EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

HEALTH

  • European Commission obtains further acceleration of deliveries of vaccine doses to Member States - IP/21/6932
  • EMA recommends approval for use of Kineret in adults with COVID-19
  • COVID-19: EMA recommends authorisation of antibody medicine Xevudy
  • EMA issues advice on use of Paxlovid (PF-07321332 and ritonavir) for the treatment of COVID-19

STATE AID

  • Commission approves €49 million Polish support to compensate Poczta Polska for damages suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak (SA.63700) - Midday Express
  • Commission approves €50 million Latvian scheme to support shopping and sports centres, cultural, recreational and entertainment sites affected by the coronavirus pandemic (SA.100694) - Midday Express

ECONOMY

  • NextGenerationEU: European Commission disburses €41.1 million in pre-financing to Malta (13% of the country's financial allocation under the RRF) - IP/21/6940
  • NextGenerationEU: European Commission disburses €126 million in pre-financing to Estonia (13% of the country's financial allocation under the RRF) - IP/21/6939
  • Report shows European Structural and Investment Funds have European added value by supporting investment and helping companies, workers and citizens in coping with the pandemic - IP/21/6698 

TRAVEL

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

COMPETITION

STATE AID

  • Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections
  • Commission authorises a Belgian scheme worth a total of €23.74 million to support commercial passenger and freight rail operators in the context of the pandemic (SA.62160 & SA.62498) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

  • Agenda for: Customs 2027 Programme - 9th Proficiency Test related to the Measuring Table of 20 January 2022
  • Agenda for: Customs 2027 Programme - 2nd Proficiency Test on Completely Denatured Alcohol of 13 January 2022
  • Minutes of the CLEN - ILIADe Project Group meeting, 4-6 October 2021
  • Notice of Initiation concerning a review of the safeguard measure applicable to imports of certain steel products
  • European Parliament resolution of 16 December 2021 on the implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (2021/2885(RSP))
  • WTO updates note on trade in medical goods in the context of COVID-19
  • China’s trade attack on Lithuania exposes EU’s powerlessness - Companies from several EU countries that depend on Lithuanian supply chains are now finding they face blockades at Chinese ports - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

FINANCIAL SERVICES

  • European Parliament resolution of 16 December 2021 on forced labour in the Linglong factory and environmental protests in Serbia (2021/3020(RSP)) 

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

  • Judgment of the Court of 16 December 2021 in Case C‑575/20, Apollo Tyres (Hungary) Kft. Vs. Innovációért és Technológiáért Felelős Miniszter,
    Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Atmospheric pollution - System for greenhouse gas emission allowance trading - Directive 2003/87/EC - Installations for the combustion of fuels - Annex I - Total rated thermal input - Rules for calculation - Aggregation rule
  • Agenda for Council of the European Union (Environment) of 20 December 2021 - See List of A Items
    - Implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 - Information from the Commission
  • Clean and circular electronics: Commission ends use of mercury in lamps - Midday Express
  • Minutes of the 19th Meeting of the Mission Board for climate-neutral and smart cities of 30 September 2021

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

  • Opinion of Advocate General Medina of 16 December 2021 in Case C‑533/20, Upfield Hungary Kft. Vs. Somogy Megyei Kormányhivatal
    Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Consumer protection - Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 - Provision of food information to consumers - Mandatory particulars - List of ingredients - Specific name - Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 - Addition of vitamins to foods - Obligation to indicate vitamins’ generic name and vitamin formulations
  • Safety Gate: the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products - Rapex - Report-2021-50
  • EMA - Meeting highlights from the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) 13-16 December 2021
  • EMA has recommended granting a marketing authorisation in the EU for Oxbryta (voxelotor) for the treatment of haemolytic anaemia (excessive breakdown of red blood cells) due to sickle cell disease in patients 12 years of age and older

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

  • Joint Press Statement by Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice of the European Commission, and Yoon Jong In, Chairperson of the Personal Information Protection Commission of the Republic of Korea - see the Q&A and the adequacy decision ensuring safe data flows between the EU and the Republic of Korea 
  • EDPB Statement: EDPB cooperation on the elaboration of guidelines
  • EDPB adopts Contribution to evaluation of Law Enforcement Directive, SPE project plan, response to MEP Ujhelyi on Pegasus, final version of Guidelines on examples regarding data breach notifications

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

  • Opinion of Advocate General Campos Sàanchez-Bordona on 16 December 2021 in Case C‑453/20, CityRail, a.s. Vs. Správa železnic, státní organizace, intervener: ČD Cargo, a.s.
    Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Article 267 TFEU - Concept of national court or tribunal - Criteria - Regulatory body for the railway sector - Directive 2012/34/EU - Article 56 - Functions of the regulatory body - Administrative nature - Inadmissibility of the request for a preliminary ruling - Rail transport - Single European railway area - Access to infrastructure and service facilities - Goods platforms in freight terminals - Changes to charges for access to infrastructure and for access to, and services in, service facilities - Obligation of the infrastructure manager and the regulatory body to apply Directive 2012/34/EU

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

  • Judgment of the Court of 16 December 2021 In Case C‑724/19, HP interested party: Spetsializirana prokuratura,
    Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Judicial cooperation in criminal matters - European Investigation Order (EIO) - Directive 2014/41/EU - Article 2(c)(i) - Concept of ‘issuing authority’- Article 6 - Conditions for issuing an EIO - Article 9(1) and (3) - Recognition of an EIO - EIO seeking to obtain traffic and location data associated with telecommunications, issued by a public prosecutor designated as ‘issuing authority’ by the national measure transposing Directive 2014/41 - Exclusive competence of the judge, in a similar domestic case, to order the investigative measure indicated in that order
  • Slovenia: Parliament takes stock of the state of EU values in the country
  • New rules on whistleblower protection start to apply in the EU - Midday Express
  • International Migrants Day: Statement of the European Commission and the High Representative

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

  • Statement  of the Euro Summit meeting of 16 December 2021
  • ECB Monetary policy decisions
  • Global risk and the dollar - ECB Working Paper Series - No.2628
  • ECB - The Eurosystem Integrated Reporting Framework: an overview
  • ECB appoints Anneli Tuominen as new member of its Supervisory Board
  • ECB - Eurosystem staff macroeconomic projections for the euro area, December 2021
  • ECB moves towards harmonising statistical reporting to ease burden for banks and improve analysis
  • Monetary policy communication: perspectives from former policy makers at the ECB - ECB Working Paper Series - No.2627
  • Letter from Fabio Panetta to Irene Tinagli, MEP, on the action plan to address recomendations after TARGET incidents in 2020
  • ECB - Cost-benefit assessment on the Integrated Reporting Framework - Analysis of high-level considerations and high-priority technical aspects

FUTURE OF EUROPE

  • European Council conclusions of 16 December 2021 - see Opening remarks by President von der Leyen with President Michel and Prime Minister Janša

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

  • Horn of Africa drought: EU allocates €21.5 million in additional humanitarian funding - IP/21/6904
  • Overseas Countries and Territories: Stepping up cooperation for green prosperity and improved learning and skills - IP/21/6921
  • MEPs condemn “the electoral farce” in Nicaragua
  • Human rights breaches in Russia, Cuba and Serbia - See the Statement & Resolution
  • Russia must immediately withdraw its forces threatening Ukraine - See the EP Resolution
  • EU leaders threaten Russia with sanctions over Ukraine - Behind the tough statement are questions about how to define escalation by Moscow - Politico.eu

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