EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

STATE AID

  • Commission approves €155.6 million Italian scheme to support companies in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (SA.100542) - Midday Express
  • Commission approves €52.7 million Dutch scheme to support zoos in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (SA.100258) - Midday Express

TRAVEL

  • Council Recommendation on the temporary restriction on non-essential travel into the EU and the possible lifting of such restriction - notification from Switzerland

COMPETITION

  • Advocate General Rantos clarifies the criteria for qualifying as abusive an of a dominant position in the field of exclusionary practices (See CPR No.220/21 - Opinion in Case C-377/20 - Servizio Elettrico Nazionale e.a.)
  • Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10396 - GIP / Meridiam / New Suez)
  • Commission invites comments on draft Guidelines about collective agreements regarding the working conditions of solo self-employed people - IP/21/6620, QaA
  • Commission clears acquisition of joint control of RLDatix by Nordic Capital, Rothschild and TA Associates (M.10523) - Midday Express
  • Commission clears acquisition of joint control of Zooplus by EQT and H&F (M.10504) - Midday Express
  • France - Nel group fined €100,000 for failure to cooperate in French antitrust probe
  • Germany - Bundeskartellamt considers Meta/Kustomer merger to be subject to notification
  • Italy - Antitrust - Amazon fined over € 1,128 billion for abusing its dominant position

STATE AID

  • Commission approves €3 billion scheme under the Spanish Recovery and Resilience Plan to support research, development, innovation, environmental protection and energy efficiency in automotive value chain (SA.64685) - IP/21/6726
  • Commission approves €783 million Croatian scheme to support production of electricity from renewable energy sources (SA.57089) - IP/21/6422
  • Commission approves modification of German support scheme for maritime transport, including budget increase (SA.64783) - Midday Express
  • Commission approves amendments to German scheme to support electricity production from renewable energy sources and aid for small biomass installations (SA.64376 & SA.63414) - Midday Express
  • EFTA - ESA approves Norway’s regional aid map for 2022-2027

TRADE & CUSTOMS

  • Agenda for: Meeting of the Export Credits Group of 13 December 2021
  • Agenda for: Meeting of the Trade Policy Committee (Full Members) of 14 December 2021
  • Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Joint Committee established by the EEA Agreement, as regards the amendment of Protocol 4 on rules of origin to that Agreement
  • Decision No.3/2021 of the ACP-EU Committee of Ambassadors of 26 November 2021 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 Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/2172 of 8 December 2021 amending Annexes V and XIV to Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/404 as regards the entries for the United Kingdom in the lists of third countries authorised for the entry into the Union of consignments of poultry, germinal products of poultry and fresh meat of poultry and game birds
  • Joint Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis on China’s measures against Lithuania
  • EU-Japan EPA Facility Instrument, a Progress Report of the 2nd year of implementation of the EU-Japan EPA
  • WTO report recommends ways to ease trade bottlenecks in landlocked developing countries
  • China policy will test Germany’s coalition - Olaf Scholz will have to move beyond Angela Merkel’s faith in change through trade - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & GENERAL

  • Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth (Industry) of 14 December 2021
  • Agenda for: Meeting of the Technical Committee on Motor Vehicles (TCMV) on 16 December 2021
  • Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/2173 of 8 December 2021 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/919 as regards harmonised standards for sewage treatment systems, electrically operated bilge pumps, builder’s plate and maximum load capacity of small crafts
  • Fertilisers – agronomic efficiency and safety criteria for by-products in EU fertilising products - Delegated Regulation - Feedback period: 08 December 2021 - 14 January 2022
  • List of authorisation decisions adopted on the basis of Article 64(8) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH), as of 02 December 2021
  • CSR - REACH Authorisation decisions - Trichloroethylene - Roquette

FINANCIAL SERVICES

  • EBA report highlights shortcomings in the application of its Guidelines on the remuneration of sales staff
  • EBA consults on draft technical standards setting requirements for crowdfunding service providers
  • The EU has a new weapon in the stock market battle - Homegrown start-ups offer Europe a rare opportunity to make itself more attractive for innovative public companies - Financial Times

