Europe Daily News, 10 May 2022

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10676 - Next / WP / Pink)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10716 - PLD / NBIM / Target Asset Bleiswijk)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10650 - Egeria / Isoplus Group / BRUGG / Isoplus JV)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10707 - Macquarie / BCI / Reden Holding and Reden Holding 2020)
• Appeal brought on 20 January 2022 by Google LLC and Alphabet, Inc. against the judgment of the General Court of 10 November 2021 in Case T-612/17, Google and Alphabet Vs. Commission (Case C-48/22 P)
• Antitrust: Commission adopts new Vertical Block Exemption Regulation and Vertical Guidelines - IP/22/2844

STATE AID

• Appeal brought on 3 March 2022 by Gmina Miasto Gdynia and Port Lotniczy Gdynia-Kosakowo sp. z o.o. against the judgment delivered by the General Court on 21 December 2021 in Case T-263/15 RENV, Gmina Miasto Gdynia and Port Lotniczy Gdynia-Kosakowo Vs. Commission (Case C-163/22 P)
  Re: Article 107(1) TFEU, Decision SA.35388
• Action brought on 2 March 2022 - Svenska Bankföreningen and Länsförsäkringar Bank Vs. Commission (Case T-112/22)
  Re: annul the Commission’s decision of 24 November 2021 in Case SA.56348(2021/N) - Sweden: Swedish tax on credit institutions
• Communication from the Commission - Approval of the content of a draft Commission Regulation declaring certain categories of aid in the agricultural and forestry sectors and in rural areas compatible with the internal market in application of Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU and repealing Commission Regulation (EU) No 702/2014
• Commission approves €25 million Irish support measure for fishery sector in the context of Brexit (SA.102242) - Midday Express 
• Commission approves €45 million Irish support measure for fishery-processing sector in the context of Brexit (SA.102249) - Midday Express 
• Commission approves €400 million French aid scheme to support farms and fish farms in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (SA.102784)  - Midday Express 

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: 12th meeting of the Tariff Measures Tariff Measures Section of the Customs Expert Group of 23 May 2022
• Minutes of the 10th meeting of the Customs Expert Group - Valuation of 16 and 17 November 2021
• Food protectionism fuels global inflation and hunger - Traders grapple with Indonesian palm oil export ban while concerns mount over India’s heatwave and wheat crop - Financial Times
• WTO Covid patent waiver that no one wants to own Premium content - US, South Africa and India are failing to back the proposal that they themselves negotiated - Financial Times 

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Payments: Commission launches public consultation on the revised Payments Services Directive review and open finance - Midday Express 
• Answer given by Ms McGuinness to a MEP written question - The actions the Commission could take to exclude Russian natural gas and nuclear from the EU Taxonomy Regulation 

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

• Coronavirus: €17.7 million from European Globalisation Adjustment Fund to support dismissed Air France workers - IP/22/2866, see the Commission proposal & FactSheet

ENERGY

• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Curtea de Apel București (Romania) lodged on 28 June 2021 - Bursa Română de Mărfuri SA Vs. Autoritatea națională de reglementare în domeniul energiei (ANRE) (Case C-394/21)
  Re: Directive (EU) 2019/944, common rules for the internal market for electricity, single licence, Articles 101 and 102 TFEU, Article 4(3) TEU and Article 106(1) TFEU, Directive 2012/27/EU , Regulation (EU) 2019/943 
• Agenda - ACER-CEER Webinar on Gas Storage Regulation and Security of Supply of 17 May 2022 
• Study puts cost of halting Russian gas supply at 12% of German GDP - Government adviser says Europe’s largest economy faces big hit if Berlin accepts Russia gas ban - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius to a MEP written question - Planned Malta-Gela gas pipeline, protection of Natura 2000 sites and presence of depleted uranium
• Results of the 2nd meeting of the Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform held on 25 April 2022

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Agenda for: Medical Device Coordination Group
  - New Technologies Working Group of 17 May 2022 
  - Annex XVI Subgroup of 18 May 2022 
  - MDR/IVDR of 19 May 2022 
  - MDR/IVDR - MDCG and Stakeholders of 19 May 2022
• Legionnaires’ disease - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2020 - ECDC Surveillance report - 10 May 2022 

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Reporting, mandatory certification and main establishment in final NIS2 trilogues - See DigitalEurope Policy Paper
• BEREC Chair: cybersecurity is important to achieve meaningful end-to-end connectivity 

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• NextGenerationEU: European Commission endorses positive preliminary assessment of Croatia's request for €700 million disbursement under the Recovery and Resilience Facility - IP/22/2810 & QaA
• European Commission and EIB sign an Agreement to enable further investments worldwide - IP/22/2870
• Commissioner Ferreira announces the disbursement of a first payment of €1.16 billion to Portugal under the Recovery and Resilience Facility - Midday Express
• REACT-EU: €84.3 million to support the economic and social recovery in Finland and Germany and welcoming people fleeing the war in Ukraine in Latvia - Midday Express
• ECB - Euro money market statistics: Second maintenance period 2022
• How to make EU fiscal rules compatible with net zero - See CER Paper - May 2022

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• The Conference on the Future of Europe concludes its work - IP/22/2862, Q&A, Speech by President von der Leyen, by President Roberta Metsola
• Speech by Emmanuel Macron at the closing of the Conference on the Future of Europe
• 'It's time for the EU to be closer to its people' - greater role for local and regional government can help restore trust in the EU - see the CoR Statement
• Macron calls for new European ‘community’ including Ukraine - French president seeks broader political club including non-EU members in wake of invasion - Financial Times
• War can be a catalyst for courageous reform in Europe - The EU needs to improve democratic accountability as it mulls vastly expanded spending programmes - Financial Times
• The Missing Piece: A Participation Infrastructure for EU Democracy - See EPC Policy Brief

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Syria and the region: Brussels VI Conferencee gathers more than 75 delegations in direct political and financial support - See the Background Brief 
• EU sanctions stalemate revives majority voting debate Premium content - No white smoke on oil embargo after Ursula von der Leyen’s impromptu dinner with Viktor Orbán - Financial Times

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Russian cyber operations against Ukraine: Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union
• Commission steps up support to displaced researchers from Ukraine - IP/22/2943
• Commission boosts Horizon Europe budget to support green, health and digital innovations and displaced researchers of Ukraine - IP/22/2843
• FAQs on customs related matters concerning sanctions adopted following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine - 10 May 2022
• Remarks by President Charles Michel at the press conference with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal
• Remarks by President Charles Michel following his meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy via video conference in Odesa, Ukraine
• Answer given by Ms Johansson to a MEP written question - Reports of racial discrimination at the EU’s borders
• Answer given by HR/VP Borrell i Fontelles to a MEP written question - Georgia’s application to join the EU, European values, the mistreatment of the third President of Georgia and personal sanctions against a Georgian oligarch with links to Russia
• Faroe Islands heads into turbulent waters with first sanctions against Russia - Self-governing Danish territory reluctant to upset maritime deals and trade with Moscow - Financial Times