Europe Daily News, 02 December 2021

EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

HEALTH

• Communication: Addressing together current and new COVID-19 challenges
• EMA - Increase in manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca 
  
  ECONOMY

• EU financial instruments supported European SMEs during the coronavirus crises with €29 billion in 2020 - IP/21/6348 - Financial Times

STATE AID

• Commission approves amendments to Irish schemes to support companies in the context of the coronavirus outbreak (SA.100717) - Midday Express

COMPETITION

• Agenda for: Working Party on Competition of 06 December 2021
  
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10343 - Discovery/WarnerMedia)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10075 – Nexi/Nets Group)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10451 – DP World / Imperial Logistics)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10133 – Astorg / Nordic Capital / Novo/ BioclinicaI)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10520 – CumminsS / China Petrochemical Corporation / JV)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10353 – Graphic Packaging Holding Company  / AR Packaging Group)
• Corrigendum to Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10474 – Neste / Ravago / JV) ( OJ C 480, 29.11.2021)
• Commission approves the creation of a new joint venture by Sky and ViacomCBS (M.10456) - Midday Express
• Commission fines UBS, Barclays, RBS, HSBC and Credit Suisse € 344 million for participating in a Foreign Exchange spot trading cartel (AT.40135) - IP/21/6548
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt - Joint venture between K+S and REMEX for disposal of hazardous waste cleared only after implementation of extensive offsetting measures
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt imposes fine on audio equipment manufacturer Bose

STATE AID

• Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Italy (SA.100380) - IP/21/6467
• Commission approves €11.2 million capital increase in the Fund Manager of Financial Instruments in Bulgaria (SA.61100) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €48 million Portuguese scheme to support the purchase of zero-emission buses and related infrastructure (SA.64653) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Judgment of the Court of 2 December 2021 In Joined Cases C 884/19 P and C 888/19 P, European Commission, VS. Xinyi PV Products (Anhui) Holdings Ltd, GMB Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg GmbH, intervener at first instance (C 884/19 P), and GMB Glasmanufaktur Brandenburg GmbH, Vs. Xinyi PV Products (Anhui) Holdings Ltd, European Commission
  Re: Appeal – Dumping – Imports of solar glass originating in China – Regulation (EC) No 1225/2009 – Article 2(7)(b) and (c) – ‘Undertaking operating under market economy conditions’ status – Denied – Concept of ‘significant distortions carried over from the former non-market economy system’, within the meaning of the third indent of Article 2(7)(c) – Tax incentives
• Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism - [COM (2021) 564 final - 2021/0214 (COD)] - Opinion of the Polish Senate on the application of the Principles of Subsidiarity and Proportionality
• Complaint requesting the initiation of an anti-dumping investigation concerning imports of ceramic tiles originating, inter alia, in Turkey
• EU stakeholders outreach on the Trade and Technology Council Working Group on Secure Supply Chains - Agenda - 13 December 2021
• US–EU trade & technology council stakeholder meeting - joint summary
• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - Is the Chinese public procurement market closed to European tenderers?
• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - The EU-Ukraine Association Agreement and its impact on European agriculture
• Trade aspects of the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement - Study fo rthe EP INTA Committee 
• WTO - DDG Ellard cites importance of business engagement with the WTO

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Speech by Vice-President Šefčovič at the "High-level conference" on ‘Joining forces for the next generation of Better Regulation'
• Council Recommendation (EU) 2021/2122 of 26 November 2021 on a Pact for Research and Innovation in Europe
• 27th Session of the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), Geneva, 22-26 November 2021 - Final EU/Member States statements
• Germany: CHANCEN eG receives European support for providing student financing - IP/21/6529
• Industrial Forum advances work on the implementation of the EU's Updated Industrial Strategy - Midday Express
• Minutes of the Internal Market for Products (IMP) - Working group on accreditation and conformity assessment of 18 November 2021
• New Seal of Excellence support scheme in Spain
• CEFIC: Joint Statement on Enforcement of EU Chemical Legislation
• CEFIC: Upcoming EU chemical Legislation puts Europe’s fourth largest manufacturing industry at crucial crossroads - See the Report
• Europe’s chemicals industry warns on threat from EU plans - BASF chief says policymakers must work more closely with industry on regulations of 12,000 substances - Financial Times

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Anti-money laundering: Council agrees its negotiating mandate on transparency of crypto-asset transfers
• Answer given by Ms McGuinness to a MEP written question - Sustainable finance and credible global leadership at the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26)
• EBA publishes sample of banks participating in the December 2021 mandatory Basel III monitoring exercise
• ESMA announces upcoming publication aimed at CSDs

TAXATION

• Proportionality test: Commission calls on 18 Member States to strengthen the EU Single Market for regulated professions - IP/21/6389
• Key decisions in the December 2021 infringements package
• VAT Gap: While gap continues to decrease, EU countries lost €134 billion in VAT revenues in 2019 - IP/21/6466 & QaA 