TAXATION

  • Code of Conduct Group (Business Taxation) - Report to the Council & Council Conclusions (7 December 2021)
  • Judgment of the Court of 9 December 2021 in Case C-154/20, Kemwater ProChemie s. r. o. Vs. Odvolací finanční ředitelství
    Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Taxation - VAT - Directive 2006/112/EC - Article 168 - Right to deduct input tax - Material conditions for the right to deduct - Supplier's status as a taxable person - Burden of proof - Refusal of the right to deduct where the true supplier has not been identified - Conditions

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

  • Transforming the food supply chain towards sustainability - lessons learned from the EU Code of Conduct - Information from the Slovak delegation supported by Bulgaria, Czechia, Greece, Hungary, Poland and Spain

EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION & SOCIAL POLICY

ENERGY

  • Agenda for: Working Party on Energy of 13 December 2021
  • Answer given by Ms Simson  to a MEP written question - Energy prices, corrective rules and the functioning of the internal market
  • Why Nord Stream 2 is at heart of US warnings to Putin over Ukraine - Russia-controlled gas pipeline to Europe offers obvious target if west wants to send message to Moscow - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

  • Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues - Desertification of 14 December 2021
  • Third Clean Air Forum (Madrid, 18-19 November 2021) - Information from the Spanish delegation
  • 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP26) (Glasgow, 31 October-13 November 2021) - Information from the Presidency and the Commission
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2139 of 4 June 2021 supplementing Regulation (EU) 2020/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council by establishing the technical screening criteria for determining the conditions under which an economic activity qualifies as contributing substantially to climate change mitigation or climate change adaptation and for determining whether that economic activity causes no significant harm to any of the other environmental objectives
  • Commission Notice – Guidance document on the strict protection of animal species of Community interest under the Habitats Directive
  • Biodiversity: Three billion additional trees by 2030 – launch of MapMyTree tool
  • Answer given by Mr Sinkevicius to a MEP written question - EU Waste Shipments Regulation and the export of secondary raw materials
  • Answer given by Mr Sinkevicius to a MEP written question - Use of hazardous substances such as FBSA in the EU

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

  • Judgment of the Court of 09 December 2021 in Case C-370/20, Pro Rauchfrei eV Vs. JS e.K.,
    Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products - Directive 2014/40/EU - Labelling and packaging - Article 8(8) - Health warnings to be displayed on each unit packet of a tobacco product and on any outside packaging - Automatic cigarette packet dispenser - Health warnings invisible from the outside - Representation of the unit packets - Concept of 'image' of unit packets and any outside packaging intended for consumers in the European Union

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

  • Commission Decision of 8 December 2021 on the open source licensing and reuse of Commission software
  • Commission welcomes political agreement to ensure EU travellers can continue to benefit from free roaming - IP/21/6665, QaA, see the EP Statement & Beuc reaction
  • Digitalisation of justice: Council presidency and European Parliament reach provisional agreement on e-CODEX

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

  • UK - US joint statement on deepening the data partnership - Joint statement from Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries and US Commerce Secretary Gina M. Raimondo
  • US and UK to partner on Prize Challenges to advance privacy-enhancing technologies

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

  • Agenda for: Council of the European Union (Justice & Home Affairs) of 9 and 10 December 2021 
  • The Commission proposes to extend the list of ‘EU crimes' to hate speech and hate crime - IP/21/6561 & FactSheet
  • Migration and asylum pact: Council adopts EU asylum agency regulation
  • Commission recalls the importance of fighting corruption both inside and outside the EU on International Anti-Corruption Day - Midday Express

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

FUTURE OF EUROPE

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

  • International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime: Statement by the HR/VP Josep Borrell
  • President von der Leyen co-chairs one of the two Leaders' Plenary Sessions in the Summit for Democracy alongside US President Joe Biden - Midday Express

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