EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

HEALTH

  • Organisation of resilient health and social care following the COVID-19 pandemic - Opinion & Factsheet
  • EU Health Policy Platform webinar - Protecting vulnerable populations from Covid-19 (10 December 2020, 11:30-13:00 CET) 
  • Summary report - 42nd Health Security Committee on COVID-19 outbreak

STATE AID

  • Commission approves modification of Italian scheme to support companies active in agriculture, forestry, fishery, aquaculture and related sectors affected by coronavirus outbreak (SA.59509)

INTERNAL MARKET

  • The impact of COVID-19 on the Internal Market and consumer protection - IMCO Webinar Proceedings - In-Depth Analysis - EP IMCO Committee

EMPLOYMENT

  • Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/2005 of 4 December 2020 granting temporary support under Regulation (EU) 2020/672 to Ireland to mitigate unemployment risks in the emergency following the COVID-19 outbreak 

DIGITAL

TAXATION

  • Coronavirus response: Commission welcomes agreement on crucial VAT relief for vaccines and testing kits - IP/20/2299
  • The Council adopted temporary measures in relation to VAT applicable to COVID-19 vaccines and test kits 

COMPETITION

STATE AID

  • Commission prolongs EU State aid rules applicable to the agricultural, forestry and fishery sectors - Midday Express
  • Commission approves State guarantee for the financing of the LNG terminal in Cyprus (SA.55388) - Midday Express
  • Answer given by Ms Vestager to a MEP written question - Guidelines on regional aid for the period from 2022  

TRADE & CUSTOMS

  • Agenda for: Export Credits Group of 15 December 2020
  • Notice of the expiry of certain anti-dumping measures (Seamless pipes and tubes of iron or steel; The People’s Republic of China; Anti-dumping duty; 9.12.2020)
  • Sint Maarten has fulfilled the two pre-requisites and is applying the REX system as from 7 December 2020 
  • Draft - Commission delegated Regulation (EU) …/... amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2015/2446 as regards common data requirements, and Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/341 as regards the codes to be used in certain forms - see the Annex
  • Minutes of the Special Committee on Government Procurement: EU-Mexico FTA -12 October 2020, Mexico Host (via videoconference).
  • Joint Minutes: 14th Mexico-EU Joint Committee on Trade issues of 22 October 2020
  • EU-Mexico: Report of the Special Committee on Intellecutal Property Matters of 14 October 2020.
    Minutes: 11th Meeting: Special Committee on SPS: Mexico-EU FTA of 20-21 October 2020
  • Joint Minutes of the Special Committee on Standards and Technical Regulations, EU-Mexico FTA of 19 October 2020.
  • Joint Minutes of the 13th Meeting of the EU-Mexico Special Committee on Customs Cooperation and Rules of Origin of 16 October 2020
  • European Parliament resolution of 7 October 2020 on the implementation of the common commercial policy – annual report 2018

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

  • Agenda for: Working Party on Electro-Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) Directive 2014/30/EU of 14 December 2020
  • Agenda for the REACH Committee meeting of 14 December 2020
  • Draft - Commission Regulation (EU) …/… of XXX amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards polycyclic-aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in granules or mulches used as infill material in synthetic turf pitches or in loose form on playgrounds or in sport applications 
  • Mandatory Transparency Register: compromise on draft conditionality package - IP/20/2327
  • European Union and the French State unlock €715 million for French businesses - See EIF Statement

FINANCIAL SERVICES

  • ESAs highlight the change in the status of Simple, Transparent and Standardised (STS) securitisation transactions at the end of the UK transition period 
  • ESMA publishes 2020 ESEF XBRL Taxonomy files and ESEF Conformance suite
  • Speech by Steven Maijoor - The three paradoxes of sustainability reporting and how to address them
  • EBA informs customers of UK financial institutions about the end of the Brexit transition period

TAXATION

  • Agenda for: Group on the Future of VAT of 07 December 2020
  • Minutes of the SCAC - Expert Group in the field of VAT- Administrative Cooperation of 08 October 2020 
  • Minutes: Possible expansion of the exchange of information framework in the field of taxation to include crypto-assets and e-money of 13 November 2020 -  

