpretation of Article 7(6) and Article 20(3)(c) of Directive 2014/40/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 3 April 2014 on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco and related products and repealing Directive 2001/37/EC - Manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products - Prohibition on the placing on the market of tobacco products containing certain additives - Additives that facilitate inhalation or nicotine uptake - Applicability of the prohibition to electronic cigarettes
  
• Answer given by Mr Várhelyi to a MEP written question - Scientific basis for Commissioner Várhelyi’s statement that ‘new tobacco and nicotine products pose health risks comparable to traditional ones’

EFSA

• Surveillance of West Nile virus infections in humans and animals in Europe, monthly report – data submitted up to 3 September 2025

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Advocate General Tamara Ćapeta: the Charter does not prohibit proving paternity through post-mortem genetic sampling (See CPR No.120/2025 - Opinion of the Advocate General in the Case C-196/24, Aucrinde)
• Principle ne bis in idem: a person cannot be prosecuted in one Member State for an act of terrorism for which he or she has already been convicted in another Member State, even though the offence has a different classification in each of those Member States (See CPR No.118/2025 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-802/23, MSIG)
• New guidelines to enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure in the EU - Midday Express
• MEPs ready to start talks on new traveller protection rules

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Regulation ECB/2025/31 amending Regulation (EU) 2015_534 on reporting of supervisory financial information
• EP has given its final green light to changes in EU cohesion and social funding in response to new challenges and EU priorities

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Letter of intent with regard to the preparation of the Commission Work Programme for 2026

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Annual reports show erosion of autonomy and freedoms in Hong Kong and continued emphasis on national security in Macao
• Turkish Cypriot community to receive €33.7 million from 2025 EU Aid Programme - Midday Express
• Remarks by President António Costa at the joint press conference with Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz

EU/UKRAINE/RUSSIA

• Judgment of the Court of 11 September 2025 in Case C‑384/24, Russisch-Kirgizisch Ontwikkelingsfonds Vs. Belgische Staat
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - CFSP - Regulation (EU) No 269/2014 - Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Ukraine - Article 2 - Freezing of funds and economic resources - Derogations - Article 4(1)(a), (b) and (d) - Unfreezing of certain funds for specific expenditure - Payment of a court fee and a fixed contribution for the purposes of bringing an action for annulment against a decision implementing that regulation - Inclusion
• Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the unprovoked violation of the EU’s airspace by Russia