Europe Daily News, 20 October 2025

COMPETITION

• Commission clears acquisition of Nova Sea by Mowi (M.11914) - Midday Express
• Commission released its decision approving the acquisition of About You by online retailer Zalando - See Case M.11854

STATE AID

• Action brought on 6 August 2025 - TNG Stadtnetz Vs. Commission (Case T-548/25)
  Re: Article 15 of Council Regulation (EU) 2015/1589, Article 108 and Article 108(2) TFEU, Commission Case Number SA. 114187
• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.119065 & SA.117987

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Deputies) - 21 October 2025
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)) - 29 October 2025
• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Hof van beroep te Antwerpen (Belgium) made on 18 July 2025 – Europees Openbaar Ministerie (EOM) and Belgische Staat, Federale Overheidsdienst Financiën, Algemene Administratie van de Douane en Accijnzen (AAD&A) Vs. Prestige Rijwielen, Logwin Air + Ocean Belgium NV, ZG and Belgische Staat, Federale Overheidsdienst Financiën, Algemene Administratie van de Bijzondere Belastinginspectie (AABBI) (Case T-529/25, Prestige Rijwielen)
  Re: General Rule 2(a) of the General rules for the interpretation of the CN, Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87; Regulation (EC) No 1549/2006; electric bicycle
• Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Association Committee in Trade Configuration established by the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part, as regards the reduction and elimination of customs duties
• Commission Implementing Regulation amending Implementing Regulations (EU) 2020/1988 and 2020/761 as regards the quantities that may be imported under certain tariff quotas following the amendment of the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/2081 of 17 October 2025 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and definitively collecting the provisional duty imposed on imports of steel track shoes originating in the People’s Republic of China
• Decision No 3/2025 of the EU-Ukraine Association Committee in Trade Configuration of 14 October 2025 on the reduction and elimination of customs duties pursuant to Article 29(4) of the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part [2025/2130]
• First supply chain due diligence scheme recognised under Conflict Minerals Regulation to facilitate compliance - See Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2071
• European Commission opens nominations to Member States for hosting future ‘EUCA’ authority
• WTO members discuss ways to facilitate trade amid diverse carbon-emission measures
• America’s rare earth delusion - China’s critical minerals chokepoint has been hiding in plain sight for decades - Financial Times
• Rare earths shares soar as US and China battle over export controls - Trump administration plans to set price floors, create strategic minerals reserve and take equity stakes - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: 9th meeting of the Commission Expert Group on Machinery - 07 November 2025
• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness & Growth (Internal Market - Attachés) - 27 October 2025
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2025/2078 of 17 October 2025 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1182 as regards harmonised standards for surgical clothing and drapes, medical face masks and sterilizers for medical purposes
• CEN-CENELEC role in the ESS after the Revision of 1025/2012 and reflections on accessibility to standards - Presentation at the Working Party on Technical Harmonisation on 16 October 2025

CHEMICAL

• Revised draft agenda - REACH Committee meeting of 22-23 October 2025

FINANCE

• ESMA: New Q&As available on EMIR Regulation & MiCA Regulation
• Decision on delegating to the ESMA Chair the adoption of opinions on specific permissions to operate DLT Market Infrastructures
• On Russian assets, Europe fights with one hand tied behind its back - The proposed reparation loan is a step forward but remains full of contradictions - Financial Times

TAXATION

• Agenda for : 81st Meeting Advisory Committee on the Communities' Own Resources (ACOR) VAT - 10 November 2025
• EU strengthens tax cooperation with Switzerland - Midday Express

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• EU and U.S. Young Agricultural Leaders Unite in New Transatlantic Fellowship Program
• Commissioner Hansen in Brazil with a delegation of EU agri-food businesses - Midday Express

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy - 22 October 2025
• Minutes of the meeting of the Electricity cross-border committee - 23 September 2025
• Council agrees its position on rules to phase out Russian gas imports under REPowerEU
• EU countries move to pull plug on Russian gas to Hungary and Slovakia - Politico.eu

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Climate Change Committee - 24 October 2025
• Joint statement on the European Environment Agency (EEA), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Cooperation (Europol)
• Companies slam new delay to EU deforestation law - Food and commodities groups say Brussels risks undermining its own green agenda - Financial Times

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Statement by Commissioner Várhelyi ahead of the 30th anniversary of EU medicines approval
• Commission adopts rules for joint clinical assessments of medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL AFFAIRS

• Decision (EU) 2025/2135 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 October 2025 on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Germany – EGF/2025/002 DE/Goodyear 2
• Decision (EU) 2025/2133 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 8 October 2025 on the mobilisation of the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers following an application from Belgium – EGF/2025/001 BE/BelGaN
• Main results of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (Employment and social policy) - 17 October 2025

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Road safety statistics for 2024 show progress continues amid challenges

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Commission greenlights Austria's third payment request of €515.5 million under NextGenerationEU
• ECB - Euro area monthly balance of payments: August 2025
• Letter from the ECB President to Mr Engin Eroglu, MEP, on the digital euro 
• Fiscal announcements and households’ beliefs: evidence from the euro area  - ECB Working Paper Series No.3139
• Von der Leyen’s budget plan ignites row over funds for poorer regions - New research casts doubt on the value of bloc’s cohesion policy - Financial Times

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1) - 22 October 2025
• Possible items for Commission agendas from 04 November to 25 November 2025

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Cour de cassation (France) of 6 December 2024 – DNO Yemen AS Vs. Petrolin Trading Limited, Moe Oil & Gas Yemen Limited, The Ministry of Oil and Minerals (of The Republic of Yemen), Yemen Oil & Gas Corporation/The Yemen Company, Dove Energy Limited, liquidated (Case C-842/24, DNO Yemen)
  Re: Article 2(2) of Council Regulation (EU) No 1352/2014; restrictive measures in view of the situation in Yemen;
• Council Decision (CFSP) 2025/2136 of 17 October 2025 amending Decision (CFSP) 2023/2287 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Niger
• Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures against Iran
• Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Nicaragua
• Joint Press Release — 4th EU-Iraq Cooperation Council - 19 October 2025
• Draft Minutes of the 17th meeting of the EU-Uzbekistan Cooperation Council
• EU seeks to boost powers to board Russian shadow fleet vessels, document shows - The bloc also considers “targeting the provision of logistical support to shadow fleet vessels” - Politico.eu