Europe Daily News, 08 April 24

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11378 - SFH / Existing Shareholders / Argal)
• Commission clears acquisition of certain assets of Vion by Tönnies (M.11446) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Truist Insurance Holdings by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice and Stone Point Capital (M.11501) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Smart Clinic by Generali, GSD and GK Holding (M.11417) - Midday Express
• Commission clears merger between SKG and WestRock (M.11323) - Midday Express
• Conference - EU Merger Regulation 139/2004: 20 Years that Made a Difference - 18 April 2024
• Austria - Construction cartel: Cartel court imposes fine of EUR 1.1 million on Beyer/Mandlbauer at BWB's request
• Belgium - The Competition Authority approves the acquisition of the Van den Broeck company by the Pautric group
• Germany - The Bundeskartellam authorised the intended takeover of the district heating network in Berlin currently operated by Vattenfall Wärme Berlin AG by the State of Berlin
• Slovak Republic - The Competition Authority approves the acquisition of the sole control of Pro Partners Holding, a.s. over HB Reavis Investment Management S.à r.l.
• Slovak Republic - The Competition Authority initiated an administrative procedure for the assessment of a concentration of undertakings active in the energy sector
• Spain - The CNMC investigates GeneraLife Clinics S.L. and its parent company, Investindustrial Growth L.P.
• UK - CMA: Statistics showing the outcomes of merger inquiries examined under the Enterprise Act 2002

STATE AID

• Commission approves €350 million German State aid scheme to support renewable hydrogen production (SA.109550) - IP/24/657
• Commission approves €267 million Slovak State aid measure to support Volvo Cars' new electric vehicle plant (SA.103740) - IP/24/1882
• Commission approves amendments to Dutch State aid schemes to reduce nitrogen deposition on nature conservation areas (SA.112538 & SA.112540) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €35 million Italian State aid scheme to support telecommunication operators in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine (SA.11374) - Midday Express
• Commission approves re-introduction of €2.5 billion Romanian State aid scheme to support companies in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine (SA.113044) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Conference - Supporting women in international trade - Lessons from Europe and Canada - 25 April 2024
• Guidance on "valuation simplification" under Article 73 UCC as of 03 April 2024
• Draft - Commission Implementing Regulation amending Implementing Regulations (EU) 2020/761 and (EU) 2020/1988 as regards the creation, modification and management of certain tariff quotas following the free trade agreement between the European Union and New Zealand
• Proposal for a Council Decision establishing the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community as regards the adoption of a decision adding a newly adopted Union act to Annex 2 to the Windsor Framework (COM(2024)164)
• Proposal for a Council Decision establishing the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Joint Committee established by the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community as regards the adoption of a decision adding a newly adopted Union act to Annex 2 to the Windsor Framework (COM(2024)165)
• Joint Conclusions & Communiqué - 9th Meeting of the EU-Pacific interim Economic Partnership Agreement (iEPA) Trade Committee Meeting - 06 & 07 February 2024
• Operational conclusions - 3rd meeting of the EU-Armenia Partnership Sub-Committee in customs - Brussels 28 March 2023
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with food
• EU establishes strategic partnership with Uzbekistan on critical raw materials - IP/24/1806

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Draft - Commission implementing decision amending Implementing Decision C(2020)7924 on a standardisation request to the European Committee for Standardization and the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardization as regards personal protective equipment in support of Regulation (EU) 2016/425 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Good Laboratory Practicies - Product-specific legal acts - Created by GROW.F.2 - Last update: 04 April 2024
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - The procurement of fixed-price books by public libraries

CHEMICAL

• Agenda for: Meeting of the REACH Committee - 26 April 2024
• Agenda for: Ad Hoc Working Party on One Substance One Assessment - 12 April 2024
• List of authorisation decisions adopted on the basis of Article 64(8) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH) - Last update: 03 April 2024

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Agenda for: Working Party on Genetic Resources and Innovation in Agriculture (Seeds, Propagating and Planting Materials) - 19 April 2024
• Agenda for: Meeting of the CEG on Forest and Forestry Stakeholder Platform - 23 April 2024
• EU agri-food trade achieved a record surplus in 2023 - Midday Express

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy - 11 April 2024
• EU Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, visits Australia
• ACER recommends aligning Dutch gas transmission tariffs with the network code's information requirements

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Global) - 12 April 2024
• Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius to a MEP written question - Implementation of the Deforestation Regulation
• Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius to a MEP written question - Risks to the coffee supply chain posed by the Regulation on deforestation-free products

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Statement by Commissioner Kyriakides on World Health Day
• Protection of workers: Limit values for lead and diisocyanates - See the EP Briefing

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Opening speech by President von der Leyen at the Clean Transition Dialogue on Mobility
• 2023 Report from the European Commission on CO2 Emissions from Maritime Transport
• New interactive page showcases positive impact of CEF Transport

DIGITAL & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues -10 April 202
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Cybersecurity threats to public administration
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - EU satellite fleet: technologically obsolete?
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Cybersecurity threats to public administration
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - European cloud and digital sovereignty

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Vice-President Jourová to host signing ceremony of the Code of Conduct for the 2024 European Parliament Elections - Midday Express
• Statement by Vice-President Jourová, Commissioner Dalli and Commissioner Várhelyi on International Roma Day
• In a new report, Europol details workings of 821 most dangerous criminal networks in EU

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Commission proposes further €500 million in Macro-Financial Assistance to Jordan - IP/24/1829, Proposal for a Decision & Working Document
• ECB - Survey on the Access to Finance of Enterprises: firms report moderate tightening of financing conditions 

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• EU and UNDP supply 15 modern water trucks and 60 mobile water treatment facilities to Kryvyi Rih to alleviate area’s water crisis
• Statement by the HR/VP on behalf of the EU on the occasion of the 30th commemoration of the Genocide Against the Tutsi
• Press statement by President von der Leyen on a "Resilience and Growth Plan" for Armenia
• Joint U.S.-EU-Armenia High Level Meeting in support of Armenia’s Resilience
• HR/VP Op-Ed: Time to stop the manmade disaster in Sudan
• EU Statement at the Human Rights Council - HRC55