COMPETITION

  • Judgment of the General Court of 25 January 2023 in Case T‑640/16 RENV, GEA Group AG, Vs. European Commission
    Re: Competition - Agreements, decisions and concerted practices - European markets for tin-based heat stabilisers and for heat stabilisers with epoxidised soybean oil and esters as their base - Application of the ceiling of 10% of turnover to one of the entities forming the undertaking - Annulment of the decision amending the fine imposed in the initial infringement decision - Admissibility - Interest in bringing proceedings - Fines - Limitation period - Concept of an ‘undertaking’ - Joint and several liability for payment of the fine - Rights of the defence - Right to a hearing - Equal treatment - Date by which the fine is payable in the event of amendment - Statement of reasons
  • Answer given by EVP Vestager to a MEP written question - Compliance of SIFIDE II with EU competition law
  • Germany - Bundeskartellamt issued its Statement of objections against associations of medical aids providers
  • Germany - Bundeskartellamt - Merger Control: 2nd phase proceedings as of 24 January 2023
  • UK - The CMA has launched its merger inquiry in the anticipated acquisition by Broadcom Inc. of VMware, Inc.
  • UK - Open consultation - Draft guidance on Horizontal Agreements
  • UK - A speech by Sarah Cardell, CEO of the CMA, to the Scottish Competition Forum "Sustainability - Exploring the possible" 

STATE AID

  • Judgment of the General Court of 25 January 2023 in Case T-666/21, Società Navigazione Siciliana SCpA Vs. European Commission
    Re: State aid - Maritime transport - Partial exemption from registration duties due on the transfer of business between undertakings - Decision declaring the aid unlawful and incompatible with the internal market and ordering its recovery - Advantage - Beneficiary of the aid - Service of general economic interest - Obligation to state reasons - Non-contractual liability - Excessive length of the procedure

TRADE & CUSTOMS

  • Minutes of the 3rd meeting Customs Programme Committee -  09 January 2023
  • Non-paper on the customs formalities related to the return of goods in the context of e-commerce - 07 December 2022
  • Report on the 5th meeting of the EU - Kazakhstan Cooperation Committee in Trade Configuration (CCTC) - March 2022
  • Minutes of the 2nd EU-UK Trade Specialised Committee on Customs Cooperation and Rules of Origin under the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement - 17 October 2022
  • Minutes of the 2nd EU-UK Trade Specialised Committee on Goods - 5th October 2022
  • Public consultation - Guidelines for data collection and preparation of the EU annual report on dual-use export controls under Regulation (EU) 821/2021 - Feedback period: 24 January 2023 - 28 February 2023
  • Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski to a MEP written question - Rising food prices and the potential of EU trade with neighbouring countries
  • WTO - The 5th review of the trade policies and practices of the Dominican Republic takes place on 24 and 26 January 2023

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

  • Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth (Internal Market) - 30 January 2023
  • Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness and Growth (Internal Market) - 31 January 2023
  • Agenda for: Working Party on Technical Harmonisation (Motor Vehicles) - 01 February 2023
  • Draft Council conclusions on “Fair and Sustainable use of Space”
  • Speech by EVP Margrethe Vestager at the Cleantech for Europe Summit - Europe’s Green Industrial Future
  • Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - Availability of raw materials and geopolitical aspects of the Green Deal
  • The Council must grant access to documents drawn up within its working groups relating to the legislative procedure concerning the amendment of the directive on the annual financial statements (See CPR Nº 15/2023 - Judgment of the General Court in Case T-163/21, De Capitani Vs. Council)

FINANCIAL SERVICES

  • European Commission raises €5 billion to fund Europe's priorities in its first syndicated transaction of the year - IP/23/327
  • ESMA and the UK FCA agree MOU on the recognition of UK benchmark administrators in the EU

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

  • Council of the European Union - "Agriculture & Fisheries" on 30 January 2023.
    - Agriculture Ministers’ Conference 2023 in the context of the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture (Berlin, 21 January 2023) - Information from the German delegation -
    - Labelling of honey blends and the revision of the Council Directive on honey (2001/110/EC) - Information from the Slovenian delegation, supported by the Austrian, Belgian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Cyprus, Estonian, French, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak and Spanish delegations  
    - Ensuring the EU’s resilience and global competitiveness: the need for urgent support and a strategic approach to the agri-food sector - Information from the Greek delegation on behalf of the Austrian, Belgian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Cypriot, Czech, Greek, Hungarian, Latvian, Maltese, Polish, Romanian and Slovenian delegations
  • The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) launches its fully unified marine data service - More Information

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

  • Commission sets out concrete actions for greater involvement of social partners at national and EU level - IP/23/290 & QaA
  • ETUC Resolution calling for an EU Directive on Algorithmic Systems at Work

ENERGY

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

  • Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Global) - 01 February 2023
  • Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context: Eleventh Meeting of the Working Group on Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment (WG 11 on EIA and SEA) (Geneva, 19-21 December 2022) - Statements by the EU and its Member States
  • Public consultation - Environmental impact of imaging equipment, including consumables - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 23 January 2023 - 20 February 2023
  • Field to fork: global food miles generate nearly 20% of all CO2 emissions from food - Issue 594: DG ENVI - 25 January 2023
  • Will more frequent river floods cause widespread malfunction of European road networks? - Issue 594: DG ENVI - 25 January 2023
  • Restored floodplains could remove 38 000 tons of nitrate pollution in the Danube river basin - Issue 594: DG ENVI - 25 January 2023 
  • Answer given by Mr Sinkevičius to a MEP written question - Italian plastics cycle: clarification from Commission on intended action to protect the sector

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

  • Answer given by Ms Vălean to a MEP written question - China has its sights on European infrastructure: the case of the port of Hamburg
  • EU lines up 70 projects to rival China’s Belt and Road infrastructure spending - Taking on China’s Belt and Road initiative, EU prioritizes 70 international infrastructure projects - Politico.eu

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

  • EDPB publishes Binding Decision concerning WhatsApp

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

  • The European Commission has decided today to appoint Mikko Huttunen as Principal Legal Adviser in the Trade Team in the Legal Service - Midday Express
  • Commissioners Reynders and Johansson at the informal Justice & Home Affairs Ministers meeting on 26 and 27 January - Midday Express

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

  • Public consultation - Proposal for a decision of EP and Council providing an increase to MFA Moldova - Proposal for a decision - Feedback period: 25 January 2023 - 22 March 2023
  • A single monetary policy for heterogeneous labour markets: the case of the euro area - ECB Working Paper Series No.2769
  • DSGE model forecasting: rational expectations vs. adaptive learning - ECB Working Paper Series No.2768
  • Netherlands opposes new EU money to counter US green subsidies - Premier Mark Rutte says bloc still has ample funding to help with transition - Financial Times

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