Europe Daily News, 20 November 2020

EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

• Main Results of the European Council of 19 November 2020, see the Remarks by President Charles Michel and Statement by President von der Leyen

HEALTH

• Answer givenby Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Position of EMA and Commission regarding the non-compliant placebo in AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine clinical trials

STATE AID

• Commission authorises €12.4 million Romanian scheme to support wine producers affected by the coronavirus pandemic (SA.59520) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €1.7 million Romanian aid scheme for airlines starting or resuming operations at Sibiu airport following the coronavirus outbreak (SA.59156) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €434 million wage subsidy scheme to support Belgian companies affected by coronavirus outbreak (SA.59297) - Midday Express

MOBILITY

• Answer given by Mr Reynders to a MEP written question - The single market: free movement of people and freedom to provide services during the pandemic
  

ECONOMY

• Speech by Isabel Schnabel: COVID-19 and the liquidity crisis of non-banks: lessons for the future 
• EU economies need public investment-led stimulus, ECB President tells MEPs 
• EU survey confirms citizens’ call for EU to have more powers to tackle pandemic - see the Report
• Answer given by Mr Varhelyi to a MEP written question - The facts used to calculate needs in order to tailor ALL of the EU’s COVID-19 aid interventions, both completed and planned, to a list of non-EU-states 

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Team Europe: EU mobilises €86.5 million to fight COVID-19 in Ghana - IP/20/2133
• Team Europe: the European Union and Germany, meeting Senegal with more than 200 million euros - IP/20/2108

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9882 - SAZKA Group/ÖBAG/Casinos Austria) 
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10033 - Platinum Compass/OTPP/EDPL) 
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10019 - AP1/AP3/AP4/Telia Carrier Entities) 
• Commission clears acquisition of TSA by Voith and PCSH (M.9911) - Midday Express
• Commission clears the acquisition of sole control of MVC Capital by MassMutual (M.9991) - Midday Express
• European Commission needs to scale up antitrust and merger control to fit a more globalised world - ECA Press Release and Report
• EU has been too slow to tame Big Tech, says bloc’s auditor - Competition investigations are too slow and remedies have not worked, report claims - Financial Times
• Belgium - The Investigation and Prosecution Service of the Belgian Competition Authority has submitted a motivated proposal for decision in a case concerning the imposition by Caudalie of a maximum discount level on its network of selective distributors
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt clears merger of Thalia and Osiander
• Slovak Republic - PMÚ SR decided to impose fines on three entrepreneurs for a cartel agreement in the implementation of supplies of machinery and machinery and technological equipment
• Slovak Republic - PMÚ SR initiated administrative proceedings in the matter of possible abuse of a dominant position in the field of waste management services
• UK - CMA opens Liberty Global (Virgin Media) / Telefónica (O2) merger review after European Commission accepts Article 9 referral request - Financial Times
• UK - CMA issues infringement decision against ComparetheMarket for its network of MFN clauses in contracts with home insurers  
• UK - CMA full text of Phase 1 decision in Elis / Central Laundry merger
• Europe needs to build the digital future not just bash Big Tech - Competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager will require all her ingenuity to change data economy rules - Financial Times

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections
• Commission approves an additional state guarantee for Klaipėda LNG terminal in Lithuania (SA.57032) - Midday Express
• Commission approves orderly liquidation scheme for small Italian banks (SA.57516) - Midday Express
• Answer given by Ms Vestager to a MEP written question - Possible selective state aid for Hard Rock Cafe and the BCN World project

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Revised Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Deputy Members) of 20 November 2020
• Agenda for: Economic Tariff Questions Group of 17-18 November 2020
• Agenda of the CETA Committee on Government Procurement - 24-25 November 2020
• Agenda of the 2nd meeting of the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications CETA Committee - 24 November 2020
• EU and 10 other members suspend participation in negotiations in the International Working Group on Export Credits - see the Joint Statement
• 6th Public Session of the Trade and Sustainable Development Sub-committee under the EU-Central America Trade Agreement: Dialogue with Civil Society  
• First Trade and Sustainable Development Public Stakeholders’ Forum under EU-Singapore Free Trade Agreement  
• 4th Meeting of the EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee in Trade Configuration (CCTC) - Joint Report (9 October 2020) 
• Report of the 3rd meeting of the CETA Bilateral Dialogue on Motor Vehicle of 30 September 2020
• Answer given by Mr Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - Trade defence instruments
• WTO - Goods Barometer signals trade resilience amid ongoing COVID concerns
• WTO’s achievements, challenges addressed at 25th anniversary event

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness & Growth (Better Regulation) of 26 November 2020
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Commission Expert Group on Fertilising Products of 24-25 November 2020
• Minutes of Joint Ad Hoc Coal and Steel Advisory Group meeting of 17 July 2020
• Minutes of Group of experts on licensing and valuation of standard essential patents of 22 September 2020
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - European Chemicals Agency Board of Appeals (Cases A-009-2018 and A-010-2018) – what remains of the scope of the ban on animal testing for cosmetics
• European defence: the Commission has signed contribution agreements with OCCAR for the management of defence projects

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1732 of 18 September 2020 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2402 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to fees charged by the European Securities and Markets Authority to securitisation repositories 
• Sustainable Finance and Taxonomy: Commission launches public consultation on criteria defining environmentally sustainable activities - See Text of the draft delegated act
• Answer given by Ms Mc Guinness to a MEP written question - Compliance with SEPA Regulation (260/2012) by tax authorities 
• ESMA launches a public consultation on supervisory fees for data reporting services providers (DRSPs) to be supervised by ESMA starting in 2022
  
• Future challenges for fund managers - Keynote address by Verena Ross at the AIMA forum on 19 November 2020
• Piers Haben speaks at the European Association for Banking and Financial Law event
• Lack of clarity on Brexit equivalence stirs alarm - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Still insufficient progress in making transport fuels more climate friendly, latest EEA data show
• Agenda for Working Party on the Environment of 23, 26 & 27 November 2020
• Agenda for Working Party on International Environment Issues (Climate change) of 24 November 2020 
• Press remarks by Executive Vice-President Frans Timmermans and Commissioner Kadri Simson on the EU Offshore Renewable Strategy
• Commissioner Simson participates in the Strategic Energy Technology Plan 2020 Conference

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Agenda for: Medical Device Coordination Group - Market Surveillance working group meeting of 26 November 2020
• European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 helped to remove barriers - See the evaluation - Midday Express

DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET

• Minutes of the 7th Web Accessibility Directive Expert Group of 14 July 2020
• Commission invests €3.9 million to support investigative journalism and media freedom

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Aggressive telemarketing practices: Vodafone fined over 12 million Euro by Italian DPA 

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Speech by Christine Lagarde: Fostering sustainable growth in Europe
• EU warns of serious obstacles to budget deal after Poland and Hungary veto - Leaders begin talks to break impasse over ‘rule of law’ conditions weeks before December deadline - Financial Times

• Draft - Commission delegated Regulation (EU) …/... amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446 as regards the time-limits for lodging entry summary declarations and pre-departure declarations in case of transport by sea from and to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man
• Brexit talks go online after EU team member contracts Covid-19 - Disruption adds to uncertainty, with time running out for a trade deal - Financial Times

EXTERNAL RELATIONS & FOREIGN AFFAIRS

• Council approves conclusions on the EU Action Plan on Human Rights and Democracy 2020-2024 
• High Representative/Vice-President Borrell in Bosnia and Herzegovina on the anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement - Midday Express
• Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain third countries concerning restrictive measures
  - in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine
  - against the leadership of the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova
  - against Belarus