Europe Daily News, 08 September 2022

COMPETITION

• Opinion of Advocate General Pitruzzella of 8 September 2022 in Case C‑25/21, ZA, AZ, BX, CV, DU, ET Vs. Repsol Comercial de Productos Petrolíferos SA
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Competition - Private enforcement - Article 101(1) and (2) TFEU - Regulation (EC) No 1/2003 - Article 2 - Action for a declaration of nullity - Action for damages - Directive 2014/104/EC - Temporal application - Probative value of a decision of a national competition authority in an action for a declaration of nullity and an action for damages - Procedural autonomy of the Member States - Principles of effectiveness and legal certainty
  
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10820 - Berkshire / Alleghany)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10816 - Adnoc / ADQ / RIL / JV)
• Commission clears acquisition of joint control of VTG by GIP, Azure, and OAC (M.10867) - Midday Express
• Commission authorizes the creation of a joint venture by Asment de Temara and VEOM (M.10850) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of joint control of Westenergie Breitband by E.ON and FSI (M.10871) - Midday Express
• Greece - Unannounced inspections in companies active in the import and distribution of white goods
• Portugal - AdC sanctions Santa Casa da Misericórdia de Lisboa (SCML) for gun-jumping
• Portugal - The AdC has a new whistleblower tool with anonymous and encrypted communications
• Portugal - The AdC issued a non-opposition decision to the merger 37/2022 - BK Portugal / IberKing*Lurca
• Romania - The Competition Council assesses the transaction by which NewOpCo Hungary, a branch of Waterland Group, takes over some assets of Cargill Group from Hungary

STATE AID

• State aid - Decision to raise no objections
• ESA approves new Norwegian CO2 compensation scheme
• ESA launches investigation into aid provided under Norwegian state aid scheme
• 2021 Scoreboard shows that COVID-19 State aid measures allowed for unprecedented levels of support while preserving the level-playing field - IP/22/5369
• Commission approves €5 million Finnish scheme to support commercial fishermen and aquaculture companies in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine (SA.104150) - Midday Express
  

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Judgment of the Court of 8 September 2022 in Case C-368/21, R.T. Vs. Hauptzollamt Hamburg
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Customs Union - Union Customs Code - Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 - Regulation (EU) 2015/2446 - Place of incurrence of the customs debt - VAT - Directive 2006/112/EC - Article 30 - Article 60 - Article 71, (1) - Chargeable event and chargeability of VAT on importation - Place where the tax debt is incurred - Finding of non-compliance with an obligation imposed by the customs legislation of the Union - Determination of the place of importation of the goods - Means of transport registered in a non-member country and brought into the European Union contrary to customs regulations
• Judgment of the Court of 8 September 2022 in Case C‑507/21 P, Puma SE, Puma United Kingdom Ltd, Puma Nordic AB, Austria Puma Dassler GmbH, Puma Italia Srl, Puma France SAS, Puma Denmark A/S, Puma Iberia SL, Puma Retail AG, Vs. European Commission
  Re: Appeal - Dumping - Imports of certain footwear with uppers of leather originating in the People’s Republic of China and Vietnam - Implementation of the judgment of the Court of Justice in Joined Cases C‑659/13 and C‑34/14 - Reimposition of a definitive anti-dumping duty - Competence ratione temporis - Principle of non-discrimination
• Minutes of: Meeting of the Expert Group on responsible sourcing of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold - 28 June 2022
• Commission Implementing regulation (EU) /... concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (CN Code: 6306 90 00)
• Commission Implementing regulation (EU) /... concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (CN Code: 9021 10 90)
  
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1477 of 6 September 2022 extending the definitive anti-dumping duty imposed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/492, as amended by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/776, on imports of certain woven and/or stitched glass fibre fabrics originating in the People’s Republic of China and Egypt to imports of certain woven and/or stitched glass fibre fabrics consigned from Turkey, whether declared as originating in Turkey or not
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1478 of 6 September 2022 extending the definitive countervailing duty imposed by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/776, on imports of certain woven and/or stitched glass fibre fabrics originating in the People’s Republic of China and Egypt to imports of certain woven and/or stitched glass fibre fabrics consigned from Turkey whether declared as originating in Turkey or not
• China: Hope for the best but prepare for the worst - The bloc needs to be ready for a crisis in relations with Beijing, even as we all hope it will never become a reality - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Opinion of Advocate General Szpunar of 8 September 2022 in Case C‑472/21, Monz Handelsgesellschaft International mbH & Co. KG Vs. Büchel GmbH & Co. Fahrzeugtechnik KG
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Intellectual property - Registered design - Directive 98/71/EC - Article 3(3) and (4) - Conditions for protection of a component part of a complex product - Concepts of ‘visibility’ and ‘normal use’ - Novelty and individual character - Visibility of a component part of a complex product during normal use of the latter
• Opinion of Advocate General Szpunar of 8 September 2022 in Case C‑119/21 P, PlasticsEurope Vs. European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
  Re: Appeal - Establishment of a list of substances subject to authorisation - List of substances identified for eventual inclusion in Annex XIV - Updating of the entry of the substance bisphenol A as a substance of very high concern
• Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius to a MEP written question - Clarifications on the uptake of NAMs in the context of the update of REACH information requirements
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Hindrances to EU autonomy and sovereignty in standardisation

