Europe Daily News, 17 January 2022

EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

HEALTH

• Data on COVID-19 vaccination in the EU/EEA - ECDC
• Data on the daily number of new reported COVID-19 cases and deaths by EU/EEA country - ECDC
• EU members diverge sharply over vaccine mandate approaches - Greece starts issuing fines for the unvaccinated, France cuts access to social events - Financial Times 
  
  ECONOMY

• REACT-EU: €382.7 million to help Spain's regions fighting the coronavirus pandemic and supporting a digital and green transition - IP/22/325

STATE AID

• Commission approves €15.3 million Bulgarian scheme to support the tourism sector in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (SA.100885) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €9 million Slovak scheme to support bus companies in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (SA.101088) - Midday Express

TRAVEL

• COVID-19: Council removes Argentina, Australia and Canada from the list of countries for which travel restrictions should be lifted

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10519 - Blackstone / Interplex)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10396 - GIP / Meridiam / New Suez)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10551 - Amalfi Invest Opportunities / LA Doria)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10576 - Bain Capital / Hellman & Friedman / AthenaHealth Group)
• Action brought on 19 November 2021 - Alcogroup and Alcodis Vs. Commission (Case T-740/21)
  Re: annulment of the contested decisions in the settlement procedure in case AT.40054 - Ethanol Benchmarks and second, the decision to reopen that procedure
• Commission clears the acquisition of joint control of MC Retail Energy by Mitsubishi Corporation and Chubu Electric Power Miraiz (M.10542) - Midday Express
• UK - CMA: Merger inquiry outcome statistics
• UK - CMA: Full Text Decision of the anticipated acquisition by Scape Living Plc of certain assets of GCP Student Living Plc.
• UK - CMA: Full Text Decision of the anticipated acquisition by iQSA Holdco Limited of certain assets of GCP Student Living Plc
• European Commission urged to maintain the current ban on dual pricing in the VBER revision to avoid harm to SMEs and consumers - See Ecommerce Statement
• Illumina says EU probe of $8bn Grail deal could hit biotech investment - Chief executive deSouza attacks regulatory intervention over cancer test company - Financial Times

STATE AID

• Commission authorises €150 million French scheme to develop forestry and adapt forests to climate change (SA.61929) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Action brought on 10 November 2021 — Sunrise Medical and Sunrise Medical Logistics v Commission (Case T-721/21)
  Re: annulment of the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1367 of 6 August 2021 in its entirety from the date it came into force
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/56 of 14 January 2022 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/921 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of tartaric acid originating in the People's Republic of China following an expiry review pursuant to Article 11(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/57 of 14 January 2022 amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2019/1379 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of bicycles originating in the People’s Republic of China as extended to imports of bicycles consigned from Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Tunisia, Cambodia, Pakistan and the Philippines, whether declared as originating in these countries or not, following an expiry review pursuant to Article 11(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/58 of 14 January 2022 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of certain grain-oriented flat-rolled products of silicon-electrical steel originating in the People’s Republic of China, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation and the United States of America following an expiry review pursuant to Article 11(2) of Regulation (EU) 2016/1036 of the European Parliament and of the Council
  
• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - Imports of low-standard batteries from outside the EU
• Export of COVID-19 vaccines from the EU – 14 January 2022
• The EU narrative around trade with Vietnam 
• UK and EU to intensify talks on Northern Ireland trade arrangements - British foreign secretary and European commissioner hold cordial talks on a possible compromise - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Commission Regulation (EU) …/… of XXX amending Annex XVII to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the REACH as regards N,N-dimethylformamide
• Commission Regulation (EU) …/… of XXX amending Annex XIV to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the REACH)
• Agenda for: Meeting of Expert Group of EU Member States and Associated Countries on Advanced Materials of 19 January 2022 

TAXATION

• Agenda for: 26th Administrative cooperation in the field of direct taxation of 20 January 2022
• Agenda for: 25th Meeting of the Small Sub-Group eFCA (SSG eFCA) of 03 February 2022 

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Agenda for : Expert Group for Agricultural Markets, in particular concerning aspects falling under the single CMO Regulation of 27 January 2022
• Agenda for : Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets – Horticulture of 18 January 2022

ENERGY

• Agenda for : Energy Efficiency Directive (Directive 2012/27/EU) Committee of 20 January 2022
• Answer given by Executive Vice-President Timmermans to a MEP written question - Energy prices and industry competitiveness
• Russia pipeline fuels German coalition split as Ukraine tension rises - Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats at odds with Greens over future of Nord Stream 2 – Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for : Meeting of the Ad hoc Group on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) of 26 January 2022
• Agenda for : Meeting of the Environment Committee of 17 January 2022
• Opinion by MEP Zbigniew Kuźmiukof (AGRI Committee for the ENVI Committee on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a carbon border adjustment mechanism 

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for : Working Group of Data Protection of 2 February 2022
• Draft Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2014/41/EU as regards its alignment with EU rules on the protection of personal data (first reading) - Adoption of the legislative act
• Answer given by Mr Reynders to a MEP written question - Breach of the General Data Protection Regulation by IAB Europe’s possibly unlawful consent framework

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Minutes of the Meeting of the expert group FREEMO on the right to free movement of persons (Directive 2004/38 EC) of 24 November 2021
• EU tensions herald fierce battle over future of Poland’s right - Justice minister Zbigniew Ziobro’s stance towards Brussels puts him at odds with PM Mateusz Morawiecki - Financial Times

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY 

• Introductory statement by ECB's President Christine Lagarde at the meeting of the Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs of the Parliaments of the EU (COSAC)

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for : Meeting of the Coreper (Part.2) of 20 & 21 January 2022 

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• EU at forefront of global humanitarian response: €1.5 billion for 2022 - IP/22/363
• Ukraine: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the cyberattack against Ukraine
• Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures in respect of actions undermining or threatening the territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine
• Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures against Syria
• Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain countries with Council Implementing Decision concerning restrictive measures against Syria
• Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the alignment of certain countries with Council Decision concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Burundi
• Albania PM says western Balkans should ‘never give up’ on EU dream - Edi Rama aims dig at bloc’s politicians for being too influenced by nationalist pressures – Financial Times