EU RESPONSES TO COVID-19

HEALTH

STATE AID

  • Commission approves €175 million French aid scheme to support pig farms in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (SA.102110) - Midday Express
  • Commission approves €73 million Bulgarian scheme to support farmers affected by the coronavirus pandemic (SA.102392) - Midday Express

COMPETITION

STATE AID

  • Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections
  • Commission approves French liquidity scheme to support companies in context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine (SA.102395) - IP/22/2290
  • Commission approves amendments to Czech scheme to support the growth of forests resilient to climate change (SA.64360) - Midday Express
  • Answer given by EVP Vestager to a MEP written question - Impact of direct and indirect aid granted to Ryanair and other low-cost airlines

TRADE & CUSTOMS

  • Explanatory Notes to the Combined Nomenclature of the European Union (Headings 3926, 9403 & 7616)
  • Council Decision (EU) 2022/568 of 4 April 2022 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Special Committee on Customs and Trade Facilitation established by the Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and its Member States, of the one part, and the SADC EPA States, of the other part, as regards the adoption of the rules of procedure of the Special Committee on Customs and Trade Facilitation
  • Commission reports on 7th negotiation round with five Eastern and Southern African countries to deepen existing Economic Partnership Agreement
  • CSD meeting on Georgia and Moldova: Draft final report of the ex-post evaluation - Date: 31/05/2022, 10:30-12:30
  • EU counters dumped imports of graphite electrodes from China
  • WTO - Members reinvigorate Trade Facilitation Agreement monitoring following last year’s review
  • Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - Tackling the hoarding of European wood by non-European players

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

  • Agenda for: Meeting of the REACH Committee of 27-28 April 2022 
  • Right to repair: MEPs want more durable and more easily repairable products - See the EP resolution
  • Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Shortcomings in the transposition of Directive 2014/25/EU affecting public procurement in Spain
  • EU Industrial Technology Roadmap calls for faster development and expansion of innovative low-carbon technologies in energy-intensive industries - Midday Express
  • Commission Regulation (EU) / amending Annex XIV to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the REACH

FINANCIAL SERVICES

  • Judgment of the Court of 7 April 2022 in Case C-385/20, EL and TP Vs. Caixabank SA
    Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Unfair terms in consumer contracts - Directive 93/13/EEC - Principle of effectiveness - Principle of equivalence - Judicial proceedings seeking a declaration that a contractual term is unfair - National court's power of review of its own motion - National proceedings for taxation of costs - Costs recoverable in respect of lawyers’ fees
  • EBA issues an opinion on the European Commission’s proposed amendments to the EBA final draft technical standards for own funds and eligible liabilities

TAXATION

  • Commission Regulation (EU) …/… of XXX amending Regulation (EC) No 1126/2008 as regards International Accounting Standard 12 - Amendments
  • Judgment of the Court of 7 April 2022 in Case C-228/20, GmbH Vs. Finanzamt H
    Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling – Common system of VAT - Directive 2006/112/EC - Article 132(1)(b) - Exemptions for certain activities in the public interest - Exemption for hospital and medical care - Private hospital - Duly recognised establishment - Comparable social conditions
  • Judgment of the Court of 7 April 2022 in Case C-333/20, Berlin Chemie A. Menarini SRL Vs. Administraţia Fiscală pentru Contribuabili Mijlocii Bucureşti - Direcţia Generală Regională a Finanţelor Publice Bucureşti
    Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - VAT - Directive 2006/112/EC - Article 44 - Place of supply of services - Implementing Regulation (EU) No 282/2011 - Article 11(1) - Provision of services - Point of reference for tax purposes - Concept of a ‘fixed establishment’ - Company from one Member State affiliated to a company located in another Member State - Suitable structure in terms of human and technical resources - Ability to receive and use the services for the fixed establishment’s own needs - Marketing, regulatory, advertising and representation services provided by a related company to the recipient company

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

  • Main results of the Agriculture & Fisheries Council of 7 April 2022
    - Council conclusions with a view to the participation of the EU and its Member States in the 17th session of the UN Forum on Forests (UNFF-17)  
    - Council adopts conclusions on carbon farming
  • Commission Delegated Decision (EU) /... amending Delegated Regulation (EU) 2021/2306 as regards the transitional provisions for certificates of inspection issued in Ukraine
  • Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski to a MEP written question - Spiralling cost of fertilizer

