Europe Daily News, 14 April 2026

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12299 - ArcelorMittal / AMCLN)
• Commission carries out unannounced antitrust inspections in the chocolate confectionery sector
• Commission clears acquisition of Kelda Group by EFMS and GIC Acquirers (M.12378) - Midday Express
• Commission has released its decision allowing Compass to acquire Dutch catering provider Vermaat - See Case M.12122
• Belgium - Notification of a concentration MEDE.CCS.26-0009: TRIXXO groep / XLG Home en La Maison des Services SC
• Italy - AGCM releases 2025 antitrust-enforcement report
• Poland - UOKiK has issued eight decisions imposing fines totalling over PLN 2.6 million for payment backlogs
• Portugal - Caderno Azul and Explorer notify the acquisition of joint control over MOP – Multimédia Outdoors Portugal
• UK - The CMA is seeking views on the anticipated acquisition by Paramount Skydance Corporation of Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc

STATE AID

• Action brought on 16 January 2026 - Deutsche ReGas Vs. Commission (Case T-47/26)
  Re: annulment of the defendant’s decision of 20 December 2024, reference SA. 105137 (2024/N) - Germany Deutsche Energy Terminal GmbH
• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.121999 & SA.121579
• Commission consults Member States on proposal for a Temporary Crisis Framework
• Commission approves €1.3 billion German State aid scheme for rewetting of farmed peatlands (SA.118115)
• Commission approves €3.7 billion Czech State aid scheme for sustainable biomethane production (SA.119368)
• Commission approves €615.7 million Dutch State aid scheme to support the reduction of emissions in the dairy farming sector (SA.119985) - Midday Express
• EU plans emergency state aid rule change to address soaring energy costs - Change would make it easier for member countries to tackle fallout from U.S. war on Iran - Politico.eu

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union - 15 April 2026
• Agenda for: Meeting of the EP INTA Committee  - 15 April 2026
• Agenda for: Working Party on the United Kingdom - 15 April 2026
• Notice of initiation of an expiry review of the anti-dumping measures applicable to imports of citric acid originating in the People’s Republic of China (CN codes 2918 14 00 and ex 2918 15 00)
• Council and European Parliament strike deal to protect EU’s steel industry from global overcapacity - See the EP Statement and Commission's reaction
• Report of the 7th Meeting EU-Kosovo subcommittee on trade industry, customs and taxation - July 2025
• Report of the 16th Meeting EU-Albania Subcommittee on Trade, Industry, Customs and Taxation - November 2025
• Report of the 8th Meeting EU-Bosnia and Herzegovina Sub-Committee on Trade, Industry, Customs and Taxation - April 2025
• Report of the 21st Meeting - EU-Republic of North Macedonia Sub-committee on Trade, Industry, Customs, Taxation - April 2025
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - EU-ASEAN trade relations and sectoral sensitivities 
• Answer given by Mr Hansen to a MEP written question - Management of inward processing arrangements and their impact on the EU sugar market
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - Anti-dumping import duties on steel strips no longer produced in the EU – a threat to EU blade manufacturers
• New UK steel tariffs threaten British manufacturing, industry warns - See the Letter from Confederation of British Metalforming to the U.K. trade department - Politico.eu

CBAM

• Draft Report by MEP Mohammed Chahim on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Regulation (EU) 2023/956 as regards the extension of its scope to downstream goods and anti-circumvention measures - Deadline for tabling amendments : 06-05-2026
• Draft Opinion by MEP Lynn Boylan of the EP INTA Committee for the EP ENVI Committee on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on amending Regulation (EU) 2023/956 as regards the extension of its scope to downstream goods and anti-circumvention measures
• EU carbon border tax that took effect on Jan 1 has had minimal impact on Singapore - MTI

EU/WTO

• Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade - Notification - European Union - Biofuels, bioliquids and biomass fuels
• Morocco launches safeguard investigation on certain types of rice

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Meeting of the EP ITRE Committee  - 15 April 2026
• Commissioner McGrath in California to strengthen EU-US cooperation on consumer protection and competitiveness - Midday Express
• Presentations by ArgusMedia, COCERAL, EFBA/AFCOME & DG AGRI at the Expert Group EU Fertilisers Market Observatory - 31 March 2026

FINANCE

• EBA publishes Report on banks’ dry run testing of their recovery plans
• EBA publishes Decision harmonising reporting of SEPA data by national authorities
• ESMA releases reporting templates and instructions for the Active Account Requirement
• ESMA - Letter to the IFRS Interpretation Committee on the Determination of residual value (IAS 16)
• ECB Governing Council urges Single Market boost to strengthen bank competitiveness
• Eurosystem response to the EU Commission’s targeted consultation on the competitiveness of the EU banking sector
• ECB seeks to break insurance ‘deadlock’ in push for banking union - Regulator urges governments to fast-track long-delayed idea to help break down merger barriers - Financial Times

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Working Party on Tax Questions (Indirect Taxation - VAT) - 21 April 2026

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: International Environment Issues (Whaling) - 20 April 2026

DATA PRIVACY

• Agenda for: 118th EDPB plenary meeting 15 & 16 April 2026

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• President Costa to visit United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar
• Statement by President von der Leyen on the impact of the situation in the Middle East on the European Union
• United Nations: Speech by High Representative Kaja Kallas at the annual UN Security Council session on EU-UN cooperation