Europe Daily News, 09 June 2022

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10579 - Pon Holding / Autohaus Adelbert Moll / Flexxdrive)
• Commission clears acquisition of GSF Group by TowerBrook (M.10743) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Prima by Blackstone, Carlyle and Goldman Sachs (M.10705) - Midday Express
• Croatia - High Administrative Court rejects the claims against the CCA infringement decision in scheduled bus transport case: CCA v Presečki grupa d.o.o., Rudi-express d.o.o., Jambrošić tours and Autobusni prijevoznik Turist
• Croatia - UTPs: High Administrative Court dismisses appeal of re-seller NTL
• Germany - Dillinger Hütte, Hochtief fined for bid-rigging, Bundeskartellamt says
• Portugal - AdC sanctions Auchan, E. Leclerc, Modelo Continente, Pingo Doce and Unilever for colluding on prices to the detriment of consumers
• UK - The CMA has accepted undertakings in lieu of reference for the completed acquisition WM Morrison Supermarkets Limited by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice Holdings, LLC.
• AIM - New rules on distribution agreements give brands welcome additional flexibility
• Khan vows ‘muscular’ US antitrust approach on private equity deals - FTC chair warns of ‘life and death consequences’ when buyout groups own broad sectors of economy - Financial Times

STATE AID

• Commission approves Spanish and Portuguese measure to lower electricity prices amid energy crisis (SA.102454 & SA.102569) - IP/22/3550
• Commission approves €70 million Italian scheme to support large shipping companies in the context of the coronavirus pandemic (SA.100553) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Judgment of the Court of 9 June 2022 in Case C-187/21, FAWKES Kft. Vs. Nemzeti Adó- és Vámhivatal Fellebbviteli Igazgatósága
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 - Community Customs Code - Article 30(2)(a) and (b) - Customs value - Determination of the transaction value of similar goods - Database established and managed by the national customs authority - Databases established and managed by the customs offices of the other Member States and by the services of the European Union - Identical or similar goods exported to the European Union 'at the same time or at approximately the same time
  
• Judgment of the Court of 9 June 2022 in Case C-599/20, 'Baltic Master' UAB Vs. Muitinės departamentas prie Lietuvos Respublikos finansų ministerijos, in the presence of : Vilniaus teritorinė muitinė,
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Customs Union - Community Customs Code - Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 - Article 29 - Determination of customs value - Transaction value - Article 29(1, (d) - Concept of 'related persons' - Article 31 - Taking into account of information from a national database for the purposes of determining customs value - Regulation (EEC) No 2454/93 - Article 143(1)(b), (e) and (f) - Situations in which persons are deemed to be related - Article 181a - Doubts as to the veracity of the price declared
  
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Deputies) - 10 June 2022
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Generalised System of Preferences (GSP)) - 13 June 2022
• Agenda for: Meeting of EP INTA Committee from 15 &16 June 2022
• Minutes of the Commission expert group on the Generalised Scheme of Preferences - 29 April 2022
• Minutes of the 44th meeting of the Customs Expert Group - Tariff & Statistical Nomenclature Section (BTI subsection) - 17 May 2022
• Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the protection of the Union and its Member States from economic coercion by third countries - See the Draft report & Amendments 58-280
  
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Sub-Committee on Geographical Indications established by the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Armenia, of the other part, as regards the adoption of the Rules of Procedure of the Sub-Committee on Geographical Indications - Annex
• Decision No 1/2022 of the EU-Montenegro Stabilisation and Association Council of 9 February 2022 amending the Stabilisation and Association Agreement between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part, and the Republic of Montenegro, of the other part, by replacing Protocol 3 thereto concerning the definition of the concept of ‘originating products’ and methods of administrative cooperation
• EU facilitates increased exports for Moldovan agricultural products - IP/22/3547 & Proposed Regulation text
• EUROFER welcomes the adoption of the Commission proposal on steel safeguards as a contribution to stability

