Europe Daily News, 23 September 2022

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10699 - Salmar / NTS)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10885 - Trivium / Tchibo)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10827 - Scintia / Beiersdorf )
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10845 - HG / WCAS / Warburg Pincus / Norstella)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10878 - CVC / LGP / Green Veracity Acquisition Holdings)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10811 - Impex / SC / SEML)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10719 - PGGM / DIF / Fudura)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10868 - Digitalbridge / Brookfield / DTAG / JV)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10846 - CVC Funds / Visma Customs Solutions)
• Decision in Case M.10347 - Synthos / Trinseo published (Synthetic Rubber Business)
• Czech Republic - Reduced fine for Aroma Candle Distributor, and, for the first time, the UOHS took the compliance program into zccount
• Germany - Bundeskartellamt: List of Notified Merger Projects
• Ireland - CCPC issues assessment to Uniphar and NaviCorp in relation to its on-going merger review
• Romania - The Competition Council approved, from the national security point of view, the transaction by which Talon MidCo 3 Limited buys the majority of shares of Tufin Software Technologies Ltd.

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections
• EFTA Surveillance Authority - State aid – Decision to raise no objections
• EFTA Surveillance Authority - State aid – Decision to raise no objections 
• Commission approves amendment to Dutch horse riding betting scheme and €3.2 million transition subsidy (SA.62808 and SA.62810) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €20 million Greek scheme to support newspaper publishers in context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine (SA.104056) - Midday Express
• Commission approves prolongation of Irish scheme to refund employers' social security contributions in respect of seafarers on certain vessels (SA.103729) - Midday Express
• Commission approves €14 million Estonian scheme to support companies active in the food and beverages production sectors in in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine (SA.103936) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Hybrid “Newcomers’ event” for new national coordinators of the Fiscalis and Customs programmes (Georgia & Ukraine) - 24 & 25 October 2022
• Notice of initiation of a partial interim review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of tubes and pipes of ductile cast iron (also known as spheroidal graphite cast iron) originating in India (CN codes ex 7303 00 10 and ex 7303 00 90)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1638 of 20 September 2022 amending Annex I to Council Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff as regards subheading 9505 10 (Articles for Christmas festivities)
• Decision No 1/2022 of the EU-CTC Joint Committee established by the Convention of 20 May 1987 on the simplification of formalities in trade in goods of 25 August 2022 as regards an invitation to Ukraine to accede to that Convention
• Decision No 2/2022 of the EU-CTC Joint Committee established by the Convention of 20 May 1987 on a common transit procedure of 25 August 2022 as regards an invitation to Ukraine to accede to that Convention
• WCO signs an arrangement on cooperation with UNOCT to strengthen cooperation and advance joint initiatives to counter terrorism

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness & Growth (Public Procurement) - 27 September 2022
• Agenda for: Commission expert group on Mutual Recognition of Goods - 11 October 2022 
• Agenda for: Working Party on Technical Harmonisation - 27 September 2022
• Joint non-paper on securing critical raw material supply - Information from the French and German delegations

INTERLLECTUAL PROPERTY

• Opinion of Advocate General Maciej Szpunar of 22 September 2022 Case C-290/21, Staatlich genehmigte Gesellschaft der Autoren, Komponisten und Musikverleger Reg. Gen. mbH (AKM) Vs. Canal+ Luxembourg Sàrl in the presence of: Tele 5 TM-TV GmbH, Österreichische Rundfunksender GmbH & Co KG, Seven.One Entertainment Group GmbH, ProSiebenSat.1 PULS 4 GmbH
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Intellectual property - Copyright and related rights - Satellite broadcasting and cable retransmission - Directive 93/83/EEC - Article 1(2) - Provider of satellite packages - Broadcasting of programmes in another Member State - Place of the act of exploitation - Provision for consideration of pay-per-view programmes in high definition - Availability of those programmes in standard definition in the State of reception, also by satellite
• Agenda for: Working Party on Intellectual Property - 6 October 2022

