Europe Daily News, 15 November 2021

EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

HEALTH

• EU Digital COVID Certificate: Commission adopts equivalence decisions for Georgia, Moldova, New Zealand and Serbia - Midday Express
• 7th update - Common list of COVID-19 rapid antigen tests
• Data on the daily number of new reported COVID-19 cases and deaths by EU/EEA country - ECDC
• Data on COVID-19 vaccination in the EU/EEA - ECDC 

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10357 - Vinci / Eiffage / SMTPC)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10476 - Schwarz Group/ Cespa)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10516 - Bain Capital  / ITP Aero)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10478 - CPP Investments / BC Partners / Ceramtec)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10496 - Cremer / Clyde Investments / Cremer SUSTAINABLE Foods JV)
• Corrigendum to Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10338 - GALILEO / M6 / JV) ( OJ C 430, 25.10.2021)
• EU and Korea meet at the third EU-Korea Competition Week as part of their enforced cooperation on competition policy - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of joint control of ASPI by CDPE, Macquarie and Blackstone (M.10382)  - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of K1 Group by Apollo Management (M.10510) - Midday Express
  

STATE AID

• Answer given by Ms Vestager to a MEP written question - State aid and the Brexit Adjustment Reserve

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Augstākā tiesa (Senāts) (Latvia) of 30 August 2021 - SIA Mikrotīkls Vs. Valsts ieņēmumu dienests (Case C-542/21)
  - subheading 8517 70 11 of the combined nomenclature can include router aerials configured for use in local area networks (LAN) and/or wide area networks (WAN); Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87; Regulation No 1001/2013
• Agenda for: 42nd meeting of the CEG - General Customs Legislation Section jointly with the national VAT experts and the Trade Contact Group (TCG) on 15 November 2021
• Minutes for: 40th meeting of the CEG - General Customs Legislation Section jointly with the Trade Contact Group (TCG) of 25 June 2021
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Full Members) of 19 November 2021
• Minutes - EP INTA Committee of 25 & 26 October 2021
• EP legislative resolution of 11 November 2021 on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the Union, of the Agreement in the form of an Exchange of Letters between the EU and the Commonwealth of Australia pursuant to Article XXVIII of the GATT 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff-rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1976 of 12 November 2021 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty and definitively collecting the provisional duty imposed on imports of mono ethylene glycol originating in the United States of America and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
• Decision No 2/2021 of the EU-Switzerland Joint Committee of 12 August 2021 amending the Agreement between the European Economic Community and the Swiss Confederation by replacing Protocol 3 thereto concerning the definition of the concept of 'originating products' and methods of administrative cooperation
• 2021 Implementation and Enforcement of EU Trade Agreements - Utilisation rate of TRQs opened by the EU to third countries
• Value limits expressed in Euro and corresponding amounts in national currencies for Columbia - Ecuador & Peru, Korea, Vietnam have been published - DG Taxud
  
• China accuses the EU of threatening global trade - Businesses fear Brussels’ move to boost self-reliance could harm supply chains, says Beijing’s ambassador to the union - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Preparation of the Competitiveness Council on 25-26 November 2021
  - Conclusions on "Space for everyone" - Approval
  - Research and Innovation in achieving cross-sectoral objectives - Policy debate
  - Regulation on Machinery Products -  Progress Report  from the Presidency on the state of play
  - 2021 Annual Report of the SME Envoy Network to the Competitiveness Council - Presentation by the Commission
  - Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2013/34/EU, Directive 2004/109/EC, Directive 2006/43/EC and Regulation (EU) No 537/2014, as regards corporate sustainability reporting - AOB : Progress report
• Commission Delegated Directive (EU) of 11 August 2021 amending, for the purposes of adapting to scientific and technical progress, Annex IV to Directive 2011/65/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards an exemption for the use of bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and diisobutyl phthalate (DIBP)
  - in spare parts recovered from and used for the repair or refurbishment of medical devices - (EU) 2021/1978 
  - in plastic components in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) detector coils - (EU) 2021/1979 
  - in ion-selective electrodes for analysing human body fluids and/or dialysate fluids - (EU) 2021/1980
• Appeal brought on 8 September 2021 by Global Silicones Council, Dow Silicones UK Ltd, Elkem Silicones France SAS, Evonik Operations GmbH, Momentive Performance Materials GmbH, Shin-Etsu Silicones Europe BV, Wacker Chemie AG against the judgment of the General Court of 30 June 2021 in Case T-519/18, Global Silicones Council e.a. Vs. ECHA - Case C-559/21 P
  - set aside the judgment of the General Court in Case T-519/18; annulment of the contested decision
• Minutes of the Single Market Programme - Competitiveness and Sustainability of SMEs (SMP/COSME) Committee of 27 October 2021
• Minutes of the Coal and Steel Advisory Groups (CAG and SAG) of 23 July 2021

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• The EBA sets first examination programme for resolution authorities
• The EBA sets examination programme for prudential supervisors for 2022
• The EBA publishes guidance on how to grant authorisation as credit institution
  

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Code of Conduct (Business Taxation) - Subgroup on internal issues of 16 November 2021

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Minutes of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets
  - Arable Crops of 29 October 2021
  - Organic Production of 28 October 2021
  - Spirit Drinks of of 28 October 2021
  - Quality of 28 October 2021
  - Wine of 28 October 2021 
• Council adopts conclusions on the new EU forest strategy for 2030

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment of 15,16,17,18 & 19 November 2021
• Minutes of the 24th Government Experts Group on Environmental Liability meeting of 15 June 2021
• REACH requirements need to be considered in chemical recycling - ECHA/NR/21/26
• Despite limited information on nanomaterials in waste, existing data is valuable for waste operators - ECHA/NR/21/27

COP26

• COP26: EU helps deliver outcome to keep the Paris Agreement targets alive - IP/21/6021 & QaA
• Statement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the outcome of COP26
• Speech of Frans Timmermans at the informal COP26 Plenary
• COP26 deal: Reactions from MEPs in Glasgow 

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Telecommunications & Information Society of 16 November 2021

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues of 17 November 2021
• Draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Framework Decision 2002/465/JHA, as regards its alignment with EU rules on the protection of personal data - Analysis of the final compromise text with a view to agreement
• Draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2014/41/EU, as regards its alignment with EU rules on the protection of personal data - Analysis of the final compromise text with a view to agreement
• Dutch DPA fines Transavia for poor personal data security

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Alternative fuel infrastructures for heavy-duty vehicles - Research for TRAN Committee 

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Speech by Christine Lagarde: Hearing of the EP ECON Committee

BREXIT - UK/EU RELATIONS

• Press remarks by Vice-President Maroš Šefčovič following his meeting with David Frost
• Minutes - First meeting of the trade Specialised Committee on:
  - Intellectual Property
  - Level Playing Field for Open and Fair Competition and Sustainable Development
  - Services, Investment and Digital Trade
• Joint statement following the 4th meeting of the Specialised Committee on Financial Provisions

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda - European Parliament - The Week Ahead 15 - 21 November 2021
• 4th Revised List of meetings taking place between 1 and 30 November 2021

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Syria: four new ministers added to EU sanctions list - See Regulation (EU) 2021/1983 & Decision (CFSP) 2021/1984
• Belarus: EU broadens scope for sanctions to tackle hybrid attacks and instrumentalisation of migrants - Financial Times
• Non-proliferation of nuclear weapons: Council stresses the need to fully implement and universalise the NPT treaty
• Convention on certain conventional weapons: Council approves conclusions
• EU plans to widen sanctions against Belarus - Brussels looks to step up response to ‘hybrid attack’ on bloc’s border - Financial Times