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

  • Transition to a new EU farm policy: food security and protecting farmers’ income - see EP Statement

ENERGY

  • ACER adopted five Decisions fostering the integration of the European electricity networks and markets

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

  • Agenda for the meeting of the Standing Committee on Biocidal Products of 10 December 2020
  • Draft - Commission delegated Regulation (EU) …/... amending Annex II to Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the identification mark to be used for certain products of animal origin in the United Kingdom in respect of Northern Ireland
  • European Business & Nature Summit 2020: Green economic recovery to reshape business for nature and people
  • Climate change and its impact on mental health - Briefing - EP ENVI Committee

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

  • Call for proposals concerning the Programme Support Action (PSA) for the implementation of a Coordination mechanism to federate the National Access Points established under the ITS Directive (2010/40/EU) - Deadline for submitting applications: 28 February 2021

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

  • The Estonian Data Protection Inspectorate obliged e-pharmacies to immediately terminate access to another person’s prescription information

DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET

  • Agenda for: Radio Spectrum Committee - Decision n° 676/2002/EC of 09-10 December 2020
  • Berlin Declaration on Digital Society: EU Member States agree to collaborate on a value-based digital transformation - Midday Express
  • Detecting online child sexual abuse requires strong safeguards - see the EP Statement
  • EU vs Big Tech: Brussels’ bid to weaken the digital gatekeepers - Regulators will unveil bills to curb the power of Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook. Do they have any chance of success? - Financial Times

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

  • The Court dismisses the actions brought by Hungary and Poland seeking the annulment of the directive strengthening the rights of posted workers (See CPR Nº 155/2020 - Judgments of the Court of Justice in Cases C-620/18,C-626/18, Hungary Vs. Parliament and Council)
  • Unlike a European arrest warrant, a European investigation order may be adopted by the public prosecutor’s office of a Member State exposed to the risk of being subject to individual instructions from the executive (See CPR Nº 156/2020 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-584/19 - Staatsanwaltschaft Wien (Ordres de virement falsifiés))
  • Minutes of the Company Law and BRIS Expert Group of 21 September 2020 
  • Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken, on behalf of the European Union, in the reconvened sixty-third session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs on the scheduling of substances under the Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs of 1961, as amended by the 1972 Protocol, and the Convention on Psychotropic Substances of 1971 - see the Annex

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

  • Commission welcomes political agreement on InvestEU - IP/20/2344
  • Investment Plan for Europe backs growth funding for German identity verification platform - IP/20/2339
  • Denmark to join Eurosystem’s TARGET services
  • Single Resolution Board: Accountability arrangements (9th parliamentary term) - Briefing - EP ECON Committee
  • Single Supervisory Mechanism: Accountability arrangements (9th parliamentary term) - Briefing - EP ECON Committee

FUTURE OF EUROPE

  • List of Working Parties which will be officially organised in Portugal under the Portuguese Presidency (first half of 2021) - Information note for the Coreper (Part 1)  

BREXIT

  • Joint Statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
  • Johnson to go to Brussels in search of way out of Brexit stalemate - UK PM set for make-or-break talks with Von der Leyen after ‘no tangible progress’ on key trade differences - Financial Times
  • Europe is right to risk a double ‘no deal’ - Financial Times

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

  • EU adopts a global human rights sanctions regime - see the Declaration by the HR/VP Borrell - (see Regulation (EU) 2020/1998 & Decision (CFSP) 2020/1999) - Financial Times
  • Council conclusions on European Union - United States relations 
  • Venezuela: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the elections for the National Assembly  
  • Report on the state of EU-Algeria relations 2018–2020: a privileged partnership in a challenging environment - IP/20/2194 & Press Release of the EU-Algeria Association Council 
  • EU-NGO Human Rights Forum: EU, civil society and business representatives discuss the impact of new technologies on Human Rights
  • Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2003 of 7 December 2020 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1210/2003 concerning certain specific restrictions on economic and financial relations with Iraq
  • European powers warn Iran over plan to escalate nuclear activities - Statement by Germany, France and UK highlights hurdles to restoring international deal post-Trump - Financial Times

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