ENERGY

  • Draft - Commission Implementing Decision (EU) / on the recognition of the “Scottish Quality Crops Farm Assurance Scheme (SQC)”, “KZR INiG” scheme, “Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS)” and “Trade Assurance Scheme for Combinable Crops (TASCC)” for demonstrating compliance with the requirements set in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 for biofuels, bioliquids, biomass fuels, renewable liquid and gaseous fuels of non-biological origin and recycled carbon fuels
  • Draft - Commission Implementing Decision (EU) / on the recognition of the “International Sustainability & Carbon Certification - ISCC EU” voluntary scheme, “Roundtable on Sustainable Biomaterials (RSB) EU RED” voluntary scheme, "Biomass Biofuels Sustainability voluntary scheme (2BSvs)", “Bonsucro EU” voluntary scheme, “SURE” voluntary scheme for demonstrating compliance with the requirements set in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 for biofuels, bioliquids, biomass fuels, renewable liquid and gaseous fuels of non-biological origin and recycled carbon fuels
  • Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2022/564 of 19 November 2021 amending Regulation (EU) No 347/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the Union list of projects of common interest
  • Energy Security: Commission hosts first meeting of EU Energy Purchase Platform to secure supply of gas, LNG and hydrogen - IP/22/2387
  • Commissioner Simson in Vienna for energy diplomacy meetings amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine - Midday Express
  • MEPs backs plans to accelerate the refilling of Europe's strategic gas reserves, so households and businesses have enough gas for the next heating season - See the EP resolution 

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

  • 8th Round of Mutual Evaluations - 'The practical implementation and operation of European policies on preventing and combating Environmental Crime' - Follow-up to the Report on Lithuania, on Greece
  • EVP Timmermans in Egypt to attend climate meetings ahead of COP27 - Midday Express

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

  • Summary of the Opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor on the Proposal for a Directive on information exchange between law enforcement authorities of Member States
  • EDPB adopts statement on the new Trans-Atlantic Data Privacy Framework, letter concerning independence of Belgian SA & discusses membership Spring Conference

AREA OF FREEDOM, VALUES, SECURITY & JUSTICE

  • Tackling hate crime across Europe: second joint action day targets over 170 individuals - 11 countries target violent acts of hate online and offline
  • Dismantling of criminal network that forced victims into street begging in Germany and Austria - See Eurojust Statement
  • Europol awarded top European standard for its environmental performance

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

  • Decision (EU) 2022/563 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 April 2022 providing macro-financial assistance to the Republic of Moldova
  • Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis announces first payment of €3.6 billion to Greece under the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Midday Express
  • Account of the monetary policy meeting of the Governing Council of the European Central Bank of 9-10 March 2022

FUTURE OF EUROPE

  • Commissioner Vălean to visit Bucharest, discussing the Conference on the Future of Europe, and meeting national authorites and civil society in relation to the effects of the war in Ukraine - Midday Express

BREXIT - EU/UK RELATIONS

  • Council Decision (EU) 2022/567 of 4 April 2022 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Partnership Council established by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part, on the adoption of the operational guidelines for the conduct of the Civil Society Forum
  • List of Member States and their competent authorities concerning Articles 15(2), 17(8) and 21(3) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008; List of competent authorities in Northern Ireland concerning Article 17(8) of Council Regulation (EC) No 1005/2008 in accordance with the Protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland of the Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

  • Afghanistan: MEPs are deeply worried by the recent Taliban decision to indefinitely extend the ban on allowing girls in seventh grade and above to attend school
  • Human rights breaches in Russia, North Korea and Guatemala - see the resolutions adopted on the respective human rights situations in Russia, North Korea and Guatemala 

EU RESPONSES TO RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

  • EU adopts 5th round of sanctions against Russia over its military aggression against Ukraine - IP/22/2332 & QaA
  • ‘Freeze and Seize Task Force': Almost €30 billion of assets of Russian and Belarussian oligarchs and entities frozen by the EU so far - IP/22/2373
  • Ukraine: EU facilitates coordinated steps by telecom operators to help refugees stay connected - IP/22/2371 & Joint Statement
  • Ukraine: EU must protect all children fleeing the war - See the EP resolution
  • MEPs demand full embargo on Russian imports of oil, coal, nuclear fuel and gas
  • Europol - A common response to serious and organised crime linked to the war in Ukraine
  • EU oil embargo on Russia expected ‘sooner rather than later’ - Foreign ministers likely to discuss further sanctions on Monday - Financial Times


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