TAXATION

• Judgment of the Court of 8 September 2022 in Case C-98/21, Finanzamt R Vs. W GmbH
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - VAT - Directive 2006/112/EC - Articles 2(1), 9(1), 167 and 168(a) - Deduction of input tax paid - Concept of 'taxable person' - Holding company - Expenditure relating to a contribution in kind to subsidiaries - No contribution of the expenditure to overheads - Activities of the subsidiaries largely exempt from tax
• Opinion of Advocate General Kokott of 8 September 2022 in Case C 378/21 P, GmbH other party: Finanzamt Österreich (Tax Office, Austria)
  Re: Request for a preliminary ruling - VAT - Error as to the correct rate - Adjustment of the tax liability - Factual impossibility to correct invoices already issued - Correction of invoices not necessary where the recipients of the supplies are non-taxable persons - No risk of loss of tax revenue - Plea of unjust enrichment
• Brussels considers cutting Hungary out of global tax rate bill - Politico.eu

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Energy Union Committee - 21 September 2022
• Commissioner Simson to participate in the Extraordinary Energy Council tomorrow - Midday Express
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - Impact of reduction in Russian oil imports
  
• Answer given by EVP Timmermans to a MEP written question - Funding the REPowerEU plan
• Answer given by EVP Timmermans to a MEP written question - Reopening of coal-fired power stations in Germany
• Answer given by EVP Timmermans to a MEP written question - Communication from the Commission on REPowerEU and the possible termination of imports of Russian raw materials
• Brussels seeks windfall tax threshold well below market rate - European Commission wants to hit non-gas power generators with levy to help households through energy crisis - Financial Times
• Germany turns to coal for a third of its electricity - Production from natural gas falls to 11.7% of total generation after prices triple - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: 18th Meeting of the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) Article 75 Committee - 19 September 2022
• Environmental Implementation 2022: Commission urges better application of EU environmental rules to protect human health and the environment - IP/22/5367, QaA & Remarks by Commissioner Sinkevičius
  - See Country reports & Country factsheets
• Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius to a MEP written question - Lack of transparency concerning the potential environmental impacts of the Lynetteholm project on the Baltic Sea
• European soils hold potential for stronger climate action - See EEA Briefing
• Europe's growing transport demand increases emissions from heavy-duty vehicles - See EEA Briefing

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Committee on Medical Devices - 13 October 2022
• Minutes of: Meeting of the Committee on Medical Devices - 06 July 2022
• Minutes of: Meeting of 4 July 2022 of the Standing Committee on Veterinary Medicinal Products - 04 July 2022
• EFSA: Scientific Opinion - Welfare of domestic birds and rabbits transported in containers
• EFSA: Scientific Opinion - Welfare of small ruminants; equidae; cattle and pigs during transport
• EFSA: Scientific Opinion - Safety and efficacy of a feed additive consisting of a preparation of carvacrol, thymol, d‐carvone, methyl salicylate and l‐menthol (Biomin® DC‐P) for all poultry species (Biomin GmbH)
• EFSA: External Scientific Report - Implementing practical methods to estimate population density of wild boar and other wild mammals: field trials and development of automatic identification

DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET

• Judgment of the Court of 8 September 2022 in Case C-716/20, RTL Television GmbH v Grupo Pestana S.G.P.S. SA, SALVOR - Sociedade de Investimento Hoteleiro SA,
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Copyright and related rights - Satellite broadcasting and cable retransmission - Directive 93/83/EEC - Article 1(3) - Concept of 'cable retransmission' - Retransmission provider not having the status of a cable operator - Simultaneous distribution, unchanged and unabridged distribution of television or radio programmes broadcast by satellite and intended for reception by the public, carried out by the operator of a hotel establishment, by means of a satellite dish, a cable and television or radio receivers - Absence
• Spotify chief urges EU to accelerate antitrust case against Apple - Daniel Ek uses rare visit to Brussels to put personal pressure on officials to resolve four-year dispute with tech giant - Financial Times

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Opinion of Advocate General Jean Ricard de la Tour of 8 September 2022 in Case C-132/21, BE Vs. Nemzeti Adatvédelmi és Információszabadság Hatóság, in the presence of Budapesti Elektromos Művek Zrt.
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Protection of individuals with regard to the processing of personal data - Regulation (EU) 2016/679 - Articles 77 to 79 - Complaint to a supervisory authority - Judicial remedies - Articulation between the remedies - Procedural autonomy of the Member States 

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Agenda for: Working Party on e-Justice (Digitalisation of judicial cooperation proposal) - 14 and 15 September 2022
• Statement from Commission on the co-legislators' Roadmap on the New pact on migration and asylum
• Answer given by Ms Johansson to a MEP written question - Europol and the SWIFT Agreement
• Answer given by Ms Johansson to a MEP written question - Regarding the implication of 2022/0135 (COD) on the fight against terrorism  

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Possible items for College agendas 13 September – 21 December 2022 

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Remarks by President Charles Michel during his visit to Doha, Qatar
• European Peace Facility: EU agrees support to the Southern African Development Community mission in Mozambique

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Answer given by Ms Vălean to a MEP written question - International transportation of goods to and from Ukraine
• Answer given by Ms Vălean to a MEP written question - Commission guidance of 13 July 2022 allowing the transport of sanctioned goods by rail between the Russian mainland and Kaliningrad
• Hungary backs down on push to lift EU sanctions on 3 Russian oligarchs — for now - Budapest agrees to postpone its demand until the next time the penalty list is reviewed - Politico.eu
• Ukraine wants more Russia sanctions but Brussels can’t help any more - Diplomats and officials say nobody wants to talk about a new sanctions package after Hungary stalled the last one - Politico.eu