Europe Daily News, 20 December 2021

EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

HEALTH

• European Commission ensures another acceleration of deliveries of vaccine doses to Member States - IP/21/7002 
  
  STATE AID

• Commission approves amendment to Croatian scheme to support the maritime, transport, travel and infrastructure sectors affected by the coronavirus pandemic (SA.100913) - Midday Express

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10536 - TotalEnergies / Three Gorges Corporation/ JV)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10358 - Advent International / Eurazeo / Planet Payments Group)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10513 - Acciaieria Averdi/ Finaverdi / Acciai Speciali Terni / Thyssenkrupp Stainless  /Turkey Metal Sanayi VE T)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10422 - WMG/BlackRock Group/Influence Media/The Initial Fund)
• Action brought on 27 October 2021 - Alcogroup and Alcodis Vs. Commission - (Case T-691/21)
  Re: Annulment of Commission’s decision of 17 September 2021 in Case AT.40054 - Ethanol Benchmarks
• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Městský soud v Praze (Czech Republic) lodged on 30 September 2021 - Heureka Group a.s. Vs. Google LLC (Case C-605/21)
  Re: Directive 2014/104 - Article 102 TFEU - expiry of the transposition period
• Commission approves acquisition of joint control of NeuConnect by Meridiam and Allianz (M.10387) - Midday Express
• Croatia - Regulatory Authority for Network Industries (HAKOM) and Croatian Competition Agency (CCA) signed the reviewed cooperation agreement on 15 December 2021.

STATE AID

• Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Romania - IP/21/6935
• Commission approves Latvian scheme to support energy-intensive companies (SA.61149) - Midday Express
• Commission approves modification of Romanian aid scheme to support high efficient cogeneration (SA.57969) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €134 million Austrian scheme to support digital transformation of news media (SA.62555) - Midday Express
• Commission approves Austrian scheme to support production of electricity from renewable energy sources (SA.58731) - IP/21/7023
• Commission approves €900 million German scheme to support investments in production of renewable hydrogen  (SA.62619) - IP/21/7022
• Commission approves Greek measure to support construction and operation of pumped hydroelectricity storage facility in Amfilochia (SA.57473) - Midday Express
• 500 million French scheme partly financed through the FRR to prevent and repair damage to forests caused in particular by bark beetles (SA.59197) - Midday Express
• Commission opens in-depth investigation into potential French State aid to the Institut national de recherches archéologiques préventives (SA.51268) - Midday Express
• Commission approves Finnish investment aid to NordFuel and Veolia for the construction of advanced biofuels plants in Finland (SA.58416 (NordFuel) & SA.62154 (Veolia)) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Commission initiates 2 anti-circumvention investigations on imports of Glass Fibre Fabrics
• Draft opinion by MEP Karin Karlsbro (EP INTA Committee) Establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism (Amendments 549)
• Answer given by the Council to a MEP written question - Recognition of the Republic of China/Taiwan and enhancing naval policy and the maritime dimension for a free, multipolar Asia and Indo-Pacific
• WTO - Committee on Government Procurement - The thresholds in Appendix I of the GPA 2012, as expressed in national currencies for 2022 - 2023 - Notification from the European Union
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Recycled plastic materials and articles intended to come into contact with foods - see Annex 1 & 2
• WTO - Merchandise trade volume declined in Q3 while trade values continued to rise

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Single Market Scoreboard 2021: Member States edging forward to a better implementation of Single Market rules for a more resilient Europe - IP/21/6937, Factsheets by country & Performance overview
• REACH - List of Amendments to Annex XVII - Restrictions as of 14 December 2021
• Cross Border Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in EU - Study for the EP LIBE Committee

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Regulation (EU) 2021/2259 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 amending Regulation (EU) No 1286/2014 as regards the extension of the transitional arrangement for management companies, investment companies and persons advising on, or selling, units of undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS) and non-UCITS
• Regulation (EU) 2021/2260 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 amending Regulation (EU) 2015/848 on insolvency proceedings to replace its Annexes A and B
• Directive (EU) 2021/2261 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 December 2021 amending Directive 2009/65/EC as regards the use of key information documents by management companies of undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS)
• ESMA reports on derivatives and securities markets in 2020
• ESMA Statement to clarify the practical implementation of the EU CSDR settlement discipline regime
• EBA consults amending technical standards on benchmarking of internal models
• EBA proposes amendments to technical standards on the mapping of ECAIs for securitisation positions
• EBA publishes final Guidelines on the delineation and reporting of available financial means of deposit guarantee schemes
• EBA will run its next EU-wide stress test in 2023
• EBA confirms EU banks’ solid overall liquidity position but warns about low foreign currency liquidity buffers
• EBA strengthens AML/CFT supervision in the EU through revised Guidelines and enhanced cooperation

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Long-term vision for rural areas: launch of Rural Pact

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Moving towards Zero-Emission Steel - Study for EP ITRE Committee
• European Commission adopts new methodology rules for renewable cooling

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/2267 of 17 December 2021 laying down the format for reporting data and information on the collected post-consumption waste of tobacco products with filters and of filters marketed for use in combination with tobacco products
• Member State Data on cross-border healthcare - Year 2020
• European Health Union: An empowered HERA in future health emergencies
• Progressive roll-out of the In Vitro Diagnostic Medical Devices Regulation - IP/21/6965
• Emergency framework for medical countermeasures: Council reaches political agreement
• French Presidency of the EU: what is at stake for consumers? - see Beuc Statement

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Despite EU court rulings, Facebook says US is safe to receive Europeans’ data - Internal documents say EU judges’ ruling ‘should not be relied on’ in data transfer assessments - Politico.eu

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Council signs off clearer and more flexible rules on hired lorries

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Joint EU-U.S. statement following the EU-U.S. Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting Washington D.C., 16 December 2021
• Strengthening EU resilience: Council adopts negotiating mandate on the resilience of critical entities
• Women and transport - Study for EP FEMM Committee

UK/EU RELATIONS

• EU-UK relations: Commission delivers on promise to ensure continued supply of medicines to Northern Ireland, as well as Cyprus, Ireland and Malta - IP/21/6911, QaA & Proposal
• Press remarks by Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and by EVP Maroš Šefčovič  on the state of play of discussions with the United Kingdom on the implementation of the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland
• Agenda for: First meeting of the Specialised Committee on Participation in Union Programmes (SCPUP) established by the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement on 21 December 2021

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• ECB - Euro area monthly balance of payments: October 2021
• ECB - Advisory report on debt issuance and distribution in the EU
• The exchange rate insulation puzzle - ECB Working Paper Series No.2630
• Serial sovereign default: the role of shocks and fiscal habits - ECB Working Paper Series No.2629

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) of 22 December 2022
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the Opening of the Catholic University's Academic Year

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Digitalisation in humanitarian aid: opportunities, challenges and recommendations - Outcome of Proceedings
• Answer given by the Council to a MEP written question - Absence of the cement sector in the list of EU targeted economic sanctions against the Belarusian regime
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