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Progress on fishing licences in Guernsey waters - IP/21/6472

ENERGY

• Penta countries discuss measures to make the clean energy transition secure and resilient
• The countries of the North Seas Energy Cooperation has renewed their Political Declaration and deepened cooperation to meet the ambitious offshore wind 2030 - 2050 targets
• Closing speech by Commissioner Simson at the European Hydrogen Week
• ENTSO-E winter outlook underlines greater resilience of EU electricity market

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Conclusions of the virtual high-level BIOEAST Foresight Conference (27 September 2021) - Information from the Presidency
• Nature: Commission decides to refer Germany to the Court of Justice of the European Union over failure to sufficiently protect flower-rich grasslands in Natura 2000 sites - IP/21/6263
• Air quality: Commission decides to refer Romania to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failure to comply with EU clean air and industrial emissions legislation - IP/21/6264
• Water: Commission decides to refer Spain to the Court of Justice of the European Union for poor implementation of the Nitrates Directive - IP/21/6265
• European Green Deal: Commission welcomes political agreement on the 8th Environment Action Programme - Midday Express

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Agenda - Second HPP Webinar Thematic Network on Regulatory possibilities to enhance cooperation among the EU's governance structures and complementarity within the EU acquis (10 January 2022, 11.00-12.30 CET)
• WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco control (FCTC): 9th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP9) (8 - 13 November 2021) - Information from the Presidency and the Commission
• Report of the meeting and presentations - Hospital Managers’ meeting: “Bridging the gaps and creating opportunities” (21-22 October 2021)
• Draft - Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) …/... authorising the placing on the market of calcium fructoborate as a novel food under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 of the European Parliament and of the Council and amending Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470
• Commission publishes its Health and Food Audits and Analysis Programme for 2022
• Unfair trading practices in the food supply chain - Preparation of the Council debate

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Judgment of the Court of 2 December 2021 in Case C-484/20: Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH Vs. Bundesverband der Verbraucherzentralen und Verbraucherverbände - Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e. V.
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Consumer protection - Directive (EU) 2015/2366 - Payment services - Article 62(4) - Applicable charges - Article 107(1) - Full harmonisation - Article 115(1) and (2) - Transposition and application - Cable television and internet access subscriptions - Contracts of indefinite duration concluded before the date of transposition of that directive - Charges applied to payment transactions without direct debit authorisation initiated after that date

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• According to Advocate General Richard de la Tour, the Member States may allow consumer protection associations to bring representative actions against infringements of the protection of personal data (See CPR Nº 216/2021 - Opinion of the Advocate General in the case C-319/20 Facebook Ireland)

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Rail Transport: Commission refers Germany to the Court of Justice of the European Union for excluding its regional transport networks from EU rail safety and interoperability requirements - IP/21/6273 

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Rule of Law: Commission opens consultation for the 2022 Rule of Law Report - Feedback Period: 1 December 2021 - 24 January 2022
• AG Campos Sánchez-Bordona: the actions brought by Hungary and Poland against the regime of conditionality for the protection of the Union budget in the event of breaches of the principles of the rule of law should be dismissed (See Nº 217/2021 - Opinion of the Advocate General in Cases C-156/21, C-157/21, Hungary Vs. Parliament and Council, Poland Vs. Parliament and Council)
• Digital information exchange in terrorism cases - Analytical supporting document
  - Digital information exchange in terrorism cases between the national competent authorities and Eurojust
  - Digitalisation of cross-border judicial cooperation in civil, commercial and criminal matters

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• NextGenerationEU: European Commission disburses €1.8 billion in pre-financing to Romania - IP/21/6471, QaA & FactSheet 
  - Proposal for a Council Implementing Decision on the approval of the assessment of the recovery and resilience plan for Romania
  - Annex to the Proposal for a Council Implementing Decision on the approval of the assessment of the recovery and resilience plan for Romania
  - Staff-working document accompanying the proposal for a Council Implementing Decision
• Keynote speech by President von der Leyen at the 75th anniversary of the European League for Economic Cooperation
• Ecofin report to the European Council on tax issues - Approval
• ECB - Euro area bank interest rate statistics: October 2021
• Opinion of the European Central Bank of 30 November 2021 on a proposal for a regulation to extend traceability requirements to transfers of crypto-assets (CON/2021/37)
• Macroeconomic reversal rate in a low interest rate environment - ECB Working Paper Series No.2620
• Addressing the endogeneity of slack in Phillips Curves - ECB Working Paper Series No.2619
• EU Cohesion policy: the 14th edition of the REGIOSTARS Awards live tonight

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• President von der Leyen and HR / VP Borrell participate in EU and Latin America and Caribbean Leaders' meeting  - Midday Express
• Turkey: EU provides further €325 million in humanitarian aid for refugees - IP/21/6470