Europe Daily News, 04 February 2026

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12250 - Talisman / Mercuria / Itochu / Fitzroy CQ)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12267 - Lov Group / Tipico)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.12170 - CRRC / Grampet / JV)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.12240 - EVH GE / HSBC / SP 29)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.12130 - John Cockerill Defense / FN Herstal / Thales / LS2)
• FrieslandCampina - Milcobel merger decision published by the EU Commission - See Case M.11939
• Commission clears acquisition of One Foods by BRF and HPDC (M.12233) - Midday Express
• Italy - AGCM fines eDreams €9 million for unfair commercial practices

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.119774
• Adnoc-Covestro deal foreign subsidy rule clearance decision has been published by the European Commission - See Case FS.100156
• ESA approves amendments to Norwegian support scheme for green industrial projects

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on the United Kingdom - 05 February 2026
• Agenda for: 673rd meeting of the Export Credits Group - 24 February 2026
• Agenda for: Law Enforcement Working Party (Customs) - 10 February 2026
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Services & Investment) - 11 February 2026
• 2025 EU Export Control Forum - 14 November 2025 
  - Customs Data Observations in the light of EU’s Russia Sanctions An increasingly complex Compliance environment: Perspective from Industry
  - Latest developments and state of play from Regulation (EU) 2021/ 821 to the Economic Security Strategy
  - Revision of Security Export Control System (METI)
  - Multilateral Sanctions: Ukraine contribution
  - Where Research meets Control
  - Industry perspective (PWC)
• Joint Minutes 11th Meeting EU-Moldova Subcommittee on Geographical Indications - 12 November 2025
• Joint Report - Fifth meeting of the Trade and Sustainable Development (TSD) Committee under the EU-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) - 21 January 2026
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the Union in the written procedure by the Participants to the Sector Understanding on Export Credits for Civil Aircraft (“ASU”) regarding the calculation of the Market Reflective Surcharge
  
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2026/244 of 3 February 2026 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and definitively collecting the provisional duty imposed on imports of high-pressure seamless steel cylinders originating in People’s Republic of China
• Switzerland-EU: Discussions on EU measures concerning steel and certain ferroalloys
• EU-Korea Digital Trade Agreement - Bridging digital markets for the benefit of consumers - See Beuc Statement

WTO

• Members discuss next steps on WTO reform ahead of MC14
• WTO members share new agriculture negotiating submissions in lead-up to MC14

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Antici Group (Simplification: defence industry) - 06 February 2026
• Commissioner Kubilius travels to Slovenia to discuss Europe's defence readiness - Midday Express

CHEMICALS

• EPP Group in European Parliament calls for urgent measures to halt decline of EU chemical industry

FINANCE

• ESMA launches selection process for its next Chair
• ESMA - Transitional provisions under the BMR review - See the Statement
• ESMA - Compliance table on MiCA suitability and portfolio periodic statement Guidelines
• Eropean banking associations welcome new memorandum of understanding on digital retail payments
• EFRAG launches new consultations on acceptance of simplified sustainability reporting standard for SMEs

TAXATION

• Answer given by Mr Hoekstra to a MEP written question - Impact on the EU’s competitiveness of certain jurisdictions’ non-implementation of pillar II of the OECD base erosion and profit shifting Pillar II agreement
• Answer given by Mr Hoekstra to a MEP written question - Temporary excess profits tax on defence and military equipment producers, modelled on the energy sector’s excess profits mechanism

ENERGY

• Judgment of the General Court of 4 February 2026 in Case T-127/21 RENV, Swissgrid AG Vs. European Commission.
  Re: Energy - European platforms for the exchange of standard products for balancing energy - Switzerland’s participation - Article 1(6) and (7) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2195 - Letter from the Commission refusing to authorise the Swiss transmission system operator to participate in the platforms - Action for annulment - Challengeable act - Continuing interest in bringing proceedings - Locus standi - Admissibility - Lack of competence of the author of the act
• Sweden: Hemsö secures €200 million EIB loan for energy-efficient social infrastructure

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Climate change committee - 05 February 2026
• Agenda for: The Informal meeting of Environment Ministers - 05 & 06 February 2026
• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (UNECE Aarhus) - 11 February 2026
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Antici Group (Simplification: Omnibus VIII: Environmental) - 09 February 2026
• Overheated and underprepared: European survey finds citizens concerned about heat and ability to cope with climate change - See EEA Report
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the submission, on behalf of the EU, of a proposal for the listing of TBPH in Annex A or Annex B to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Commission marks five years of Europe's Beating Cancer Plan with strengthened actions to fight cancer
  
• Joint statement by Commissioners Várhelyi and Albuquerque on World Cancer Day and the ‘right to be forgotten'
• EU hospitals released 5 million cancer patients in 2023 - Eurostat Statement

EFSA

• Most common housing systems and practices of keeping turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo gallopavo) in the EU
• Rapid risk assessment on acute reference dose (ARfD) of cereulide in infants and information on acute consumption of infant formulae
• Peer review of the pesticide risk assessment of the active substance paraffin oil (CAS 64742‐46‐7, chain lengths C16-C25); (CAS 72623‐86‐0, chain lengths C19-C28) & (CAS 97862-82-3, chain lengths C16-C28)

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• EDPB - Report on International Data Protection Enforcement Cooperation
• EDPB - Joint Report 2024 of Schengen Information System Coordinated Supervision activities
• Cross-regulatory interplay and cooperation in the EU: a data protection perspective - EDPB Conference - 17 Mars 2026

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Commissioner Brunner visits Montenegro and Albania to strengthen cooperation on security, migration and border management - Midday Express
• Lithuania: Court of Appeal confirms convictions in cigarette smuggling scheme from Belarus
• Successful operation against illegal streaming services with millions of users worldwide - Eurojust
• Arrests made for attempted sabotage against navy ships - Eurojust

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Commission greenlights Czechia's fifth payment request for €614 million under NextGenerationEU
• Remarks by Commissioner Dombrovskis at DG ECFIN's Workshop on Fiscal Policy
• ECB - Euro area bank interest rate statistics: December 2025

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Kuwait: 6th EU-Kuwait Human Rights Dialogue with the European Union held in Brussels
• Arctic State of Affairs: Keynote speech by HR/VP Kaja Kallas at the 2026 Arctic Frontiers Conference
• Arctic Frontiers Conference: Remarks by the HR/VP Kaja Kallas at the Joint press conference with Espen Barth Eide, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Norway