Europe Daily News, 17 November 2022

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10882 - IRCP / CDC / ADTIM Group)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10948 - Stora Enso/ De Jong Papier Holding / DJV Holding)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10956 - Aurelius Investment Lux Seven / Sappi Finland One / Sappi Finland Operations / Sappi Maastricht Real Estate / Sappi Stockstadt)
• Commission opens in-depth investigation into the proposed acquisition of eTraveli by Booking (M.10615) - IP/22/6883 - Midday Express
• Commission authorises the acquisition of eight IT services companies of the Kontron AG group by VINCI Energies (M.10934) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of PZEM Energy Company, its subsidiaries and PZEM Pipe by EP Power Europe (M.10960) - Midday Express
• Commission clears the acquisition of certain assets of MásMóvil by Aberdeen, Macquarie and AIP (M.10910) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of joint control of Aedes by VI-BA, Apollo and Hines (M.10892) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of TBLG by Arval (M.10925) - Midday Express
• Portugal - Portuguese and Mozambican competition authorities reinforce cooperation
• Romania - The Competition Council has launched an investigation into possible collusion in the market production and marketing of crop seeds and crop protection products crop protection products in Romania
• UK - Cochlear's Oticon Medical acquisition under freeze order by UK CMA

STATE AID

• The Court of Justice sets aside the two judgments of the General Court which dismissed the actions of Volotea and easyJet against the decision of the Commission concerning State aid granted by Italy to Sardinian airports (See CPR No.185/2022 Judgment of the Court of Justice in Joined Cases C-331/20 P & C-343/20 P, Volotea Vs. Commission)
• Commission approves €88.3 million Spanish scheme under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support connectivity in rural areas (SA.102847) - IP/22/6692
• Commission approves €120 million Italian scheme to support companies in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine (SA.104358) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• According to Advocate General Ćapeta, the Court may refrain from reviewing the compatibility of the Basic Anti-dumping Regulation in the light of the Protocol on the Accession of China to the WTO (See CPR No.187/2022, Opinion of the Advocate General in the Case C-123/21 P, Changmao Biochemical Engineering Vs. Commission)
• Agenda for: 238th meeting of the Customs Code Committee - Tariff & Statistical Nomenclature (Sub-Section Agriculture/Chemistry) - 5th to 6th December 2022
• Recommendation by MEP Daniel Caspary on the draft Council decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the EU, of the Agreement between the EU and New Zealand pursuant to Article XXVIII of the GATT 1994 relating to the modification of concessions on all the tariff rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU
• Regulation  (EU) 2022/…  of the European Parliament and of the Council on foreign subsidies distorting the internal market
• 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 (First reading) - Mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament
• Council Decision on the conclusion, on behalf of the European Union, of an agreement on the modification of schedules of specific commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services to incorporate Annex 1 of the Declaration on the Conclusion of Negotiations on Services Domestic Regulation of 2 December 2021 - Adoption
• Josep Borrell: Kazakhstan is EU’s biggest trade partner in Central Asia
• WTO - DG Okonjo-Iweala to G20 leaders: “We need to strengthen trade cooperation, not weaken it”

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Judgment of the Court of 17 November 2022 in Joined Cases C-253/20 and C-254/20, Impexeco NV Vs. Novartis AG (C-253/20), and PI Pharma NV Vs. Novartis AG, Novartis Pharma NV (C-254/20)
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Articles 34 and 36 TFEU - Free movement of goods - Intellectual property - Trade marks - Regulation (EC) No 207/2009 - Article 9(2) - Article 13 - Directive 2008/95 - Article 5, (1) - Article 7 - Trade mark right - Exhaustion of the trade mark right - Parallel imports of medicinal products - Reference medicinal product and generic medicinal product - Economically linked undertakings - Repackaging of the generic medicinal product - New outer packaging - Affixing of the trade mark of the reference medicinal product - Opposition of the trade mark proprietor - Artificial partitioning of the markets between Member States
  