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• ESMA has submitted its response to the European Commission regarding the current level of margins and of excessive volatility in energy derivatives markets
• ESMA published a consultation paper seeking views on proposed rules for Central Counterparties’ (CCPs) business reorganisation plans

TAXATION

• Code of Conduct Group (Business Taxation) - Work Programme under the Czech Presidency
• Answer given by Mr Gentiloni to a MEP written question - A new uniform and competitive EU digital tax for start-ups and SMEs as a tool for achieving the digital transition

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

• Judgment of the Court of 22 September 2022 in Joined Cases C‑518/20 and C‑727/20, XP Vs. Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide (C‑518/20), and AR Vs. St. Vincenz-Krankenhaus GmbH (C‑727/20),
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Social policy - Protection of the safety and health of workers - Organisation of working time - Article 31(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU - Directive 2003/88/EC - Article 7(1) - Right to paid annual leave - Total invalidity or incapacity for work due to illness occurring during a leave year - National legislation providing for the loss of entitlement to paid annual leave on expiry of a certain period - Employer’s obligation to enable the worker to exercise his or her right to paid annual leave
• Judgment of the Court of 22 September 2022 in Case C‑120/21, LB Vs. TO
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Social policy - Protection of the safety and health of workers - Organisation of working time - Article 31(2) of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU - Directive 2003/88/EC - Article 7 - Right to paid annual leave - Allowance in lieu of leave not taken after the termination of the employment relationship - Three-year limitation period - Starting point - Adequate information provided to the worker
• Draft Council Conclusions on the integration of persons with disabilities into the labour market

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Council of the European Union (Agriculture & Fisheries) - 26 September 2022 - List of "A items"
• Regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products - Information by the Polish delegation
• EU Organic Day: the Commission celebrates the winners of the first EU organic awards - IP/22/5670

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy - 27 September 2022
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - Storing energy using sand batteries

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment - 26 & 27 September 2022
• UNGA77: EU wraps up a week of intense meetings on global issues - Midday Express
• Commission supports acceleration of commercialisation of new clean energy technologies with over €28 billion by 2027 - Midday Express
• EVP Timmermans in Prague for climate and energy meetings with national representatives, EU mayors and stakeholders - Midday Express
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) /... amending Regulation (EU) 2017/852 of the European Parliament and of the Council as regards the temporary storage of mercury waste in liquid form
• Italy: EIB and SMAT join forces once again to enhance integrated water service coverage and quality in the province of Turin
• T&E - EU governments carving out €20 bn in carbon market exemptions for shipping - Exemptions would reduce the potential of EU carbon market to fund green shipping transition

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Minutes of: Group of experts on tobacco policy - 29 June 2022
• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Placing of plant protection protects on the market under ‘special circumstances’
• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Artificial milk: online marketing misleading millions of new mothers - call for strict EU regulation
• EDC-Free Europe campaigners welcome the publication of the draft proposal for new EU hazard classes for endocrine disruptors
• EFSA - Plant Health Newsletter on Horizon Scanning - August 2022
• EFSA - External Scientific Report - Literature review on disease ranking tools, their characterisation, and recommendations for the method to be used by EFSA
• ECDC - Country overview report: week 37 2022

DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET 

• Minutes of: Workshop of the 2nd expert group for the observatory on the Online Platform Economy - 15 June 2022

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber issues - 23 September 2022
• EIOPA - Supervisory statement on the management of non-affirmative cyber exposures 

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• 33rd Annual Report on the protection of the European Union’s financial interests and the fight against fraud - 2021
• A new optimum currency area index for the euro area - ECB Working Paper Series - No.2730
• Consumer payment preferences in the euro area - ECB Working Paper Series - No.2729

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Agenda for: UN General Assembly, New York, 20-23 September 2022
• Consolidated list of persons, groups and entities subject to EU financial sanctions as of 22 September 2022

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Belgium’s diamonds lose shine amid Russia sanctions talk - Belgium is concerned about harming the world-leading Antwerp diamond district. But some countries are losing patience - Politico.eu