Europe Daily News, 19 May 2025

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11828 - BNPP / Axa IM)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11817 - Metinvest / IB / JV)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11975 - Latour Capital / Lynxeo)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11380 - Inpex / KHI / Iwatani / JS)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11908 - Jera Nex / BP Gamma / JV)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11997 - Madison Dearborn Partners  / Thoma Bravo / Nextgen Healthcare)
• France - First edition of the Three-party Chats on Mergers, a new format of seminars on merger control
• Ireland - CCPC opens full investigation into Equinix’s proposed acquisition of BT Datacentres Ireland
• Romania - The Competition Council approved the takeover of Wine Point S.R.L. by Finestore Distribution S.R.L. and Match Point S.R.L.
• UK - CMA: Anti-competitive conduct in relation to vehicle recycling and advertising of recycling-related features - see the Infringement decision
• UK - Speech by Juliette Enser, Executive Director for Competition Enforcement, delivered at CompLaw: Advanced EU, London

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.115811
• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Înalta Curte de Casație și Justiție (Romania) of 04 February 2025 – Canal Sea Services SRL, Maritime Pilot SRL, Asociația Piloților Maritimi din România ‘Euxin Pilot’, Black Sea Pilots SRL, Asociația Piloților Maritimi ‘Trident’, Black Waters SA, Asociația Piloților Maritimi Independenți ‘Tomis’, RJ, NC, FR Vs. Ministerul Transporturilor, Infrastructurii și Comunicațiilor, Compania Națională ‘Administrația Porturilor Maritime’ SA (Case C-117/25)
  Re: interpretation of Article 107(1) [TFEU] and of Regulation [(EU) 2017/352, port services and common rules on the financial transparency of ports; State aid incompatible
• Commission approves Finnish measures for Tesi group's consolidation and capital injection (SA.113383) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Rechtbank van eerste aanleg te Antwerpen (Belgium) of 6 February 2025 - Administratie Douane & Accijnzen - Regio Antwerpen, Openbaar Ministerie Vs. NV Jas Forwarding Worldwide (Belgium) and Others (Case C-157/25, Jas Forwarding Worldwide (Belgium))
  Re: Regulation (EU) 2016/184; Regulation (EU) 2016/18; Regulation (EU) 2017/366; Regulation (EU) 2017/367; crystalline silicon photovoltaic modules and key components; definitive anti-dumping and countervailing duty;
• Action brought on 1 April 2025 - LB Group and Others Vs. Commission (Case T-220/25)
  Re: annulment of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/4; definitive anti-dumping duty; imports of titanium dioxide originating in the People’s Republic of China
• Action brought on 31 March 2025 - Terex (Changzhou) Machinery and Terex Global v Commission (Case T-219/25)
  Re: annulment of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/45; definitive anti-dumping duty; imports of mobile access equipment originating in the People’s Republic of China
• Action brought on 31 March 2025 - Oshkosh JLG (Tianjin) Equipment Technology and JLG Emea Vs. Commission (Case T-218/25)
  Re: annulment of Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/45; definitive anti-dumping duty; imports of mobile access equipment originating in the People’s Republic of China
• Agenda for: Working Party on Trade Questions - 26 May 2025
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Trade Policy Committee (Deputies) - 22 May 2025
• Minutes of the meeting of the Member State Expert Group on "responsible sourcing of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG)" - 12 May 2025
• Council Decision (EU) 2025/942 of 12 May 2025 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Trade Specialised Committee on Administrative Cooperation in VAT and Recovery of Taxes and Duties established by the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - US tariffs on pharmaceuticals
• Answer given by Mr Hansen to a MEP written question - Trade war with the US – protecting EU wine exports
• WTO - Committee on Market Access marks 30th anniversary amid trade tensions
• WTO - Proposed agenda for the General Council - 20 & 21 May 2025
• Bessent warns of maximum tariffs as US takes tougher line on trade talks - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• More than 6.1 million workers trained under the Pact for Skills
• EU agrees to launch €150bn loans-for-arms scheme - Financial Times

CHEMICAL

• Summary of European Commission Decisions on authorisations for the placing on the market for the use and/or for use of substances listed in Annex XIV to Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the REACH: (C(2025) 2665; C(2025) 2702; C(2025) 2685; C(2025) 2706; C(2025) 2734: chromium trioxide) 

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Working Party on Tax Questions (Direct Taxation) - 27 May 2025
• New approach to VAT for e-commerce imports to simplify trade and compliance
• DG TAXUD publishes study on taxes on food high in fat, sugar and salt in the European Union

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Council approves its negotiating mandate on a regulation concerning updated rules aimed at improving the position of farmers in the food supply chain
• Council approves further assistance to outermost regions affected by natural disasters and by the devastating consequences they have for agriculture

ENERGY

• Answer given by Mr Jørgensen to a MEP written question - Promoting cheaper energy to reduce inflation
• Answer given by Mr Jørgensen to a MEP written question - Supporting the EastMed pipeline to reduce energy dependence on non-EU countries
• ENTSOG publishes recommendations to TSOs on technical cooperation with DSOs - See the Recommendations
• ACER monitoring shows most infrastructure projects on time, yet commissioning timelines are ambitious
• ACER’s latest REMIT Quarterly is out
• Hungary and Slovakia can do without Russian fossil fuel imports, according to CSD and CREA Study

