Europe Daily News, 29 November 2022

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10963 - BMWK / Sefe)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10944 - Mitsubishi / Here)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10913 - Sadco / HACP / JV)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10760 - Airbus / Safran / TAC / Aubert & Duval)
• Summary of Commission Decision of 11 July 2022 relating to a proceeding under Article 101 of the TFEU and Article 53 of the EEA Agreement (Case AT. 40305 - Network sharing - czech republic)
  - Final Report of the Hearing Officer
  - Opinion on restrictive practices and dominant positions
• Commission fines styrene purchasers € 157 million in cartel settlement (AT. 40547) - IP/22/7168
• Commission clears the acquisition of joint control of Bluevia by Telefónica, Predica and Vauban (M.10897) - Midday Express
• Commission clears the acquisition of joint control of Gridspertise by Enel and CVC (M.10943) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of De Jong Papier Holding and DJV by Stora Enso (M.10948) - Midday Express
• Answer given by Ms Vestager to a MEP written question - Motor Vehicle Block Exemption Regulation
• Belgium - The Competition Authority confirms inspections in the press distribution sector
• Ireland - CCPC issues assessment to East Cork Oil and Misty Lane in on going merger review
• Norway - Five operators in Norwegian book market fined 545 million NOK
• Poland - Dahua Technology Poland - suspicion of collusion with distributors and a fine for hindering the search
• Romania - The Competition Council has authorised the transaction whereby Med Life takes over the Medici's group
• Romania - The Competition Council approved, from the national security point of view, the transaction by which Tissue Solutions Limited takes over Fidelis Research AD and its Romanian branch Fidelis Research S.R.L..
• UK - The CMA has concluded its independent study into the music streaming market
• UK - CMA's Sarah Cardell: Ensuring digital market outcomes that benefit people, businesses and the wider UK economy

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Deputy Members) - 02 December 2022
• Agenda for: Meeting of the “Economic Tariff Questions Group” (Tariff suspensions for chemical; agricultural products & microelectronic products; Tariff quotas) on 15-16 December 2022
• Notice of initiation of an expiry review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of hand pallet trucks and their essential parts originating in the People’s Republic of China (CN codes ex 8427 90 00 and ex 8431 20 00)
• Notice concerning valid proofs of origin for products originating in Côte d’Ivoire on importation into the European Union as from 2 December 2022, under the EU - Côte d’Ivoire stepping-stone Economic Partnership Agreement
• Main results: Foreign Affairs Council (Trade) - 25 November 2022
• Protocol amending the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
• WTO - Goods barometer sinks below trend as global import demand weakens - see the Report
• Dutch chip toolmaker ASMI warns of escalating trade tensions - US and Netherlands officials to hold talks as Washington steps up push for allies to mirror export curb - Financial Times
• Lawyers and lobbyists get creative to avoid US-EU green trade war Premium - Brussels is invoking the rules-based trading system, but the US is moving towards a post-WTO world - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET INDUSTRY

• Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence and amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 - General Approach
• InvestEU: €90 million agreement signed for supporting Austrian SMEs in the areas of sustainability, innovation and digitalization - IP/22/7245
• Non-transposition of EU legislation: Commission takes action to ensure complete and timely transposition of EU directives - INF/22/7071
• Intellectual property: New rules will make industrial designs quicker, cheaper and more predictable - IP/22/7216

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Agenda for: Financial Services Attachés (Sustainable finance/EuGB) - 07 December 2022
• The Council adopted the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) which will strengthen the IT security of financial entities such as banks, insurance companies and investment firms.
• Minutes of the Meeting of the Expert Group on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing (36th EGMLTF) - 5 & 6 October 2022
• ESMA amends and consults on standards for benchmark administrator applications - See the Statement & Final Report

TAXATION

• Agenda for : Working Party on Tax Questions (Indirect Taxation) - 08 December 2022
• OECD to release Revenue Statistics 2022 and Consumption Tax Trends 2022 on Wednesday 30 November

