Europe Daily News, 17 March 2022

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10675 - CDPQ / Transurban / Australiansuper / CPP Investments / ADIA / WCX)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10447 - NN / Metlife Greece / Metlife Poland)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10589 - ADT / Ford Next / SNTNL)
• Sigma-Aldrich’s fine for supplying false information in Merck merger: EU Commission publishes decision
• Commission clears creation of a joint venture by Dussur and SeAH (M.10593) - Midday Express
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt has no objections to the further development of the giropay online payment system after initial plans for an exclusivity agreement were given up
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt on the current development of fuel prices
• Poland - UOKiK has given conditional approval for the merger of Polski Koncern Naftowy Orlen and Polskie Górnictwo Naftowe i Gazownictwo
• Portugal - ContiTech Global Holding announces acquisition of sole control over Printing Solutions Sweden
• Portugal - AdC has adopted an inapplicability decision on the concentration 5/2022 - Cary Group / Diveraxial*Expressglass
• UK - CMA finds NortonLifeLock purchase of Avast could reduce competition
• UK - CMA will be reviewing the retained Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation
• UK - CMA has cleared Sony’s acquisition of AWAL, an ‘artist and label’ (A&L) services provider, following an in-depth merger inquiry.

STATE AID

• Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Spain - (SA.100859) - IP/22/1763
• Commission seeks feedback on State aid rules for banks in difficulty - From 17.03.2022 to 09.06.2022 - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Services & Investments) of 23 March 2022
• Agenda for: 231st meeting of the Customs Code Committee - Tariff and Statistical Nomenclature Section (Sub-Section Mechanical/Miscellaneous/Textile) from 4th April to 6th April 2022
• Council Decision (EU) 2022/438 of 14 March 2022 on the position to be adopted on behalf of the European Union within the Administrative Council of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID)
• Mission Report following the INTA mission to Mexico City, Mexico, from 21 to 25 February 2022
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Draft Commission Implementing Regulation implementing Regulation (EC) No 595/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the performance of heavy-duty trailers with regard to their influence on the CO2 emissions, fuel consumption, energy consumption and zero emission range of motor vehicles and amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/683
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - United Kingdom - Hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment
• WTO - General Council - Communication from the Russian Federation
• WTO DG Okonjo-Iweala welcomes breakthrough on COVID-19 vaccine waiver

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• EU cohesion policy: More than 1.5 million EU-funded projects accessible in new public platform - IP/22/1767
• European Research Council grants €632 million to researchers to tackle big scientific questions - Midday Express
• The European Investment Fund and Resilience Partners will continue to support growth in SMEs through the launch of Resilience Partners Fund II - IP/22/1809
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Application setting out a list of COVID-19 measures in different Member States
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Implementation of the Single Market Regulation
• Right to repair: MEPs set out their demands ahead of Commission’s proposal

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Judgment of the Court of 17 March 2022 in Case C-545/19: AllianzGI-Fonds AEVN Vs. Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira,
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Article 63 TFEU - Free movement of capital - Taxation of dividends paid to undertakings for collective investment (UCIs) - Resident and non-resident UCIs - Difference in treatment - Withholding tax relating solely to dividends paid to non-resident UCIs - Comparability of situations - Assessment - Account taken of the tax regime of the holders of units in UCIs and of the liability of resident undertakings to other taxes - None
  
• Public consultation: Financial markets – central securities depositories (review of EU rules) - Proposal for a regulation - Feedback period: 17 March 2022 - 12 May 2022
• Agenda for: 21st Commission Expert Group on Banking, Payments and Insurance of 05 April 2022
• EU financial regulators warn consumers on the risks of crypto-assets (EBA/ESMA)

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Expert group on the implementation of the legislative package to transmit and exchange payment data in order to combat VAT fraud of 30 & 31 March 2022
• Draft report by MEP Mohammed Chahim on Establishing a carbon border adjustment - Amendments 1029 -1315

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

• Coronavirus: EU job-search aid worth €4m for 473 dismissed workers in France - See the EP Statement

ENERGY

• Statement by Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson on Synchronisation of the Continental European Electricity Grid with Ukraine and Moldova

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Council of the European Union (Environment) of 17 March 2022 - See List of "A Items"
• Agenda for: Expert group on the implementation of the nitrates Directive of 17 March 2022
• Answer given by MS Simson to a MEP written question - EU plans for a renovations directive 
• Public consultation: EU pollinators initiative – revision - Communication - Feedback period:17 March 2022 - 09 June 2022