• Agenda for: Working Party on Technical Harmonisation (Motor Vehicles) - 21 November 2022
• The protection of confidentiality in the field of public procurement must be weighed against the requirements of transparency and effective judicial protection (See CPR No.186/2022, Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-54/21, ANTEA POLSKA and Others)
• Opinion by MEP Eva Maydell on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a framework of measures for strengthening Europe's semiconductor ecosystem (Chips Act)
• European Innovation Council Fund: first equity investments for a total of €190 million under Horizon Europe - IP/22/6953

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

• Judgment of the Court of 17 November 2022 in Case C-147/20, Novartis Pharma GmbH Vs. Abacus Medicine A/S
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Intellectual property - European Union trade mark - Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 - Article 9, (2) - Trade mark rights - Article 15 - Exhaustion of trade mark rights - Parallel imports of medicinal products - Repackaging of the product bearing the trade mark - New outer packaging - Opposition of the trade mark proprietor - Artificial partitioning of markets between Member States - Medicinal products for human use - Directive 2001/83/EC - Article 47a - Safety devices - Replacement - Equivalent devices - Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/161 - Article 3(2) - Anti-intrusion device - Unique identifier
• Judgment of the Court of 17 November 2022 in Case C-204/20, Bayer Intellectual Property GmbH Vs. kohlpharma GmbH
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Intellectual property - Trade marks - Directive (EU) 2015/2436 - Approximation of the laws of the Member States relating to trade marks - Article 10, (2) - Rights conferred by the trade mark - Article 15 - Exhaustion of the rights conferred by the trade mark - Parallel importation of medicinal products - Repackaging of the product bearing the trade mark - New outer packaging - Opposition of the trade mark proprietor - Artificial partitioning of the markets between Member States - Medicinal products for human use - Directive 2001/83/EC - Article 47a - Safety devices - Replacement - Equivalent devices - Delegated Regulation (EU) 2016/161 - Article 3(2) - Anti-intrusion device - Unique identifier
• Proposal for a Council Decision amending Decision (EU) 2019/1754 on the accession of the European Union to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Judgment of the Court of 17 November 2022 in Case C-562/20, SIA "Rodl & Partner" VS.. Valsts ieņēmumu dienests
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Prevention of the use of the financial system for the purpose of money laundering and terrorist financing - Directive (EU) 2015/849 - Article 18(1) and (3) - Annex III(3)(b) - Risk-based approach - Risk assessment carried out by reporting entities - Identification of risks by Member States and reporting entities - Customer due diligence measures - Enhanced due diligence measures - Third countries presenting a high risk of corruption - Article 13, Article 13(1)(c) and (d) - Evidence and documentation requirements for reporting entities - Article 14(5) - Continuous customer monitoring by reporting entities - Publication of decisions imposing a sanction

TAXATION

• Judgment of the Court of 17 November 2022 in Case C‑607/20, GE Aircraft Engine Services Ltd Vs. The Commissioners for His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Common system of VAT - Directive 2006/112/EC - Article 26(1)(b) - Supply of services free of charge - Award of retail vouchers free of charge to staff of the taxable person’s business as part of an employee recognition and reward scheme - Transactions treated as supplies of services for consideration - Scope - Principle of fiscal neutrality

 AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Agenda for: Working Party on Forestry - 5 December 2022
• Fertiliser Availability in the European Union, essential for food security - Proposed by Spain, supported by Bulgaria, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia.
• Agriculture: the EU protects 10 new geographical indications from Colombia, Peru and Ecuador - Midday Express

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

• European Pillar of Social Rights five years on: from principles to concrete action for a strong social Europe - IP/22/6895

