Europe Daily News, 14 December 2020

EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

DIGITAL

• Commission launches Re-open EU mobile app giving regular updates on coronavirus health, safety and travel measures across Europe - Midday Express

STATE AID

• Commission gives green light to the Pan-European Guarantee Fund to enable up to €200 billion financing for companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak in 21 Member States - IP/20/2407
• Commission approves €106.7 million restructuring aid and €30.2 compensation for damages suffered due to coronavirus outbreak in favour of French airline Corsair - IP/20/2398
• Commission approves Danish scheme to support organisers of events affected by coronavirus outbreak (SA.59960) - Midday Express 
• Commission approves modification of Spanish ‘umbrella' scheme to further support economy in coronavirus outbreak (SA.59196) - Midday Express 

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL AFFAIRS

• Employment and social innovation: access to new financing for over 300 small businesses in Lithuania - IP/20/2409

TRANSPORT

• Answer to a written question - Massive industrial recovery plan for airlines and the aeronautics industry in the light of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic 

COMPETITION

• Action brought on 1 October 2020 - Casino, Guichard-Perrachon Vs. Commission (Case T-614/20)
  Re: annulment, pursuant to Article 263 TFEU, Decision C(2020) 5192 final of the European Commission of 23 July 2020
• Action brought on 5 October 2020 - Les Mousquetaires and ITM Entreprises Vs. Commission (Case T-625/20)
  Re: annulment of the decision dated 23 July 2020 relating to a proceeding under Article 18(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 (Case AT.40466 - Alliance Casino and Intermarché)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9962 - Mylan/Aspen’s EU Thrombosis business) 
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10025 - SKN/Lother Group/NORDTEAM JV) 
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10019 - AP1/AP3/AP4/Telia Carrier Entities)  
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.9964 - Eurofiber Nederland/Vattenfall Wärme Berlin/Vattenfall Bitstream Infrastructure) 
• Antitrust: Commission publishes report on implementation of Damages Directive - IP/20/2413
• Commission clears the acquisition of UGG by Allianz and TEF Infra (M.10051) - Midday Express 
• Commission clears acquisition of joint control of Clara-Pensions by CPPIB and Sixth Street (M.10005) - Midday Express 
• Commission clears acquisition of Mazda Motor Manufacturing de Mexico by Mazda Motor Corporation (M.10048) - Midday Express 
• Commission clears the creation of a joint venture by Sumitomo and Tech Mahindra (M.9998) - Midday Express 
• Commission clears acquisition of Questel by Eurazeo and IK (M.10045) - Midday Express 
• PPF, Central European Media EU clearance decision published

STATE AID

• Action brought on 30 October 2020 - Ryanair Vs. Commission (Case T-657/20)
  Re: annulment of the European Commission’s decision (EU) of 9 June 2020 on State aid SA.57410 COVID - Recapitalisation of Finnair
• Commission approves €30 billion Dutch scheme to support projects reducing greenhouse gas emissions (SA.53525) - IP/20/2410
• Answer given by Ms Vestager to a MEP written question - The creation of the ‘new’ Alitalia, ITA (Italia Trasporto Aereo SpA) – a detailed analysis of economic discontinuity according to EU competition rules  

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Customs Union Working Party of 14 December 2020  
• Report from the Commission on export authorisation in 2019 pursuant to the Regulation concerning trade in certain goods which could be used for capital punishment, torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment - See the Annex
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1749 of 7 October 2020 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 428/2009 setting up a Community regime for the control of exports, transfer, brokering and transit of dual-use items 
• Decision No 2/2020 of the ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors of 4 December 2020 to amend Decision No 3/2019 of the ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors to adopt transitional measures pursuant to Article 95(4) of the ACP-EU Partnership Agreement  
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2020/1987 of 14 July 2020 supplementing Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council and Regulation (EU) No 1306/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the lodging and release of securities in the administration of tariff quotas based on the chronological order of the submission of applications 
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1988 of 11 November 2020 laying down rules for the application of Regulations (EU) No 1308/2013 and (EU) No 510/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the administration of import tariff quotas in accordance with the ‘first come, first served’ principle  
• Ukraine wood export ban found illegal in independent panel ruling  
• WTO - Package of declarations and recommendations adopted to help small businesses trade globally  
• WTO - Report shows marked decline in trade restrictions by WTO members amidst COVID-19 pandemic 
• WTO - Trade Policy Review Body - Trade Monitoring Overview of Developments in the International Trading Environment