EMPLOYMENT, EDUCATION & SOCIAL POLICY

• Main Results - Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council - 28-29 November 2022
• EPSCO Council (Employment and Social Affairs) - 08 December 2022
  - Europea CARE Strategy - Policy Debate 
  - Conferences organised by the Czech Presidency (in the policy fields covered by the Health part of the EPSCO Council) 
  - Implementation of the Recommendation on the integration of the long-term unemployed into the labour market: EMCO Key Messages - Endorsement of the EMCO key messages
• European skills: Launch of a large-scale partnership on skills in retail - Midday Express

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 11-12 December 2022
  - CAP Strategic Plans: Current situation and new challenges
  - Evaluation of the EU animal welfare legislation (Fitness check) - Information from the Presidency and Commission - Exchange of views
• Minutes of the Committee for the Common Organisation of the Agricultural Markets - 17 November 2022
• Spain and Croatia will receive substantial financial support under the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF) for 2021-2027
• Latest monthly agri-food trade report : highest trade balance in August 2022

ENERGY

• Agenda for : Working Party on Energy - 08 December 2022
• ACER finds progress in short-term electricity market integration but forward market liquidity remains modest
• Answer given by EVP Vestager to a MEP written question - Possible breach of EU law by Italian electricity suppliers
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - EU production of renewable fuels of non-biological origin and its global competitors
• Answer given by EVP Timmermans to a MEP written question - 2022 gas leaks from Nord Stream gas pipelines: multiple explosions and related natural gas leaks in the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines and actions to address the consequences of these incidents

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Minutes of 1st Meeting of the Mission Board of the Mission for Adaptation to Climate Change - 30 September 2022
• Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius to a MEP written question - Modica biogas plant in Contrada Bellamagna: no EIA, no impact studies, and below threshold declarations

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• The Council and European Parliament agree on the general product safety regulation
• SCHEER - Minutes of Working Groups on Cobalt in toys - 21 November 2022
• SCHEER - Minutes of Working Groups on Electromagnetic fields - EMF I - 17 November 2022 and EMF II - 24 November 2022
• SCHEER - Opinion open for comments on "Draft Environmental Quality Standards for Priority Substances under the Water Framework Directive" - HBCDD & Triclosan (deadline: 03/01/22)
• SCCS - Minutes of the Working Group meeting on Nanomaterials in Cosmetic Products of 16 November 2022
• SCCS - Minutes of the Working Group meeting on Methodologies of 17 November 2022

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Upcoming BEREC public debriefing on 14 December 2022

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Summary of the Opinion of the EDPS on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on horizontal cybersecurity requirements for products with digital elements and amending Regulation (EU) 2019/1020

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Minutes of European ITS Committee - (EIC) - 15 November 2022
• Drone Strategy 2.0: Creating a large-scale European drone market - IP/22/7076, QaA, the Communication & Working Document

EURO, ECB & ECONOMY

• Speech by Eurogroup President, Paschal Donohoe, at the European Movement Ireland and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung event “Europe’s Economy in Troubled Times”
• Speech by Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, at the Hearing of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament
• ECB - Monetary developments in the euro area, October 2022
• ECB Survey of Monetary Analysts (SMA), December 2022

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Agenda for: 45th ACP-EU Council of Ministers - 29 November 2022
• Main results - Foreign Affairs Council (Development) - 28 November 2022
• Minutes of/ Meeting of the EU Expert Group with Member States on Private Sector Development in Developing Countries - 18 November 2022
• Council Decision (EU) 2022/2332 of 28 November 2022 on identifying the violation of Union restrictive measures as an area of crime that meets the criteria specified in Article 83(1) of the TFEU
• 9 months after Summit: European Union and African Union Commissions take stock of the implementation of the February Summit commitments - IP/22/7247
• Answer given by HR/VP Borrell i Fontelles to a MEP written question - Change in EU policy towards Iran
• Answer given by HR/VP Borrell i Fontelles to a MEP written question - Sanctions against Turkey and Turkish entities
• Answer given by HR/VP Borrell i Fontelles to a MEP written question - Central Procurement Office for Ukraine
• Macron to use US visit to highlight Ukraine war’s economic toll on EU - French leader will tell Joe Biden that deeper collaboration is needed on issues such as countering China - Financial Times