Europe Daily News, 13 February 2026

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12285 - Skion / BMZ)
• Commission approves UMG's acquisition of Downtown, subject to conditions (M.11956)
• Commission clears acquisition of ABReN by Grasim and BlackRock (M.12297) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Leeds Bradford Airport by Aena and acquisition of Newcastle Airport by LA NCL Topco, DigitalBridge and Aena (M.12292) - Midday Express
• The €460 million acquisition of retail energy supplier ACEA Energia by Eni referred to the Italian AGCM - See Case M.12077
• Commission published its decision allowing Rhône Capital to acquire DHG and the Swiss-based division of Invacare - See Case M.12089
• Belgium - The Competition Authority holds bpost, DPG Media, Mediahuis, PPP and two natural persons liable for manipulating the public procurement procedure for the award of the 2023-2027 newspaper distribution concession

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections - SA.116157 (CCS Funds)
• Commission approves €1.04 billion Danish State aid scheme to support landowner climate projects (SA.119017)
• Commission opens in-depth State aid investigation into Danish and Swedish capital injection into PostNord Logistics (SA.52489 & SA.52658) - Midday Express
• Answer given by EVP Ribera to a MEP written question - Planned introduction of the industrial energy tariff in Germany and its impact on the EU single market

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Explanatory notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union (2202 99 Other)
• Notice of the impending expiry of certain anti-dumping measures (Birch plywood; Russia; Regulation (EU) 2021/1930; 10.11.2026)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/316 of 12 February 2026 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and definitively collecting the provisional duty imposed on imports of Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Resins originating in the Republic of Korea and Taiwan
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/319 of 12 February 2026 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and definitively collecting the provisional duty imposed on imports of valine originating in the People’s Republic of China
• Minutes of the meeting of the Trade Barriers Committee - 28 January 2026
• Minutes of the Fifth meeting of the Specialised Committee on Aviation Safety under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement
• European farmers oppose EU-Australia free trade agreement - See Copa-Cogeca Statement
• 5 things holding up the EU’s trade deal with Australia - Politico.eu
• Europe’s China shock worsens as trade deficit widens - The EU’s trade deficit in goods with China grew to €359B last year - Politico.eu

WTO

• EU requests WTO panel in dispute with China over royalties for EU high-tech sector - See DS632 – case summary
• The 4th review of the trade policies and practices of Papua New Guinea - 11 to 13 February 2026
• Philippines launches safeguard investigation on ceramic tiles

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Main results of the Informal EU leaders' retreat - 12 February 2026
  - Remarks by President António Costa at the press conference
• EU must avoid ‘war’ with member states over deregulation, Belgian PM warns - Financial Times
• Protecting workers while preserving Europe’s Industrial Backbone: Industries' Recommendations regarding benzo[a]pyrene in the 6th revision of the CMR Directive - Joint Industry Statement

FINANCE

• Public consultation: Delegated Act specifying the fees charged by the EBA for the validation of pro forma models - Delegated regulation - Feedback period: 12 February 2026 - 12 March 2026
• The EBA advises national authorities on actions to take at the end of the transition period under its No-Action Letter on the interplay between PSD2 and MiCA
• The EBA publishes its final Guidelines on proportionate retail diversification methods under the standardised approach for credit risk
• ESMA - Significant benchmarks notified under Article 24(2) of the Benchmark Regulation
• ECB economists question Ireland and Luxembourg’s grip on asset managers - Financial Times

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Meeting of the ‘Agriculture & Fisheries’ Council - 23 February 2026
  - Post 2027 Common Agricultural Policy proposals - Policy debate
• CBAM enforcement sparks 80% drop in fertiliser imports: another farming crisis looms? - See Copa-Cogeca Press Release

ENERGY

• Agenda for: 16th Meeting of the Expert Group on Renewable and Low-Carbon Fuels - 25 February 2026
• Agenda for: 4th meeting of the Expert Group of the network of competent authorities on the Methane Regulation - 04 March 2026
• Energy use of EU economy: -4.1% in 2023 - Eurostat
• Call for evidence: Energy-efficient product legislation – Omnibus simplification - Proposal for a regulation - Feedback period: 12 February 2026 - 12 March 2026
• Energy Community Secretariat and Ukraine sustain winter energy support, accelerate next-stage resilience
• Rising threats require a battle-tested electricity system for Europe, says Eurelectric report
• France bets on nuclear as climate policy fractures across Europe - Ambitious solar and wind plans trimmed as government confronts political challenge - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the accounting of greenhouse gas emissions of transport services - Analysis of the final compromise text with a view to agreement
• Answer given by Mr Hoekstra to a MEP written question - PFAS and F-gas emissions in Sicily and the implementation of EU legislation
• EU economy greenhouse gas emissions: +1.1% in Q3 2025 - Eurostat
• Air France-KLM warns EU climate rules would halve Asia flights - Brussels’ sustainable fuel rules would leave European carriers at a ‘significant competitive disadvantage’ warns CEO - Financial Times

DIGITAL, DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Cyber Issues - 16 February 2026
• Agenda for: 4th meeting of the Expert Group on Cybersecurity of Products with Digital Elements - 04 March 2026
• Minutes of 9th meeting of the European Data Innovation Board (EDIB) - 10 December 2025
• EU launches new toolbox to strengthen ICT supply chain security - Midday Express
• EDPB Work Programme 2026-2027 - Adopted on 11 February 2026
• EDPB Report on the public consultation on helpful templates for organisations to facilitate their GDPR compliance
• EDPS - New guidance and binding rules to protect DPO independence across EU institutions - See the Supervisory Guidelines
• Google warns EU against ‘erecting walls’ in tech sovereignty push - Europe risks undermining its own competitiveness drive through curbs on US groups, tech company says - Financial Times 

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Outcome Report of the 2nd Plenary Meeting of the European Judicial Organised Crime Network (EJOCN) - 29 & 30 October 2025
• Belgian police raid European Commission over sale of properties - Investigation concerns potential irregularities in the sale of real estate assets in 2024 - Financial Times
• Brussels breached EU law over €10bn for Hungary, court adviser says - Legal opinion finds fault with Commission’s 2023 decision to grant access to frozen funds ahead of key summit on Ukraine - Financial Times

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• EU-Sri Lanka: Joint Press Release 27th Joint Commission Meeting takes place in Colombo
• Europeans perceive growing threat to their security and trust EU to do more in this field, according to latest Eurobarometer
• Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/345 of 11 February 2026 appointing the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights
• EU Special Representatives: Council extends the mandates of the EUSRs for Human Rights and the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue - See Council Decision (CFSP) 2026/354

EU/RUSSIA/UKRAINE

• Opinion of Advocate General Norkus of 12 February 2026 in Case C‑67/25, Staatsanwaltschaft Saarbrücken against R, N, K
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - CFSP - Restrictive measures in view of Russia’s actions destabilising the situation in Ukraine - Regulation (EU) No 833/2014 - Article 2f(1) - Prohibition on broadcasting content originating from certain legal persons, entities or bodies - Broadcasting of that content by natural persons on a website generating income only in the form of voluntary contributions
• Answer given by Ms Albuquerque to a MEP written question - Stop the Russian nickel trade via Rotterdam