Europe Daily News, 10 March 2022

EU CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE

HEALTH

• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Access to the full content of the contracts relating to the purchase of the Covid vaccines
• ECDC - Data on the daily number of new reported COVID-19 cases and deaths by EU/EEA country
• ECDC - Data on hospital and ICU admission rates and current occupancy for COVID-19
• ECDC - Data on COVID-19 vaccination in the EU/EEA 

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10665 - Waverly / TPG / Asia Healthcare Holdings)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10632 - Waterland / Duvenbeck)
• Withdrawal of notification of a concentration (Case M.10319 - Greiner / Recticel)
• Commission clears the acquisition of joint control of HyCC by Nobian and Norgh (M.10625) -  Midday Express
• Greece - Competition Commission carried out unannounced inspections following recent press reports on the participation of certain undertakings in a public tender for the supply of medical products
• Portugal - "Competition Lessons on Leniency and Whistleblowing", Speech by by Maria João Melícias
• UK - CMA: Action needed on “dysfunctional” children’s social care market

STATE AID

• Judgment of the Court of 10 March 2022 in Joined cases C-167/19 P, C-171/19 P, Commission Vs. Freistaat Bayern, Commission Vs. Interessengemeinschaft privater Milchverarbeiter Bayerns and Others
  Re: Appeal - State aid - Aid to the German dairy sector - Financing of milk quality tests - Article 108(2) TFEU - Decision to initiate the formal investigation procedure - Regulation (EC) No 659/1999 - Article 6(1) - Obligation on the European Commission to summarise in that decision the relevant matters of fact and law - Scope - Rights of interested parties to be associated with the administrative procedure - Breach of an essential procedural requirement - Consequences for the legality of the final decision
• Opinion by Advocate General of 10 March 2022 in Case C-705/20, Fossil (Gibraltar) Limited Vs. Commissioner of Income Tax
  Re: Request for a preliminary ruling - State aid - State aid in the form of non-taxation of passive interest and royalty income - Decision (EU) 2019/700 - National provision which was not the subject of the Commission’s State aid investigation - Circumvention of the Commission’s decision on State aid - Whether set-off of foreign taxes to avoid double taxation constitutes prohibited aid
• Commission opens in-depth investigation into Greek support measures in favour of postal operator Hellenic Post (ELTA) (SA.57538) - IP/22/1662
• EFTA Surveillance Authority - State aid - Decision to raise no objections
• Answer given by Ms Vestager to a MEP written question - State aid in the service voucher sector

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: 24th meeting Prohibitions & Restrictions Expert Group of 15.03.2022
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/402 of 9 March 2022 imposing a definitive anti-dumping duty on imports of certain aluminium foil 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 Decision (EU) 2022/403 of 3 March 2022 concerning exemptions from the extended anti-dumping duty on certain bicycle parts originating in the People’s Republic of China pursuant to Commission Regulation (EC) No 88/97
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/407 of 9 March 2022 terminating the partial interim review of the countervailing measures applicable to imports of certain rainbow trout originating in the Republic of Turkey

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/404 of 3 March 2022 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/919 as regards harmonised standards for steering gear – cable over pulley systems
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/405 of 3 March 2022 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1956 as regards harmonised standards for cover plates and cover tapes, luminaires, electrical accessories, powertrack systems, circuit breakers, electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use, and resistance welding equipment
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/406 of 3 March 2022 amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1202 as regards harmonised standards for automatic nozzles for use on fuel dispensers, metering pumps, dispensers and remote pumping units, safe breaks for use on metering pumps and dispensers, shear valves and swivels for use on metering pumps and dispensers, that are used in petrol filling stations

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• Judgment of the Court of 10 March 2022 in Case C-183/21, Maxxus Group GmbH & Co KG Vs. Globus Holding GmbH & Co. KG
  Re: Preliminary reference - Approximation of laws - Trade marks - Directive (EU) 2015/2436 - Article 19 - Genuine use of a trade mark - Burden of proof - Application for revocation on grounds of non-use - National procedural rule requiring the applicant to carry out a market search concerning the use of the trade mark

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Persons deprived of their rights of usufruct over agricultural land in Hungary in breach of EU law must be able to claim the reinstatement of those rights in the land register or compensation (See CPR Nº 44/2022 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-177/20, ˮGrossmaniaˮ)
• Answer given by Ms McGuinness to a MEP written question - Taxonomy – delegated act 
• Answer given by Ms McGuinness to a MEP written question - Green bonds 

