Europe Daily News, 26 January 2022

EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSES

HEALTH

• EP - Covid-19: a timeline of EU action in 2022
• 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
• Commissioner Kyriakides visits Malta to promote the EU Vaccines Strategy and the European Health Union - Midday Express

STATE AID

• COVID-19 pandemic: ESA approves Icelandic tax-deferral scheme for the restaurant sector
• COVID-19 pandemic: ESA approves continued and increased support to long-distance bus and passenger boat services in Norway
  

ECONOMY

• NextEU generation: Commission receives EUR 1.162 billion payment request from Portugal under the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Midday Express

EMPLOYMENT

• Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/98 of 25 January 2022 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/1561 granting temporary support under Regulation (EU) 2020/672 to Hungary to mitigate unemployment risks in the emergency following the COVID-19 outbreak
• Council Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/99 of 25 January 2022 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/1354 granting temporary support under Regulation (EU) 2020/672 to the Portuguese Republic to mitigate unemployment risks in the emergency following the COVID-19 outbreak

TRAVEL

• COVID-19: Council adopts a revised recommendation on measures affecting free movement, based on the individual situation of persons and no longer on the region of origin

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10569 - KKR / GIP / Cyrusone)
• Commission approves acquisition of Ferro by Prince, subject to conditions (M.10341) - IP/22/575
• Commission clears acquisition of CEIT by ICG (M.10546) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Hillebrand by DPDHL (M.10472) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Eolia by ENGIE Spain and Predica (M.10563) - Midday Express
• Commission approves the creation of a joint venture by Telekom Deutschland and IFM Investors (M.10548) - Midday Express
• The General Court annuls in part the Commission decision imposing a fine of € 1.06 billion on Intel (See CPR Nº 16/2022 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case T-286/09,RENV, Intel Corporation Vs. Commission)
• Croatia - CCA terminates the proceeding against Hrvatski telekom
• Croatia - UTPs: High Administrative Court dismisses appeal of re-seller NTL
• Croatia - CCA fines Spinnaker HRK 350,000,00 for infringement of competition rules
• Denmark - Four more nightclubs are fined for market sharing agreement
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt prohibits takeover of BIRCO GmbH by ACO Ahlmann SE & Co. KG (Date of decisions: 13 January 2022) 
• The Netherlands - ACM continues its campaign against misleading sustainability claims in the energy sector
• Spain - The CNMC publishes a report on internal contracting between companies in the Correos Group.

STATE AID

• Answer given by Ms Vestager to a MEP written question - State aid for Alitalia

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Deputies) of 28 January 2022
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Export Credit Group of 27 January 2022
• Agenda for: 22nd Customs Expert Group - Section Customs Status & Transit of 27 January 2022
• Agenda for: 4th Plenary Meeting of the Customs Laboratories European Network (CLEN) of 9 and 10 February 2022
• Minutes for: Meeting of the CEG on the General Scheme of Preferences of 11 October 2021
• Draft - Regulation (EU) 2022/ …. of the European Parliament and of the Council of 25 January 2022 amending Regulation (EU) 2019/216 as regards the Union tariff rate quota for high-quality beef from Paraguay
• Notice of initiation of an expiry review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of certain stainless steel tube and pipe butt-welding fittings, whether or not finished, originating in the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan (CN codes ex 7307 23 10 and ex 7307 23 90)
• EU challenges Egyptian import restrictions at the WTO - IP/22/578 

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Commission Communication on sustainable carbon cycles: Low-carbon agriculture as a new business model

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Commissioner McGuinness in Germany to discuss sustainable and digital finance, Banking Union, Capital Markets Union and anti-money laundering, and meet with members of the government - Midday Express

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Code of Conduct Group (Business Taxation)
  - Group on External Issues  of 02 February 2022
  - Work programme under the French Presidency
• Answer given by Mr Gentiloni to a MEP written question - Effective tax rate and harmonisation of tax advantages in the EU

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy of 01 February 2022
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - Energy Charter Treaty - proposal for a flexible approach 

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Ad hoc Group on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) of 26 January 2022
• Agenda for: 25th Meeting of Group of Experts of the competent CITES Management Authorities of 08 February 2022
• Answer given by EVP Timmermans to a MEP written question - The Effort Sharing Regulation 
• Answer given by EVP Timmermans to a MEP written question - Nature-based solutions and carbon offsetting
• Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius to a MEP written question - Decontamination of polluted soil and restoration of impoverished soil

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY 

• Minutes of the 17th Group of experts on tobacco policy of 02 December 2021
• Minutes of the SCCS WG on Cosmetics Ingredients Products of 20 -21 December 2021
• Minutes of the SCHEER WG on groundwater quality and Water frame work directive of 15 December 2021
• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Delays in the presentation of Italy’s national action plan for the sustainable use of pesticides

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Agenda for: Workshop of the 2nd expert group for the observatory on the Online Platform Economy of 27 January 2022
• Commission puts forward declaration on digital rights and principles for everyone in the EU - IP/22/452 & Communication
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Facebook’s digital monopoly

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Report of the Steering Board for Union Actions on Preventing and Countering Radicalisation of 9 November 2021
• Statement of President von der Leyen ahead of the International Day of Holocaust Remembrance
• Fight against child sexual abuse: Commissioner Johansson's visit to Silicon Valley - Midday Express

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Comparing the Macroeconomic Policy Measures across the G20. The Crisis Response is a Long-Term Marathon - Discussion Paper 158

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Main results of the General Affairs Council (GAC) of 25 January 2022
  
• French Presidency briefs the European Parliament’s committees on its priorities

BREXIT

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• EU should build a sanctions regime against disinformation - See the EP Statement, Draft Report & Compromise amendments
• Sixth meeting of the EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Council (Brussels, 25 January 2022) - Joint Press Statement, see the EU Position & Position Paper
• The implementation of the 2030 Agenda’s principles of ‘leaving-no-one-behind’ and ‘addressing the needs of those furthest behind first’ in the EU’s development policy - Study for the EP Committee on Development
• US and EU close in on agreeing Russian financial sanctions over Ukraine Officials report growing ‘convergence’ on economic countermeasures to deter Putin from invasion - Financial Times