ENERGY

• Action brought on 27 September 2022 by Eviny AS against the EFTA Surveillance Authority (Case E-10/22)
  Re: Annulment of Decision No 161/22/COL, of 6 July 2022, of the EFTA Surveillance Authority
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the extension of the joint-undertaking status of Hochtemperatur-Kernkraftwerk GmbH
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the extension of the advantages conferred on the joint undertaking Hochtemperatur-Kernkraftwerk GmbH
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - The Gas Directive – support for small and medium-sized enterprises
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - Amsterdam TTF virtual trading point possibly instrumental in the high price of gas

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Judgment of the Court of 17 November 2022 in Case C-238/21, Porr Bau GmbH Vs. Bezirkshauptmannschaft Graz-Umgebung
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Environment - Waste - Directive 2008/98/EC - Article 3(1) - Article 5(1) - Article 6(1) - Excavated material - Concepts of 'waste' and 'by-product' - Cessation of waste status
• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Biosafety) - 23 November 2022
• Remarks by EVP Timmermans at the Ministerial side event on the Team Europe Initiative on climate change adaptation and resilience in Africa
• Opening remarks by EVP Timmermans and Commissioner Simson at the signature of the MoU on an EU-Egypt strategic partnership on renewable and a Joint Statement on Egypt's Energy Wealth Initiative
• Fast fashion: common reasons garments are discarded - Issue 589: Can clothing be more sustainable? A new study identifies the top causes of garment failure and suggests possible solutions, informed by industry professionals.
• Bat-friendly cities: urban planning recommendations from new citizen science study - Issue 589: Cities can effectively support bat populations when urban planners and conservationists create the right ecological conditions, concludes a new study from Germany.
• Modelling a microplastic-free Black Sea: strategies to lower waste from feeder rivers - Issue 589: The semi-enclosed Black Sea is fed by multiple European and Asian rivers which carry microplastic pollution.
• Using blue-green infrastructure in cities increases regional habitat connectivity and benefits biodiversity - Issue 589: Global urbanisation is increasing and negatively impacting on the quality, connectivity and ecosystem functioning of natural spaces.

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Data on antimicrobial resistance (AMR): use of antibiotics in the EU decreases but more needs to be done - IP/22/6951
• ECDC - 35 000 annual deaths from antimicrobial resistance in the EU/EEA
  - Antimicrobial consumption in the EU/EEA (ESAC-Net) - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2021
  - Antimicrobial resistance in the EU/EEA (EARS-Net) - Annual epidemiological report for 2021
• ECDC - Assessing the health burden of infections with antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the EU/EEA, 2016-2020

DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET

• Judgment of the Court of 17 November 2022 in Case C-243/21, TOYA sp. z o.o., Polska Izba Informatyki i Telekomunikacji Vs. Prezes Urzędu Komunikacji Elektronicznej, intervening parties: Polska Izba Komunikacji Elektronicznej
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Telecommunications - Directive 2002/19/EC (Access Directive) - Article 8(3) - Directive 2014/61/EU - Article 1(3) and (4) and Article 3(5) - Power of the national regulatory authority to impose ex ante regulatory conditions relating to access to the physical infrastructure of a network operator without significant market power - No access dispute
• New funding calls under the Digital Europe Programme to boost cyber resilience - calls for proposals  - Midday Express

 AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) No 537/2014, Directive 2004/109/EC, Directive 2006/43/EC and Directive 2013/34/EU, as regards corporate sustainability reporting
• Experts on counter-terrorism meet at Eurojust
• Eurojust - Prosecutors discuss rising threat to citizens of increased use of cheap fake car parts

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• ECB joins European data and cloud network initiative

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Minutes of the Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) - 26 & 28 October 2022

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• G20 Bali Leaders’ Declaration
• Statement by the HR/VP on behalf of the EU on the explosion in Poland
• Main results - EU-Kyrgyzstan Cooperation Council - 15 November 2022

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• EU - Ukraine strategic partnership on raw materials: the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development will support digitalisation of geological data in Ukraine - Midday Express
• Ukraine: EU delivers further energy equipment and emergency aid - Midday Express