Europe Daily News, 15 February 2023

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10924 - Proximus / Ethias / JV)
  
• Commission clears acquisition of Bip & Drive by Cintra, Abertis and Itinere (M.10561) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of RCS business by DaVita and Medtronic (M.10825) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of joint control of KTS by Omron and Kirin (M.11034)  - Midday Express
• Commission to assess proposed acquisition of Figma by Adobe - Midday Express
• France - Outdoor accommodation industry: The Autorité clears the acquisition of the Vacanceselect Group by the ECG Group, subject to conditions
• Germany - The Bundeskartellamt has imposed fines totalling almost one million euros on the four Dortmund construction companies for collusion in tenders for road construction work.
• Poland - UOKiK President Tomasz Chróstny has charged seven entrepreneurs with conspiracy to tender

STATE AID

• Communication from the Commission - Guidelines on State aid for climate, environmental protection and energy 2022 Acceptance by all Member States of the Commission's proposal of the appropriate measures pursuant to Article 108(1) of the TFEU
• Commission notice on current State aid recovery interest rates and reference/discount rates applicable as from 1 March 2023
• Commission approves €259 million Romanian scheme under Recovery and Resilience Facility to support investments in batteries, photovoltaic cells and panels (SA.102924) - IP/23/902
• Commission approves €170 million Danish scheme to support renewable hydrogen production (SA.103648) - IP/23/323
• Commission approves €99.15 million Slovenian scheme to compensate energy-intensive companies for indirect emission costs (SA.63525) - Midday Express
• Commission approves a €32 million Walloon aid scheme to support the health and social assistance sectors in the context of the war in Ukraine (SA.105315) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question - Investment in EU by Chinese state-owned companies

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness & Growth (Industry) - 20 February 2023
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question - European response to the US ‘Inflation Reduction Act’ 
• Statement by Commissioner Várhelyi
• February infringements package: key decisions
• Free movement of services: Commission takes action to ensure a well-functioning Single Market for services - IP/23/769
• The European Commission decides to refer 11 Member States to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to fully transpose EU copyright rules into national law - IP/23/704

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/313 of 15 December 2022 amending the implementing technical standards laid down in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/2070 as regards benchmark portfolios, reporting templates and reporting instructions for the reporting referred to in Article 78(2) of Directive 2013/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council
• EBA publishes final draft technical standards defining the homogeneity of the underlying exposures in STS securitization
• EBA updates some important Q&As in the area of own funds and eligible liabilities

ENERGY

• The Court confirms the enhanced powers of the EU Agency for the Cooperation of Energy Regulators (ACER) to take individual decisions on cross-border issues (See CPR Nº 26/2023 - Judgments of the General Court in Cases T-606/20, T-607/20 Austrian Power Grid and Others Vs. ACER)
• Agenda for: Ecodesign and Energy Labelling Consultation Forum - 16 February 2023 & 28 February 2023
• The European Commission decides to refer Croatia, Hungary and Portugal to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to enact EU rules promoting more renewable energy in Europe - IP/23/504
• Report from the Commission - Promotion of e-mobility through buildings policy
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - Modernisation of the Energy Charter Treaty

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on Environment - 20 February 2023
• Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning batteries and waste batteries, repealing Directive 2006/66/EC and amending Regulation (EU) No 2019/1020 - 4-column document which served as a basis for the first trilogue on 20 April 2022
• European Green Deal: Commission proposes 2030 zero-emissions target for new city buses and 90% emissions reductions for new trucks by 2040 - IP/23/762, QaA, FactSheet & Remarks by EVP Timmermans
  - See the Proposal, its Annexes & Impact assessment
• The European Commission decides to refer Belgium to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to protect its population and ecosystems from nitrate pollution - IP/23/503
• The European Commission decides to refer Croatia back to the Court of Justice of the European Union for continued pollution problems caused by an illegal landfill - IP/23/502
• The European Commission decides to refer Slovenia back to the Court of Justice of the European Union for continued pollution problems caused by an illegal landfill - IP/23/501
• Sustainable smartphones? - Modular design promotes do-it-yourself repair to extend device life - Issue 595
• Are waste-water treatment plants failing to protect the ecological health of European streams? - Issue 595
• Circular building design: assessment of two versions of the same residential building highlights benefits of adaptable buildings - Issue 595

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• SCCS - Request for a scientific opinion on Hexyl Salicylate (hexyl 2-hydroxybenzoate; CAS/EC No. 6259-76-3/228-408-6) used in cosmetic products
• MDCG 2023-3 - Q&A on vigilance terms and concepts as outlined in the Regulation (EU) 2017/745 on medical devices - February 2023
• Flash report - PHEG sub-group on mental health - 14 February 2023
  
• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Track and trace system under the Tobacco Products Directive
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Development of Adverse Outcome Pathways relevant for the identification of substances having endocrine disruption properties Uterine adenocarcinoma as adverse outcome
• EFSA - External Scientific Report - Development of Adverse Outcome Pathways relevant for the identification of substances having endocrine disruptors properties
• EFSA - External Scientific Report - Surveillance plan proposal for early detection of zoonotic pathogens in pigs and poultry
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Flavouring Group Evaluation 21 Revision 6 (FGE.21Rev6): thiazoles, thiophenes, thiazoline and thienyl derivatives from chemical groups 29 and 30
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Flavouring Group Evaluation 76 Revision 2 (FGE.76Rev2): Consideration of sulfur‐containing heterocyclic compounds, evaluated by JECFA, structurally related to thiazoles, thiophenes, thiazoline and thienyl derivatives from chemical group 29 and miscellaneous substances from chemical group 30 evaluated by EFSA in FGE.21Rev5
• EFSA - Statement - Pesticide active substances that do not require a review of the existing maximum residue levels under Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 396/2005

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Commission welcomes the European Parliament's adoption of IRIS², the new European infrastructure for resilience and secure satellite interconnection - Midday Express
• Commission launches European Regulatory Sandbox for Blockchain - FaQ
• 22% of EU enterprises had ICT security incidents - Eurostat

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• The European Commission decides to refer Greece to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failure to comply with rules on railway transport - IP/23/593
• Minutes of the 36th Land Transport Security Meeting - 02 February 2023

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• The European Commission decides to refer Belgium, Bulgaria, Latvia and the Netherlands to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to enact EU rules on open data and public sector data re-use - IP/23/706
• Facebook inches closer to European blackout - Politico.eu 

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• The European Commission decides to refer Hungary to the Court of Justice of the European Union for voting against the Union position - IP/23/742
• The European Commission decides to refer Poland to the Court of Justice of the European Union for violations of EU law by its Constitutional Tribunal - IP/23/842
• The European Commission decides to refer 8 Member States to the Court of Justice of the European Union over the protection of whistleblowers - IP/23/703
• The European Commission decides to refer Luxembourg to the Court of Justice of the European Union for failing to transpose EU rules about firearms - IP/23/741

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• European Commission completes its second syndicated transaction in 2023 by raising €7 billion - IP/23/826
• InvestEU: EIF and Danish banks Merkur Andelskasse join forces to mobilise up to €21.5 million in new lending for SMEs to foster sustainability - IP/23/901
• Remarks by EVP Valdis Dombrovskis at the ECOFIN press conference
• Recovery fund: Council adopted update to Germany’s national plan

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Possible items for College agendas: 22 February - 28 June 2023
  

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• The General Court confirms the restrictive measures adopted against a State-owned enterprise managing the airspace in Belarus (See CPR Nº 27/2023 - Judgment of the General Court in Case T-536/21, Belaeronavigatsia Vs. Council)
• EU court upholds sanctions against Belarus’ airspace regulator over Ryanair plane diversion - 2021 hijacking sparked outrage around the world.- Politico.eu
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/329 of 10 February 2023 amending for the 334th time Council Regulation (EC) No 881/2002 imposing certain specific restrictive measures directed against certain persons and entities associated with the ISIL (Da’esh) and Al-Qaida organisations
• Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/338 of 14 February 2023 amending certain Council decisions and common positions concerning restrictive measures in order to insert provisions on a humanitarian exemption
• Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/339 of 14 February 2023 amending Decision 2011/101/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Zimbabwe - See the Notice
• Central America and Mexico: EU reaffirms support with €11 million in humanitarian aid - IP/23/827 & FactSheet
• Answer given by Ms Urpilainen to a MEP written question - Request for clarification of the financing agreements with the following countries: Guyana, Mongolia, Republic of Congo, Uganda and Zambia
• Answer given by HR/VP Borrell to a MEP written question - Call for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to be entered on the list of international terrorist organisations

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• A further step towards a long-term ‘Roam like at home' agreement with Ukraine - IP/23/771, see the Commission proposal
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the EP Plenary on one year of Russia's invasion and war of aggression against Ukraine
• Statement by President von der Leyen on the 10th package of sanctions against Russia
• Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Association Council established by the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part, as regards the amendment of Annex XLIV to that Agreement
• Draft Decision of the EU-Ukraine Association Council as regards the amendment of Annex XLIV to the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other part
• Russian banks and invasion leaders in focus as EU debates new sanctions - Euractiv.com