November 16, 2021

Europe Daily News, 16 November 2021

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EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

STATE AID

  • Commission approves €210 million Belgian scheme to support travel organisers in the context of the coronavirus outbreak (SA.100480) - Midday Express
  • Commission approves €20.5 million Bulgarian scheme to support bus and coach operators in the context of the coronavirus outbreak (SA.100331) - Midday Express

TRAVEL

  • Commission Implementing Decision (EU) of 15 November 2021 establishing the equivalence, for the purpose of facilitating the right of free movement within the Union, of COVID-19 certificates issued by New Zealand (2021/1993); Moldova (2021/1994); Georgia (2021/1995); Republic of Serbia (2021/1996) to the certificates issued in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2021/953 of the European Parliament and of the Council

COMPETITION

  • Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10141 - SANACORP PHARMAHANDEL / LEOPOLD FIEBIG AND GERDA NÜCKEL)
  • Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10184 - CHANNEL 5 / BBC / ITV / CHANNEL 4 / DIGITAL UK)
  • Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10479 - TELENET / WILLEMEN GROEP / LIVIT)
  • Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10490 - BAIN CAPITAL / CTI / BBG HOLDING)
  • Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10466 - GOLDMAN SACHS / ENEOS / NIPPO)
  • Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10097 - AMD / XILINX)
  • Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10503 - SK Capital Partners / Seqens)
  • Appointment of a Hearing Officer in certain competition proceedings (Mr Eric Gippini Fournier)
  • Commission clears acquisition of Stock Spirits by CVC (M.10459) - Midday Express
  • Austria - AFCA starts a sector inquiry into electric vehicle charging sector in Austria
  • Germany - List of Notified Merger Projects
  • Norway - DNB's bid for Sbanken blocked by Norwegian competition authority
  • Portugal - Between market recovery and market regulation - Speech by Margarida Matos Rosa
  • UK - Admiral Taverns’ concessions over Hampden Pub Estate merger under consultation - see Decision

STATE AID

  • Commission approves €20 million German support for less polluting energy supply to vessels in the port of Hamburg (SA.61865) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

  • Agenda for: Economic Tariff Questions Group of 17-18 November 2021 - See the Working Document on: Quotas & Suspensions
  • Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee
    - Services & Investment of 17 November 2021
    - Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)) of 16 November 2021
  • Decision No 1/2021 of the EU–Republic of North Macedonia Stabilisation and Association Council of 9 September 2021 amending the ‘Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, of the other part’, by replacing Protocol 4 thereto concerning the definition of the concept of "originating products" and methods of administrative cooperation
  • Presentation delivered during the CSD meeting on the EU-Colombia/Ecuador/Peru ex-post evaluation - See the Report
  • WTO Goods Barometer  points to slowing trade growth due to disruptions in critical sectors

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

  • Agenda for: Council of the European Union (General Affairs/Cohesion) of 18 November 2021
  • Preparation of the Competitiveness Council on 25 November 2021 - Implementation of the Recovery Plan for Europe - Policy debate
  • Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1992 of 15 November 2021 on harmonised standards for toys drafted in support of Directive 2009/48/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council
  • Summary of European Commission Decisions on authorisations for the placing on the market for the use and/or for use of substances listed in Annex XIV to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the REACH (4-(1,1,3,3-Tetra methylbutyl)phenol, ethoxylated (4-tert-OPnEO)) - OJ C 463 p.11,12,13,14,15,16,17 & 18
  • ECHA - Provisional Draft Agenda - 53rd meeting of the Committee for Socio-economic Analysis - 30 November-3 December and 7-8 December 2021
  • ECHA - Minutes of the 75th Meeting of the Member State Committee (MSC-75) of 12 & 13 October 2021