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Action brought on 7 March 2025 - Cosmetics Europe Vs. Parliament and Council - Case T-169/25
  Re: annulment of Articles 9, 10 and Annex III, and to the extent necessary, Article 30.1, second indent, (c) of Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 November 2024 concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast) (1) insofar as it introduces an extended producer responsibility scheme for cosmetic products
• Public consultation - Land use, land use change and forestry – flexibility mechanism for impacts of natural disturbances (new process) - Implementing regulation - Feedback period: 16 May 2025 - 13 June 2025
• Commissioner Hoekstra in Wrocław for the EU Climate Adaptation Forum - Midday Express

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Public consultation - Medical devices – establishment of an expert panel on orphan and paediatric devices - Implementing decision - Feedback period: 19 May 2025 - 16 June 2025
• EMA recommendation to update the antigenic composition of authorised COVID-19 vaccines for 2025-2026
• EMA -Meeting highlights from the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products (CVMP) 13-15 May 2025
• EMA -ETF recommends updating COVID-19 vaccines to target new LP.8.1 variant
• EFSA - Epidemiological analysis of African swine fever in the EU during 2024
• ECDC - Communicable disease threats report, 10-16 May 2025, week 20

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Answer given by EVP Virkkunen to a MEP written question - Competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence
• Answer given by EVP Virkkunen to a MEP written question - The case of Telegram and the methodology for determining VLOPs under the DSA
• EDPB Letter to MEP Körner regarding in-car video cameras and dashcams
• EDRI - Open Letter: Reopening the GDPR is a threat to rights, accountability, and the future of EU digital policy

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• Call for evidence - 2026-2030 gender equality strategy - Communication - Feedback period: 19 May 2025 - 16 June 2025
• Commission launches public consultation on new Consumer Agenda 2025-2030 - Communication - (Feedback period: 19 May 2025 - 16 June 2025) - Midday Express

EURO, ECB & ECONOMY

• The "Annual EU Budget" Conference 2025, ‘From local action to global influence' - Midday Express
• Spring 2025 Economic Forecast: Moderate growth amid global economic uncertainty; Remarks by Commissioner Dombrovskis
• President of the Eurogroup, Paschal Donohoe, travels to the Netherlands
• Decisions taken by the Governing Council of the ECB (in addition to decisions setting interest rates)
• What does the record price of gold tell us about risk perceptions in financial markets? - ECB Financial Stability Review Issue 1, 2025
• Speech by ECB's Philip R. Lane: The communication of monetary policy decisions: incorporating risks and uncertainty
• Interview with Christine Lagarde, President of the ECB, conducted by Marie-Pierre Gröndahl on 8 May 2025
• Decisions taken by the Governing Council of the ECB (in addition to decisions setting interest rates)
• Liquidity dependencies in the euro area - ECB Working Paper Series No.3056
• Letter from the ECB President to Mr Auke Zijlstra, MEP, on the digital euro
• ECB Survey of Monetary Analysts (SMA), June 2025

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) - 19 & 21 May 2025
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Coreper (Part.1 & Part.2) - 21 & 23 May 2025

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Statement by President von der Leyen at the start of her trilateral meeting with Giorgia Meloni, Prime Minister of Italy and J.D. Vance, Vice-President of the United States
• Statement by President von der Leyen at the start of her meeting with Anthony Albanese, Prime Minister of Australia
• Statement by President von der Leyen at the start of her meeting with Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney
• International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union

EUROPEAN POLITICAL COMMUNITY

• Main results of the Meeting of the European Political Community - 16 May 2025
• Opening remarks by President António Costa at the meeting of the European Political Community in Tirana
• Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU on the alignment of certain countries concerning restrictive measures in view of actions destabilising the Republic of Moldova
• Joint statement by the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the United Kingdom, the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission after a meeting with President Maia Sandu of Moldova (16 May 2025)

EU/UKRAINE/RUSSIA

• Request for a preliminary ruling from the Lietuvos vyriausiasis administracinis teismas (Lithuania) of 17 February 2025 – Inter Rao Lietuva AB Vs. Finansinių nusikaltimų tyrimų tarnyba prie Vidaus reikalų ministerijos (Case C-147/25)
  Re: Article 2 of Decision 2014/145/CFSP (1) and Article 2 of Regulation (EU) No 269/2014, restrictive measures, territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence of Ukraine
• EU provides €36.8 M in lifeline funding for UNHCR’s Ukraine response

EU/UK RELATIONS

• EU certificates deal could boost key UK exports by a quarter, study finds - Financial Times
• UK and EU agree post-Brexit reset after ‘breakthrough’ in talks - Deals reached on fisheries and agriculture in late-night haggling ahead of summit in London - Financial Times
• Why post-Brexit Britain will always remain a supplicant to Europe - Resets with the EU may improve relations, but they will never give the country the equal standing of a member state - Financial Times