Europe Daily News, 24 March 2023

COMPETITION

• Belgium - Carrefour Belgium - AI (Mesures Provisoires) - Brussels Court of appeal
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt - List of Notified Merger Projects
• Greece  The new Regulation on the Operation and Management of the Competition Commission
• Hungary - The Ministry supports the proposal of the Competition Authority to create an online price monitoring database
• Spain - CNMC - Study and public consultation on healthcare insurance
• Spain - CNMC recommends review of regulation of solicitors' fees 

STATE AID

• Opinion of advocate General Rantos of 23 March 2023 in Case C‑11/22, Est Wind Power OÜ Vs. AS Elering
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Aid granted by Member States - Renewable energy subsidy - Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy 2014-2020 - Paragraph 19(44) and footnote 66 to paragraph 126 - Construction of a wind farm - Concept of ‘State authorisation for implementing the investment project’ - Concept of ‘start of works’
• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections
• Commission approves €109 million Bulgarian scheme to support farmers in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine (SA.106681) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €100 million Lithuanian scheme to support companies in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine (SA.106380) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Trade Questions - 28 March 2023
• Information on imports of products from Ukraine into the EU subject to trade liberalisation measures, in line with the requirements under Article 6 of Regulation(EU) 2022/870
• Trade Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) in support of Free Trade Agreement and Investment Protection Agreement negotiations between the European Union and the Republic of India - Draft Inception Report - Executive Summary - March 2023
• Council Decision (EU) 2023/676 of 20 March 2023 on the signing, on behalf of the Union, of the Agreement between the EU and the Republic of Chile pursuant to Article XXVIII of the GATT 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom’s withdrawal from the EU
• EU seeks to tone down the imperial style in search for critical minerals - A trade deal with Chile shows Brussels is trying to appear to be a development partner rather than a neocolonial extractor - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Judgment of the Court of 23 March 2023 In Case C-662/21; Booky.fi Oy, intervener: Kansallinen audiovisuaalinen instituutti (KAVI)
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Articles 34 and 36 TFEU - Free movement of goods - Measure having equivalent effect to a quantitative restriction - Recordings of audiovisual programmes - Online sales - Legislation of a Member State imposing an age rating and labelling of programmes - Protection of minors - Recordings already rated and labelled in another Member State - Proportionality
• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth (Internal Market) - 31 March 2023
• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth (Industry) - 29 March 2023
• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth (Industry) - 27 March 2023
• Space: Commission invites the industry to submit proposals to deploy the new EU secure connectivity satellite constellation, IRIS - IP/23/1882
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - EU automobile sales down in 2022
• Auto industry (Acea) calls on EU leaders to act on eroding industry competitiveness 

CHEMICAL

• ECHA Weekly Newsletter - 22 March 2023
• ECHA’s Risk Assessment Committee backs PFAS ban in firefighting foams - ECHA/NR/23/10
• Enforcement authorities to target PFCAs and related substances - ECHA/NR/23/09
• ECHA - Community rolling action plan update covering the years 2023, 2024 and 2025 

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Report from the Commission on the exercise of the power to adopt delegated acts conferred to the Commission under Council Directive 96/16/EC on statistical surveys of milk and milk products
• Public consultation - School fruit, vegetables & milk scheme (amended rules on the payment of aid) - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 22 March 2023 - 19 April 2023

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

• Communication from the Commission - Interpretative Communication on Directive 2003/88/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning certain aspects of the organisation of working time

ENERGY

• The need for an EU electricity grid capable of sustaining and accelerating the green transition - Information from the Greek delegation
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - Germany’s push for coal-fired power stations: failure of a European Green Deal paid for by citizens

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment - 27 March 2023
• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Basel) - 30 March 2023
• Agenda for: 41th Meeting of the DNA on Regulation (EU) N° 649/2012 of the EP and of the Council concerning the export and import of hazardous chemicals - 30 March 2023
• Public consultation - Environmental performance of products & businesses – substantiating claims - Proposal for a directive - Feedback period: 23 March 2023 - 19 May 2023
• Public consultation - Sustainable consumption of goods – promoting repair and reuse - Proposal for a directive - Feedback period: 23 March 2023 - 19 May 2023

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Working Party on Influenza virus characterization - Summary Europe, February 2023 - ECDC Surveillance report

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• 1.3 billion Digital Europe Programme to help Europe's digital transition and cyber security - Midday Express

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Outcome of proceedings - Standing Committee on Operational Cooperation on Internal Security (COSI)
• Commission Recommendation (EU) 2023/681 of 8 December 2022 on procedural rights of suspects and accused persons subject to pre-trial detention and on material detention conditions
• Commissioner Johansson in Stockholm to attend the meeting of the Joint Parliamentary Scrutiny Group on Europol - Midday Express
• Vice-President Schinas in Egypt to discuss skills, education, mobility and migration - Midday Express
• Answer given by Ms Johansson to a MEP written question - The Commission’s action on kratom
• First-time asylum applicants up 64% in 2022 - Eurostat

EURO, ECB & ECONOMY

• Minutes of: Council of the European Union (Economic and Financial Affairs) - 14 March 2023
• Derivative margin calls: a new driver of MMF flows - ECB Working Paper Series No.2800
• ECB - Climate-related financial disclosures of the Eurosystem’s corporate sector holdings for monetary policy purposes - See the Report
• Flash PPPs and GDP estimates for 2022 now available - Eurostat

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• European Council conclusions - 23 March 2023, see Remarks by President Charles Michel and by President von der Leyen
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the European Economic and Social Committee Plenary session of 22-23 March 2023
• Resolutions and Decisions adopted by the European Parliament at its plenary part-session in Strasbourg from 13 to 16 March 2023

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Readout of the working session of the European Council with the UN Secretary General
• HR/VP Josep Borrell travels to Dominican Republic and attends the 28th Ibero-American Summit - Midday Express
• Bosnia and Herzegovina: Statement by the Spokesperson on the defamation law in Republika Srpska

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• European Council conclusions on Ukraine - 23 March 2023
• Russia: Statement by the High Representative on threats against the International Criminal Court
• Russia: Statement by the Spokesperson on the repressive police intimidation of representatives of Memorial
• Joint investigation team into alleged core international crimes in Ukraine: one year of international collaboration - Eurojust Statement