Europe Daily News, 21 April 2023

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11097 - Rocky / Centerbridge / Indus Reit)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11087 - PAI Partners / Gegenbauer Group)
• Commission clears acquisition of MBCC Divestment Business by Cinven (M.11099) - Midday Express
• Case M.10615 - Booking Holdings / Etravelli Group - Deadline suspension under Article 11(3) ended on 18 April 2023 - Provisional deadline: 30 August 2023
• Austria - Federal Competition Authority confirms dawn raid in the distribution of refrigeration and freezing equipment
• Belgium - Proximus/edpnet case (post-Towercast): the Auditor General requests interim measures to ensure the continuity of edpnet's activities and its operational and commercial independence from Proximus - Press Release nr 16 - 2023
• Greece - EUR 628,450 fine on a children's toy company following a Dispute Settlement Procedure
• Hungary - The GVH’s report on the dairy market: the following factors are contributing to strong inflation - GVH contributes to reducing inflation by providing competition advocacy proposals and expert consultations.
• Italy - Meta to resume negotiations with Siae. Music content again available to users on Facebook and Instagram
• UK - Provisional findings from the UK CMA and update on the proposed acquisition of Oticon Medical
• Microsoft kickstarts settlement discussions with European cloud companies over antitrust complaints - CISPE accuses Microsoft of abusing its dominance in business software market
• Google to open up app payments after UK watchdog probe - Tech giant pledges to allow developers to use alternatives to its Google Play billing system in the UK - Financial Times

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections (SA.106672, SA.104022, SA.106390, SA.104639, SA.106250)
• Commission approves €401 million Czech scheme to promote green district heating (SA.104685) - IP/23/1214
• Commission approves amendment to 2022-2027 regional aid map for Lithuania (SA.106647) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Deputy Members) - 27 April 2023
• Agenda for: Customs Programme - CLEN Action 6 - Update and enrichment of ECICS - 06 June 2023
• Agenda for: 38th meeting of the Customs Expert Group - Data Integration & Harmonization - 05 May 2023
• Notice of the impending expiry of certain anti-dumping measures (Aluminium radiators - The People’s Republic of China - Anti-dumping duty - 16.1.2024)
• Report of the 9th Sub-Committee on Trade and Sustainable Development - Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/European Union Trade Agreement - 24 to 27 October 2022
• Report of the 9th Sub-Committee on Sanitary & Phytosanitary Measures - Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/European Union Trade Agreement - 24 to 27 October 2022
• Report of the 9th Sub-Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/European Union Trade Agreement -18 October 2022
• Report of the 9th Sub-Committee on Intellectual Property - Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/European Union Trade Agreement - 21 & 22 October 2022
• Report of the 9th Sub-Committee on Public Procurement - Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/European Union Trade Agreement - 19 October 2022
• Report of the 9th Sub-Committee on Market Access - Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/European Union Trade Agreement - 18 October 2022
• Report of the 9th Sub-Committee on Agriculture - Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/European Union Trade Agreement - 19 October 2022
• Report of the 9th Sub-Committee on Customs - Colombia/Ecuador/Peru/European Union Trade Agreement - 14 October 2022
• Report of the EU-Serbia Subcommittee on Trade, Industry, Customs & Taxation - 27 March 2023
• Mission Report following the INTA Committee delegation visit to Nairobi, Kenya, 31 October - 4 November 2022
• WTO - Committee on Anti-Dumping Practices - Semi-annual report under article 16.4 of the Agreement - 1 July - 31 December 2022 - European Union
• WTO - Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Non-road mobile machinery circulating on public roads
• Greenpeace exposes illegal pesticide residues in some Brazilian exports to EU - See the Report
• Opinion Piece - EU’s trade agenda weighs heavily on the European beef and sheep meat sectors - Copa-Cogeca
• GSP trilogue: EU rice producers urge negotiators to activate an automatic safeguard on imports as a “lifejacket - Copa-Cogeca
• European ‘honey laundering’ fightback targets Chinese sugar syrup - Beekeepers backed by 20 EU states call for tougher rules on fraudulent honey - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Competitiveness & Growth (Industry) - 24 April & 27 April 2023
• FAQs related to Regulation (EU) 2019/1009 on fertilising products (the ‘Fertilising Products Regulation’)

CHEMICAL

• Judgment of the Court of 20 April 2023 in Case C‑144/21, European Parliament, Vs. European Commission, supported by: European Chemicals Agency (ECHA)
  Re: Action for annulment - Implementing Decision C(2020) 8797 - Authorisation of certain uses of chromium trioxide - Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 - Registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals - Article 60 - Granting of authorisations - Obligation to demonstrate that socio-economic benefits outweigh the risk to human health or the environment arising from the use of the substance and that there are no suitable alternative substances or technologies - Article 62 - Applications for authorisation - Article 64 - Procedure for authorisation decisions

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• EBA consults on the draft Guidelines on the STS criteria for on-balance-sheet securitisations

