Europe Daily News, 01 December 2020

EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE

HEALTH

• EMA receives application for conditional marketing authorisation of COVID-19 mRNA vaccine BNT162b2
• EMA receives application for conditional marketing authorisation of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine

STATE AID

• Commission approves €15 million Bulgarian scheme to support micro, small and medium-sized coach companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak (SA.59182) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €11.7 million Croatian grant to compensate Croatia Airlines for damage caused by coronavirus outbreak (SA.55373) - Midday Express

EMPLOYMENT

• Commission disburses €8.5 billion under SURE to five Member States (Belgium, Hungary, Portugal, Romania and Slovakia) - IP/20/2241

ECONOMY

• Coronavirus response: €183.5 million to support Greek economy - Midday Express

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Team Europe COVID-19 response: EU announces €20 million to support health systems in ASEAN - IP/20/2242
  

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9369 - PAI Partners/Wessanen)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9930 - LGP/TPG/WellSky)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9950 - Clearlake Capital Group/TA Associates Management/Ivanti Software)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9864 - CPPIB/KKR/Axel Springer)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9922 - GHO/MIC/Envision)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10023 - H&F/Carlyle/Vantage)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10012 - Hg/KKR/Citation)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10042 - Vista Equity Partners/Francisco Partners Management/SmartBear Software)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10062 - SDK/Freja Transport&Logistics)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10029 - ABN AMRO BANK/ODDO BHF/ JV)
• Commission approves acquisition of joint control over Tejo and Roller by Mann Mobilia and Tessner Holding (M.9609) - Midday Express
• Commission clears the proposed acquisition of control over G4S by GardaWorld (M.9985) - Midday Express

STATE AID

• Commission approves State compensation granted by Italy to Poste Italiane for its universal postal service obligation - IP/20/22/76
• Answer given by Ms Vestager to a MEP written question - State aid to shipbuilding 

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union of 03 December 2020 
• Agenda for: Working Party on Trade Questions of 02 December 2020 
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee
  - Full Members of 04 December 2020
  - Services & Investment of 02 December 2020
  - Steel, textiles and other industrial sectors of 01 December 2020
• EU and New Zealand reach provisional agreement on two more chapters of future trade agreement
• 15th Meeting of the EU-Uzbekistan Sub-Committee on Economic, Trade and Investment Relations: Joint Report
• 6th Association Committee of the EU-Central America Association Agreement, on 26 November 2020 – Joint Communiqué
• Agenda for: 2nd Meeting of the Committee on Trade in Goods under the Agreement between the EU & Japan for an Economic Partnership of 10 December 2020
• Agenda for 2020 EU-Canada CETA Civil Society Forum of 08 December 2020
• DG Trade's Strategic Plan 2020-2024
• DG Trade's Management Plan 2020 
• Draft Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the application of Union tariff rate quotas and other import quotas (2020/0176 COD) - Initiation of the written procedure: – Adoption of the legislative act 
• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - CETA allows meat containing illegal hormones to be imported into Europe
• WTO panel issues report regarding Korean duties on Japanese steel 
• DDG Wolff calls for more structured WTO cooperation with humanitarian and peace communities

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• The EU prepares for the end of LIBOR: the Commission welcomes the agreement reached between the European Parliament and the Council on financial benchmarks 
• Banking Union: ESMA report on Wirecard - Briefing for the EP ECON Committee

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy of 01 December 2020
• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy of 01 December 2020

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues
  - Global of 03 December 2020
  - UNECE CLRTAP of 01 December 2020
  - UNECE TEIA of 02 December 2020 
• EIB Group cooperates with Hypo Vorarlberg to support climate action investments - IP/20/2273
• Second Innovation Fund call for projects: Commission to invest €100 million in innovative small-scale clean technologies
  
• Expert workshop on the Market Stability Reserve on 01 December 2020
• EU greenhouse gas emissions fell in 2019 to the lowest level in three decades - See the EEA report ‘Trends and projections in Europe 2020'

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• The directive concerning the posting of workers in the framework of the provision of services is applicable to the transnational provision of services in the road transport sector (See CPR Nº 148/2020 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-815/18 - Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging)
• Agenda for: HLSG for Governance of the Digital Maritime System and Services of 15 December 2020
• Minutes of: Digital Transport and Logistics Forum (DTLF) of 13 October 2020
• Minutes of: 5th meeting Tachograph Forum of 12 November 2020
• Minutes of the Informal Expert Group on Drones of 30 October 2020
• European Commission encourages a maritime future which includes Autonomous and Sustainable Ships and Shipping 

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• First Schengen Forum: Towards a stronger and more resilient Schengen area - IP/20/2232, see Speeches by President von der Leyen, VP Schinas and by Commissioner Johansson
• MEPs to grill Frontex director on agency’s role in pushbacks of asylum-seekers 
• EU values in Hungary and Poland: debate on recent developments - see the EP Statement
• Civil protection: Council agrees its negotiating mandate to strengthen disaster prevention, preparedness and response 

DATA PRIVACY

• Poland - Reprimand for disclosure of the list of quarantined persons 
• Belgian DPA fine for unlawful processing of video images
• Sweden - GDPR fine for unlawful video surveillance in an LSS housing
• Swedish SA fine Board of Education in the City of Stockholm
• Schrems 2 data transfers survey: 85% of companies in Europe use standard contractual clauses - See DigitalEurope survey

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Eurogroup statement on Greece of 30 November 2020  
• ‎Remarks by Paschal Donohoe  and by Commissioner Gentiloni following the Eurogroup video conference of 30 November 2020 
• ‎Statement of the Eurogroup in inclusive format on the ESM reform and the early introduction of the backstop to the Single Resolution Fund 
• Debt relief efforts for African countries: Council approves conclusions 
• Interview of Isabel Schnabel with Bloomberg

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Speech by President von der Leyen at the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of Parliaments of the European Union

EXTERNAL RELATIONS & FOREIGN AFFAIRS

• Ukraine: EU report notes continued implementation of the reform agenda though challenges remain - IP/20/2259
• Press release by President Charles Michel on the high-level video conference with the G5 Sahel 
• ‎Joint press statement following the video conference of the members of the EU-Kosovo* Stabilisation and Association Council
• SFPA EU- The Gambia: Minutes of the Second Joint Committee meeting (25 - 26 November 2020 by video conference)
• Co-chairs' press release of the 23rd ASEAN-EU ministerial meeting
  
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