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Bioeconomy Strategy Progress Report: European Bioeconomy policy: stocktaking and future developments
• Commission Implementing Decision amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2019/1326 as regards the harmonised standards for electromagnetic compatibility of low-voltage switches, disconnectors, switch-disconnectors and fuse-combination units, and for external power supply for mobile phones
  
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Cross-border enforcement of intellectual property rights in the EU 

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Report from the Commission under Article 85(2) of Regulation (EU) No 648/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 4 July 2012 on OTC derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories, as amended by Regulation (EU) No 834/2019, assessing whether viable technical solutions have been developed for the transfer by pension scheme arrangements of cash and non-cash collateral as variation margins and the need for any measures to facilitate those viable technical solutions
• Answer given by Ms McGuinness to a MEP written question - The status of nuclear energy in the taxonomy for sustainable finance
• EBA consults on technical standards on the identification of a group of connected clients

TAXATION

• Judgment of the Court of 9 June 2022 in Case C-55/21, Direktor na Agentsia "Mitnitsi" Vs. "IMPERIAL TOBACCO BULGARIA EOOD,
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Taxation - Excise duties - Directive 2008/118/EC - Article 11 - Reimbursement of excise duties applicable to excise goods released for consumption - Directive 2011/64/EU - Article 17, first paragraph, point (b) - Reimbursement of excise duty already paid, (b) - Repayment of excise duty already paid, by means of tax markings, affixed to manufactured tobacco destroyed under administrative supervision - Obligation on Member States to adopt rules providing for the repayment of excise duty on manufactured tobacco released for consumption and destroyed under customs supervision - None
  
• Ecofin report to the European Council on tax issues - Approval
• Proposal for a Council Directive restructuring the Union framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity (recast) - Progress report (in French)

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Information Notice – Public Consultation - Geographical Indications from the Republic of Uzbekistan to be protected as Geographical Indications in the European Union
• MEPs endorse the largest EU’s fisheries agreement, with Mauritania - See the EP legislative resolution & non-legislative resolution
• Liberia: EIB to support increased rice production 

ENERGY

• Draft opinion by MEP Maria Grapini - Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on common rules for the internal markets in renewable and natural gases and in hydrogen (recast) 

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Commissioner Ferreira in Bulgaria for the conclusion of the Partnership Agreement and a keynote speech at the Green Deal conference - Midday Express
• World Oceans Day: Joint Statement by the HR/VP Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries Virginijus Sinkevičius
• Fit for 55: Parliament agrees to higher EU carbon sink ambitions by 2030
  - Revision of the EU Emissions Trading System for aviation - See the Resolution 
  - Notification under the Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation (CORSIA) - See the Resolution 
  - Binding annual greenhouse gas emission reductions by Member States (Effort Sharing Regulation) - See the Resolution 
  - Land use, land use change and forestry (LULUCF) - See the Resolution
• Fit for 55: MEPs back objective of zero emissions for cars and vans in 2035 - See the Resolution
• Proposal for a Council Recommendation on ensuring a fair transition towards climate neutrality - Statements by the Hungarian and Polish delegations
• EU green agenda suffers blow after MEPs reject part of climate bill - Disagreements on carbon tax call into question Brussels’ environmental ambitions - Financial Times
• Political divisions in Parliament delay expansion of EU carbon market - T&E reactions
• EP vote very disappointing, not good for climate nor for industry, says EUROFER

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Commission Implementing Directive (EU) / amending Directives 2003/90/EC and 2003/91/EC as regards the protocols for the examination of certain varieties of agricultural plant species and vegetable species
• Joint letter to the EC on the revision of the provisions on on Vaccine Purchase Contracts, with regard to surplus vaccines - Information from the Polish delegation, on behalf of the Bulgarian, Croatian Bulgarian, Croatian, Estonian, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Romanian, Slovak and Slovenian delegations
• Commissioner Kyriakides in Dublin to discuss ongoing response to the COVID-19 pandemic and implementation of the European Health Union - Midday Express
• European Commission and United States sign cooperation arrangement on preparedness and response to public health threats - IP/22/3203
• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Authorisation of active substances and toxicity of co-formulants
• 25 years of early warning and response to new psychoactive substances in Europe - EMCDDA Statement
• South Africa: EIB to support increased vaccine production by Biovac 

DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Opinion of Advocate General Collins of 09 June 2022 in Case C‑243/21, ‘TOYA’ sp. z o.o., Polska Izba Informatyki i Telekomunikacji Vs. Prezes Urzędu Komunikacji Elektronicznej, joined party: Polska Izba Komunikacji Elektronicznej
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Telecommunications - Directive 2014/61/EU - Article 3 - Power of the national regulatory authority to impose conditions relating to access to physical infrastructure on an operator not having significant market power - Absence of a dispute relating to access - Article 1(3) - Minimum harmonisation
• ETNO - 8 common questions on the “fair contribution” debate
• Smart technologies in EU enterprises: AI and IoT - Eurostat

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Opinion of Advocate General Giovanni Pitruzzella of 9 June 2022 Case C-154/21, RW Vs. Österreichische Post AG
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Protection of personal data - Regulation (EU) 2016/679 - Article 15(1)(c) - Right of access of the data subject - Information on the specific recipient or categories of recipient to whom the data have been disclosed
• Agenda for: Horizontal Group on Cyber Issues of 10 June 2022
• Summary of the Opinion of the European Data Protection Supervisor on on the Proposal for a Regulation on automated data exchange for police cooperation (‘Prüm II’)
• Finnish SA: administrative fine imposed on telemarketing company for ignoring an order issued by the Data Protection Ombudsman

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Agenda for: Justice & Home Affairs Council - 9 & 10 June 2022 - See List of “A Items”
• Europol: better equipped to fight crime and terrorism - See the EP Statement & Resolution
• EU Drugs Agency: Council adopts negotiating mandate on strengthening the role of the agency
• Report of the 7th EU day against impunity for the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes (23 May 2022)
• Fraud with sale of used cars in Czech Republic halted with Eurojust support
• Slovak and Czech authorities take action against right-wing terrorism
• Europol - Suspect arrested in Slovakia for spreading hate speech and 3D printed weapons manuals

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• EU Cohesion Policy: over €127 million to upgrade water and sanitation infrastructure in Romania - Midday Express
• Eurozone cheap money era comes to an end Premium content - ECB council to signal plans to reverse negative interest rates - Financial Times

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Report by European Council President Charles Michel to the European Parliament plenary session on the outcome of Special meeting of the European Council of 30-31 May 2022
• First-ever New European Bauhaus Festival starts today in Brussels and around Europe - IP/22/3486
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the Opening Session of the Conference "Reconstructing the Future for People and Planet – a New European Bauhaus Initiative", organised by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Security in the Eastern Partnership area and the role of the common security and defence policy - See the EP Resolution
• EU and OHCHR discuss cooperation at Strategic Dialogue on Human Rights
• EEAS: High Representative Josep Borrell announces senior appointments
• Eastern Partnership: Speech by HR/VP Josep Borrell at the EP plenary
• Answer given by HR/VP Josep Borrell to a MEP written question - Engagement of the EU in the negotiations for an international treaty against corporate abuse at the UN

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Ruslan Stefanchuk urges EU to grant Ukraine candidate status
• EU sets up €20 million support for Ukrainian start-ups through European Innovation Council - IP/22/3533
• Strengthening mental health and psychosocial support for displaced people coming from Ukraine - Midday Express
• Ukraine: EU announces additional €205 million in humanitarian aid as Commissioner Lenarčič visits Ukraine - IP/22/3549
  
• The EU’s Foreign, Security and Defence Policy after the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine - See the EP Recommendation
• Hungary’s Orbán loses friends in Poland over stance on Russia sanctions - Rift shows how Europe’s political order has been changed by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine - Financial Times