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

ENERGY

  • Energy Charter Treaty: Further progress in modernisation negotiations
  • Successful EU Energy Day at Expo 2020 focuses on hydrogen for the energy transition
  • ACER Annual Report on the Results of Monitoring the Internal Electricity and Natural Gas Markets in 2020
  • ACER's Preliminary Assessment of Europe's high energy prices and the current wholesale electricity market design
  • Johnson warns EU to choose between Ukraine and Nord Stream 2 - Bloc urged either to back Kyiv or approve gas pipeline amid rising invasion fears - Financial Times
  • Germany suspends certification of Nord Stream 2 pipeline - Gas prices jump as energy regulator’s decision deals another blow to Kremlin-backed project - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

  • Agenda for: Working Party on Environment of 15, 16,17,18 & 19 November 2021
  • Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Biosafety) of 18 November 2021
  • Position of the Council at first reading with a view to the adoption of a Directive of the European Parliament and the Council amending Directives 1999/62/EC, 1999/37/EC and (EU) 2019/520, as regards the charging of vehicles for the use of certain infrastructures - Adopted by the Council on 9 November 2021
  • EU invests over €1 billion in innovative projects to decarbonise the economy - IP/21/6042

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

  • EUDAMED Notified Bodies and Certificates module - Relevant documents and information

  • EFSA - The science behind nutrient profiling - have your say

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

  • Agenda for: Working Party on Telecommunications & Information Society of 18 November 2021
  • Statement by EC President von der Leyen on her visit to ASML, together with Dutch Prime Minister Rutte
  • Disinformation: Commission welcomes new prospective signatories to the Code of Practice and recommendations for a strong monitoring framework - Midday Express
  • EU’s win against Google provides reminder of its regulatory power - Yet progress is slow and bloc continues to wrangle over incoming Big Tech supervision - Financial Times

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

  • Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues of 18 November 2021

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

  • Aviation: EU and Armenia sign aviation agreement - IP/21/5981 & QaA

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

  • EU law precludes the regime in force in Poland which permits the Minister for Justice to second judges to higher criminal courts; secondments which that minister - who is also the Public Prosecutor General - may terminate at any time without stating reasons (See CPR No.204/2021 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Joined Cases C-748/19, C-749, C-750/19, C-751/19, C-752, C-753/19, C-754/19; Prokuratura Rejonowa w Mińsku Mazowieckim - Area of Freedom, Security and Justice)
  • By criminalising organising activities in relation to the initiation of a procedure for international protection by persons not fulfilling the national criteria for granting that protection, Hungary infringed EU law (See CPR No.203/2021 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-821/19; Commission Vs. Hungary - Area of Freedom, Security and Justice)
  • Transparency and democracy in international sport federations - Information from the Danish, Finnish and Swedish delegations
  • Security and justice in the digital world: Marking 20 years of international cooperation under the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime
  • VP Jourová and Commissioner Dalli open exhibition on gender-based violence - Midday Express

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

FUTURE OF EUROPE

  • Agenda for:  Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) of 17 & 19 November 2021
  • Possible items for College agendas from 17 November to 22 December 2021
  • Press remarks by VP Šefčovič following his meeting with Ignazio Cassis

BREXIT & UK/EU RELATIONS

  • Agenda for: First meeting of the Trade Partnership Committee of 16 November 2021

  • Minutes of the first Trade Specialised Committee on under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement
    -  GoodsRegulatory CooperationTechnical Barriers to Trade & Public Procurement

  • The provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement concerning the European arrest warrant regime with respect to the United Kingdom and the provision in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the United Kingdom concerning the new surrender mechanism are binding on Ireland (See CPR No.205/2021 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-479/21; PPU; Governor of Cloverhill Prison and Others - External relations)

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

  • Main Results of the Foreign Affairs Council of 15 November 2021
  • Main Results of the Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers meeting of 15 November 2021
  • 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 - See Regulation (EU) 2021/1985; Regulation (EU) 2021/1986; Decision (CFSP) 2021/1989 & Decision (CFSP) 2021/1990
  • Council Decision (EU) 2021/1987 of 9 November 2021 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Cooperation Council established by the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Azerbaijan, of the other part, as regards the extension of the EU-Azerbaijan Partnership Priorities
  • EU defence cooperation: Council launches the 4th wave of new PESCO projects

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