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Advocate General Ćapeta: by failing to stop the use by Danish producers of the registered name ‘Feta’ for cheese intended for export to third countries, Denmark has failed to fulfil its obligations under EU law (See Nº 47/2022 - Opinion of the Advocate General in the Case C-159/20, Commission Vs. Denmark (AOP Feta))
• Agenda for Council of the European Union (Agriculture & Fisheries) on 21 March 2022
  - Increases in production and business operation costs - Information from the Spanish Delegation, supported by Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania and Slovenia  
  - Alternatives to plant protection products for use in agricultural and non-agricultural land (Glyphosate case) - Background note for an AOB point requested by Slovenia 
  - Enhancing the potential of plant-based proteins in Europe in line with the objectives set out in the European Green Deal - Information from the Austrian delegation 
  - Concerns about draft legislative act on sustainable use of plant protection products - Joint non-paper by BG, EE, HR, HU, LV, LT, MT, AT, PL, RO, SK, SI 
  - Common declaration of the group "Friends of the GIs" on the new review of the quality policy - Information from the Spanish delegation 
  - Situation on agricultural markets following the Russian invasion of Ukraine Member states' reaction to the Commission proposals 
  - Use of biobased fertilizers (RENURE) - Information from the Netherlands
• Agenda for: Expert Group for Agricultural Markets, in particular concerning aspects falling under the single CMO Regulation of 24 March 2022
• Bilateral EU-UK consultations on fishing opportunities for 2022 - Signed Written Record on sandeels
• Ukraine war underlines urgency of EU green food-goals - See EEB Statement

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/437 of 16 March 2022 renewing the approval of the active substance carbon dioxide in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the placing of plant protection products on the market, and amending the Annex to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 540/201
• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Publication of the genomic sequences of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccines 
• EFSA - Wild boar density data generated by camera trapping in nineteen European areas
• EFSA - Setting of import tolerances for deltamethrin in mangoes and papayas

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Minutes of the 78th meeting of the Radio Spectrum Committee of 09 March 2022
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Implementation of European Electronic Communications Code 
• Public consultation: EU space policy - space-based secure connectivity initiative - Proposal for a regulation - Feedback period: 17 March 2022 - 12 May 2022

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• EDPB & EDPS adopt joint opinion on the extension of the EU Digital COVID Certificate Regulation
• Analysis of standardisation requirements in support of cybersecurity policy - 5G Cybersecurity Standards - March 2022
• The European Standards Organisations (ESOs), CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, joined forces with ENISA to organise their 6th annual conference

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Public consultation: Prolongation of an EU Digital COVID Certificate for third-country nationals - Proposal for a regulation - Feedback period: 17 March 2022 - 12 May 2022
• Prosecution of sanctions (restrictive measures) violations in national jurisdictions: a comparative analysis
• Companies to be more accountable for their social and environmental impact - See the EP Statement & T&E Reaction
• Women on boards: EP Committees give green light for negotiations with member

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Final draft agenda for the EP sittings of 23 - 24 March 2022 (See the Deadlines for the part-session)
• Minutes of the Extraordinary meetings of the Coreper of 22, 24, 27, 28 February, 1, 3 and 4 March 2022

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• REACT-EU: €4 million for Czechia to provide basic material assistance - Midday Express
• A narrative database of labour market reforms in euro area economies - ECB Working Paper Series - No.2657
• Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at “The ECB and Its Watchers XXII” conference

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Agenda for: Foreign Affairs Council and Foreign Affairs Council (Defence) of 21 March 2022
• Yemen: Commission pledges €154 million for conflict-affected people - IP/22/1784

RUSSIA - UKRAINE WAR

• Ukraine: Council adopts negotiating mandate to unlock additional support under the home affairs funds
• Ukraine: Council approves swift release of cohesion resources to help refugees
• Ukrainian Minister of Defence to brief MEPs on the impact of the war - see the Live
• The Russian Federation is excluded from the Council of Europe
• Next sanctions round will test EU unity on how hard to hit Russia - Poland and Baltic countries want to squeeze Putin’s finances harder, but Germany doesn’t want to touch Russia’s bumper oil income – Politico.eu