TAXATION

• Answer given by Mr Gentiloni to a MEP written question - Addressing tax competition by neighbouring States

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Agenda for: Expert Group on the implementation of the CAP strategic plans regulation of 15 March 2022
• Agenda for: Expert Group for Agricultural Markets, in particular concerning aspects falling under the single CMO Regulation
  - subgroup Arable crops and Olive oil of 14 March 2022 
  - subgroup Animal Products of 17 March 2022
• Joint Declaration of the Ministers of Agriculture of the Visegrad Group and Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania and Slovenia on the contribution of their CAP strategic plans to a fairer and greener European agriculture - Information from the Hungarian delegation, on behalf of the Bulgarian, Croatian, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak and Slovenian delegations

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

• EU job-search aid worth €2.8m for 450 dismissed car industry workers in Spain - See the EP Statement  

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Parliament adopts EU environmental objectives until 2030

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Agenda for:
• Draft Commission Regulation (EU) amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 as regards maximum levels of ochratoxin A in certain foodstuff
• Draft Commission Regulation (EU) amending Regulation (EC) No 1881/2006 as regards maximum levels of delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (Δ9-THC) in hemp seeds and products derived therefrom
• EFSA - Nutritional safety and suitability of a specific protein hydrolysate derived from whey protein concentrate and used in an infant and follow‐on formula manufactured from hydrolysed protein by HIPP‐Werk Georg Hipp OHG (dossier submitted by meyer.science GmbH)
• EFSA - Safety assessment of diethyl[[3,5‐bis(1,1‐dimethylethyl)‐4‐hydroxyphenyl]methyl] phosphonate for use in a food contact material
• EFSA - Safety evaluation of the food enzyme glucan 1,4 α‐glucosidase from the genetically modified Aspergillus niger strain NZYM‐BR
• EFSA - Proof of Concept for Data Connection between a national regulatory authority and EFSA
• EFSA - Safety assessment of bleached cellulose pulp for use in plastic food contact materials

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Opinion of Advocate General Manuel Campos Sànchez-Bordona of 10 March 2022 in Case C-614/20, Lux Express Estonia Vs. Majandus - ja Kommunikatsiooniministeerium
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Public passenger transport services by rail and by road - Regulation (EC) No 1370/2007 - General rule imposing an obligation to carry certain categories of persons free of charge - Articles 2(e) and 3(2) - Public service obligation - Right to compensation - Article 4(1)(b)(i) - Right of a Member State to exclude compensation - Article 3(3) - Scope - Exclusion

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Agenda for: Working Party on
• Member States united in supporting Ukraine and strengthening the EU’s Telecommunications and cybersecurity resilience
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Fostering the deployment of smart grids

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Facial recognition: Italian SA fines Clearview AI EUR 20 million

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Commission Statement: European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism
• MEPs demand a ban on ‘golden passports’ and specific rules for ‘golden visas’
• Rule of Law conditionality: Commission must immediately initiate proceedings

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• European Semester 2022 - Updated roadmap
• ECB - Euro area securities issues statistics: January 2022
• ECB - Consolidated financial statement of the Eurosystem as at 4 March 2022

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Future of Europe: second set of citizens' ideas at Conference Plenary - IP/22/1641

BREXIT

• EU-UK relations: the Council adopts its mandate on the proposals aiming to ensure continued supply of medicines

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/401 of 8 March 2022 amending Council Regulation (EC) No 1210/2003 concerning certain specific restrictions on economic and financial relations with Iraq
• Application of Georgia for membership of the European Union - Transmission to Member States' Parliaments
• Ukrainian foreign minister (Dmytro Kuleba): the EU must grant us membership now - Financial Times

RUSSIA/UKRAINE WAR

• Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine: EU agrees new sectoral measures targeting Belarus and Russia
  - See Regulation (EU) 2022/394 & Decision (CFSP) 2022/395
  - See Regulation (EU) 2022/398 & Decision (CFSP) 2022/399
• EU imposes restrictive measures on 160 individuals as a consequence of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine - see also IP/22/1649 
  - See Regulation (EU) 2022/396, Decision (CFSP) 2022/397 and the Notice
• Ukraine: Commission proposes further Frontex support for migration management in Moldova - Midday Express
• EU must prepare better to fight off foreign interference and disinformation - see the EP Resolution 
• Ukraine: MEPs calls for stronger measures and solidarity
• The OECD Council has decided to immediately suspend the participation of Russia and Belarus in OECD bodies