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth (Industry) of 17 December 2020 
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV) of 15 December 2020
• Erasmus+ 2021 2027: Council reaches a provisional agreement with the European Parliament  - IP/20/2317
• Provisional agreement reached on setting-up the European Defence Fund

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Draft - Commission delegated Regulation (EU) …/... supplementing Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council with regard to regulatory technical standards for assigning risk weights to specialised lending exposures - See the Annex
• Report from the Commission on the activities of the IFRS Foundation, EFRAG and PIOB in 2019
• EBA calls for strengthening the connection between the EU legal frameworks on anti-money laundering and terrorist financing, and deposit protection 
• EBA confirms banks’ solid capital and liquidity positions but warns about asset quality prospects and structurally low profitability 
• ESMA has published its annual market share calculation for EU registered credit rating agencies (CRAs)

ENERGY

• Baltic States and Poland sign €720 million grant agreement for the Baltic Synchronisation project
• Towards a hydrogen market for Europe: Council adopts conclusions 
• ACER to decide on the electricity fallback procedures in 13 EU Member States

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues: (Climate change)  of 18 December 2020
• Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution (CLRTAP): 58th session of the Working Group on Strategies and Review (WGSR 58) and 40th session of the Executive Body (EB 40) (Geneva/hybrid, 14-18 December 2020) - First EU coordination
• Further information on the start of phase 4 of the EU ETS in 2021: emission allowances to be issued for aircraft operators and the Market Stability Reserve  
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the Climate Ambition Summit

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Agenda for meeting of the PAFF Committee, section
• Summary record - 90th meeting of the Pharmaceutical Committee (21 October 2020)  
• Factsheet - Cancer: Fighting the disease and reducing suffering
• Factsheet - Integrated Care: Improving health care coordination and delivery
• Factsheet - Substances of human origin (SoHO): Setting standards to save lives
• EFSA - Pest categorisation of Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Agenda for: Meeting of the European ITS Committee of 17 December 2020

DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET

• EU invests further in European world-class supercomputing in Bulgaria
• Brussels faces reality check as it prepares to overhaul tech rules - Announcement of proposed digital legislation just the beginning of the battle - Financial Times

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Commission welcomes political agreement on the Cybersecurity Competence Centre and Network - IP/20/2384
• Agenda for: Committee meeting on draft Standard Contractual Clauses of 16 December 2020
• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on cyber issues of 17 December 2020

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Encryption: Council adopts resolution on security through encryption and security despite encryption 
• Internal security: Council adopts conclusions to strengthen cooperation 

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Next multiannual financial framework and recovery package: Council moves to finalise adoption
• Decisions taken by the Governing Council of the ECB (in addition to decisions setting interest rates)  
• Statement of the Euro Summit, 11 December 2020 
• When and How to Deactivate the SGP General Escape Clause? In-Depth Analysis EP ECON Committee 
• Speech by Fabio Panetta: "A commitment to the recovery" 
• Weigh(t)ing the basket: aggregate and component-based inflation forecasts for the euro area - ECB Working Paper Series No.2501
• Whatever it takes to save the planet? Central banks and unconventional green policy - ECB Working Paper Series No.2500
• The European Semester must acknowledge that the EU recovery fund is not a stimulus package - see EPC Policy Paper

BREXIT

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/2041 of 11 December 2020 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/585 as regards the number of samples to be taken and analysed by each Member State in view of the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community  
• Joint Statement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson
• EU and UK still ‘far apart’ but Brexit deal hopes rise - Two sides agree to ‘go the extra mile’ to solve thorny issues of competition and fish - Financial Times
• Business hits out at lack of clarity on UK-EU trade terms - Companies complain about uncertainty as retailers warn public against stockpiling food - Financial Times
• Brexit negotiators make progress on key issue in trade talks - Officials see possible way forward on regulatory level playing field for companies - Financial Times

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) of 14,15, 16 & 18 December 2020
• Statement by President Charles Michel at the end of the European Council meeting and Euro summit on 10 and 11 December 2020
• 8th Revision of the List of meetings taking place between 1 and 31 December  

EXTERNAL RELATIONS & FOREIGN AFFAIRS

• Report from the Commission - 2020 Annual Report On the implementation of the European Union’s instruments for financing external action in 2019
• The Council decided to maintain individual restrictive measures against several personalities of the Democratic Republic of Congo until 12 December 2021
• European Solidarity Corps 2021 - 2027: the Council and the European Parliament strike a provisional agreement  - IP/20/2385
• Agenda for: EU-Mauritania: coordination meeting for the 6th round of negotiations of 14 December 2020 
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the World Leader for Peace and Security Award
• European strategic autonomy and a new transatlantic bargain - See CER Policy brief