Europe Daily News, 06 April 2023

COMPETITION

• Vivendi offers fresh remedies in bid to secure EU okay for Lagardere buy (M.10433)
• UBS gets temporary EU green light for Credit Suisse deal, pending review
• Greece - HCC carried out unannounced inspections at the premises of a company active in the collection, processing and sale of currant
• Portugal - AdC opens in-depth investigation into acquisition of Nowo by Vodafone
• Portugal - Joint statement by the ECN on the European Commission’s review of the Market Definition Notice
• Romania - The Competition Council assesses the takeover of several companies by Zarea 
• UK - CMA published its Revised administrative timetable in the Microsoft / Activision Blizzard merger inquiry
• UK - CMA is seeking comments on the Amazon.com’s plan to buy iRobot, the maker of the Roomba vacuum cleaner
• UK - CMA published the full decision of the merger between Capital & Counties Properties LPC and Shaftesbury LPC
• UK - CMA is investigating 17 completed acquisitions by Medivet Group Limited (Medivet) of independent veterinary businesses
• UK - CMA launched its merger inquiry in the anticipated acquisition by ÉdF SA of the nuclear steam power business owned by the GE Company.
• UK - Decisions on relevant merger situation and substantial lessening of competition in the Completed acquisitions by Independent Vetcare Limited (IVC) of multiple independent veterinary businesses
• Microsoft and Amazon face UK probe on cloud computing - Communications watchdog Ofcom ‘particularly concerned’ over practices of tech giants that dominate cloud market - Financial Times

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: 243rd meeting of the Customs Code Committee - Tariff & Statistical Nomenclature Section (Sub-Section Mechanical/Miscellaneous/Textile) - 24 to 26 April 2023
• Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Trade Committee established under the Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Socialist Republic of Viet Nam, as regards the amendment of Protocol 1 concerning the definition of the concept of “originating products” and methods of administrative cooperation - Adoption
• Commission Expert Group on Trade and Sustainable Development - Presentations on Trade and Environment & on Trade and Labour - 31 March 2023
• Negotiations on an Investment Protection Agreement between the European Union and India
  - Report of the Fourth Round - 20-24 March 2023
  - Report of the Third Round - 5-8 December 2022
• The EP INTA Committee will hold a public hearing on "Reinforcing EU-Latin America Trade Relations"
• EU seeks to conclude Australian free-trade deal the summer 
• UK to introduce new customs rules on EU goods from November
• WTO - The Philippines launches safeguard investigation on liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) cylinders
• The Ukraine war will define EU-China relations - Xi Jinping’s support for Moscow brings home what it means for Beijing to be a systemic rival - Financial Times
• WTO warns surge in borrowing costs set to hit exports - Volumes expected to grow at just 1.7% as director-general warns food insecurity remains a threat - Financial Times
• Trump’s tariff time bomb threatens to blow up transatlantic trade - EU negotiators fear they’ll never get a deal on averting steel tariffs with the US before an October deadline expires - Politico.eu

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• EU stock trading plans risk hurting small investors, warns Euronext CEO - Stéphane Boujnah says plans for live database of prices across EU may mean some investors are ‘victim of arbitrage’ - Financial Times

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Working Party on Tax Questions (High Level) - 25 April 2023
• Efama statement on the European Commission's ViDA Proposal (VAT in the Digital Age)

ENERGY

• Priority list for the development of gas network codes and guidelines for 2023 (and beyond) - End of the consultation - 19 April 2023
• ACER calls for key improvements in ENTSO-E’s draft electricity 10-year network development plan (TYNDP) for more efficient network planning
• Advancing district heating & cooling solutions and uptake in European cities - Overview of support activities and projects of the European Commission on district heating & cooling
• US pledges to keep pumping natural gas to Europe - Liquefied natural gas from the US helped the EU survive last winter, and more is promised for this year - Politico.eu

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: 4th Zero Pollution Stakeholder Platform meeting - 20 April 2023
• Fluorinated gases and ozone depleting substances: member states ready to negotiate with Parliament
  - Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on substances that deplete the ozone layer and repealing Regulation (EC) No 1005/2009 - Mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament
  - Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on fluorinated greenhouse gases, amending Directive (EU) 2019/1937 and repealing Regulation (EU) No 517/2014 - Mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament
• Draft report by MEP Milan Brglez on the Proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2000/60/EC establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy, Directive 2006/118/EC on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration and Directive 2008/105/EC on environmental quality standards in the field of water policy - Amendments 321 - 341
  
• Minutes of the Meeting of the Ecolabel Regulatory Committee - 31 March 2023
• Answer given by Mr Schmit to a MEP written question - Fast fashion is becoming an environmental problem
• The future of eco-design: necessary conditions for the success of the DPP - DigitalEurope Policy Paper

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Commission Decision of XXX amending and correcting Decision (EU) 2021/1870 establishing EU Ecolabel criteria for cosmetic products and animal care products - See the Annex
• Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on general product safety, amending Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012 of the European Parliament and of the Council, and repealing Council Directive 87/357/EEC and Directive 2001/95/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council - Outcome of the EP’s first reading (Brussels, 29 to 30 March 2023)
• SCCS - Preliminary Opinion open for comments on Silver Zinc Zeolite - Deadline for comments: 5 June 2023
• ECDC - Autumn vaccination campaigns focused on older age groups and other high-risk populations are key to decrease impact of COVID-19
• ECDC - Communicable disease threats report, 2-8 April 2023, Week 14
• ECDC - Interim public health considerations for COVID-19 vaccination roll-out during 2023
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety assessment of the process Steinbeis PolyVert, based on the Vacunite (EREMA Basic and Polymetrix SSP V‐LeaN) technology, used to recycle post‐consumer PET into food contact materials
• EFSA - Scientific Opinion - Safety assessment of the process Aristea, based on the Bandera PURe 15 technology, used to recycle post‐consumer PET into food contact materials 

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Data Protection - 19 April 2023
• The Netherlands - ACM: European Data Act to make it easier to switch cloud services

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Minutes of: Meeting of the Group of Experts on the Smart Tachograph - 09 November 2022
• First RLCF workshop: recent developments and projects to boost production and supply of renewable and low-carbon fuels
• Continuously open call for applications for the selection of member organisations of the Stakeholders Advisory Group on Maritime Security
  

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Opinion by MEP Vlad Gheorghe on the Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on Asset recovery and confiscation
  
• NGOs submit complaint about risk of MEP's conflicts of interest - See the Letter
• Online market selling stolen account credentials to criminals worldwide taken down in multi-country effort dubbed Operation Cookie Monster - Eurojust 

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Answer given by HR/VP Borrell to a MEP written question - Designation of the IRGC as a terrorist organisation within the parameters of Common Position 2001/931/CFSP
• Statement by President von der Leyen ahead of the meeting with Chinese Premier of the State Council Li Qiang

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Multi-agency Donor Coordination Platform ramps up efforts to help Ukraine address priority recovery needs in 2023 - IP/23/2102
• EU plan to buy Ukraine shells hits legal snag over who gets the money - Countries have already agreed to jointly buy Kyiv piles of ammunition, but ambassadors can’t agree on whether the contracts will stay within the bloc - Politico.eu