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Commission updates marketing standards of agri-food products to better address consumer needs and sustainability - IP/23/2366
  - Impact assessment report on the revision of EU marketing standards for agricultural products to ensure the uptake and supply of sustainable products
  - Proposal of a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending the so-called “Breakfast Directives” as regards honey, fruit juices, fruit jams and evaporated milk
  - Report from the European Commission to the European Parliament and to the Council on future marketing standards for cider and perry and for pulses
  - Have Your Say platform: proposals for eggs and poultry & on proposals for fruit and vegetables
  

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Committee on Ecodesign and Energy Labelling of Energy - related Products - 25 April 2023
• Statement by President von der Leyen at the Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate
• Albanian Energy Regulatory Authority ERE and Secretariat exchange views on further development of power market in Albania
• Italy hopes for EU concession on biofuels - G7 statement raises hopes for exception to emissions legislation - Financial Times

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Climate Change Committee - 28 April 2023
• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Biodiversity) - 26 April 2023
• Agenda for: Meeting of the EP ENVI Committee - 25 April 2023 and 26 & 27 April 2023
• Answer given by Mr Sinkevicius to a MEP written question - Treatment of portable and light means of transport batteries in the new regulation on batteries
• Enough public charging for higher EU truck CO2 targets, analysis finds - See T&E Statement
• Ambitious EU green policy reforms approved despite backlash - MEPs back extension of emissions trading scheme despite threats of public opposition to rising energy costs - Financial Times

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices - 27 April 2023
• Working Document by MEP Clara Aguilera on a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on the sustainable use of plant protection products and amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2115
• Answer given by Ms Kyriakides to a MEP written question - Amoxicillin shortage and relocation of medicine production to Europe

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Draft Report by MEP Sabine Verheyen and Draft Opinion by MEP Ramona Strugariu on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common framework for media services in the internal market (European Media Freedom Act) and amending Directive 2010/13/EU - Deadline for tabling amendments: 05 May 2023

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Opinion of Advocate General Campos Sanchez-Bordona of 20 April 2023 in Case C‑548/21, CG Vs. Bezirkshauptmannschaft Landeck
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Telecommunications - Protection of personal data - Directive (EU) 2016/680 - Criminal proceedings - Attempt by public authorities to gain access to the data recorded on a mobile telephone without authorisation by a court or independent administrative authority
• Agenda for: Att. Horizontal Working Party on Cyber issues - 21 April 2023
• ‘Going Dark’, the Swedish presidency of the Council proposes to create a High-Level Expert Group on data retention: Will the next assault on privacy take place behind closed doors? - StateWatch Opinion

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Agenda for: 30th meeting of the CEF Coordination Committee - Transport Sector - 10 May 2023
• Commission Regulation (EU) 2023/838 of 23 March 2023 amending Regulation (EC) No 748/2009 as regards the update of the list of aircraft operators performing an aviation activity listed in Annex I to Directive 2003/87/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Draft Opinion by MEP Vlad Gheorghe on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on the Definition of criminal offences and penalties for the violation of Union restrictive measures - Deadline for tabling amendments : 11-05-2023

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• NextGenerationEU: France submits a request to amend the recovery and resilience plan and adds a REPowerEU chapter - Midday Express
• Letter from the ECB President to Mr Jonás Fernández Álvarez, MEP, on monetary policy
• Letter from the ECB President to Mr Marco Zanni, Mr Valentino Grant and Mr Antonio Maria Rinaldi, MEPs, on monetary policy
• Letter from the ECB President to Ms Henrike Hahn, Mr Ernest Urtasun and Mr Rasmus Andresen, MEPs, on economic developments in the euro area
• Letter from the ECB President to Ms Clara Ponsati Obiols, Mr Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó and Mr Antoni Comin i Oliveres, MEPs, on a credit instutition
• Welcoming Croatia to the family: what’s changed at the ECB?
• ECB - Euro area monthly balance of payments: February 2023
• Medium-term growth-at-risk in the euro area - ECB Working Paper Series - No.2808
• Speech by ECB’s Philip R. Lane: "Monetary policy tightening and the financing of firms"
• The climate change challenge and fiscal instruments and policies in the EU - ECB Occasional Paper Series - No.315

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Judgment of the Court of 20 April 2023 in Case C-413/21 P, Council of the European Union, supported by: French Republic, intervener iAisha Muammer Mohamed El-Qaddafi,
  Re: Appeal - CFSP - Restrictive measures taken in view of the situation in Libya - List of persons and entities subject to the freezing of funds and economic resources - List of persons subject to restrictions on entry into and transit through the territory of the European Union - Retention of Ms El-Qaddafi’s name on the lists - Sufficiently solid factual basis - Obligation to state reasons
• Sudan: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the latest developments
• Commissioner Schmit in Japan to attend meeting of G7 Labour and Employment Ministers - Midday Express

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Ukraine joins the EU Civil Protection Mechanism - IP/23/2360
• Answer given by HR/VP Borrell to a MEP written question - The Kimberley Process and Russian diamonds

BREXIT

• Speech by President Charles Michel at the Good Friday Agreement 25th anniversary conference