Europe Daily News, 01 February 2023

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11034 - Omron / Kirin / KTS)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10825 - Davita / Medtronic / Medtronic Renal Care Solutions)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.10970 - Fortress Investment Group / Air Investment Valencia / JV)
• Commission clears acquisition of Emerson by Blackstone (M.10989) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of ERS by Trafigura (M.10859) - Midday Express
• Austria - Wienerberger/Terreal merger: BWB submits application to Cartel Court for in-depth investigation
• Belgium - End of the mandate of Jacques Steenbergen as president of the Belgian Competition Authority
• France - Freedom of establishment for notaries and commissioners of justice: the Autorité launches two public consultations
• Slovak Republic - Council of AMO SR issued a decision in the matter of a cartel in public procurement in the field of energy
• UK - CMA published its latest update report on the implementation of Google’s Privacy Sandbox commitments - See also Google’s Q4 progress report

STATE AID

• Commission consults Member States on proposal for a Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework - IP/23/513 & Remarks by Ms Vestager

TRADE & CUSTOM

• Overview of FTAs and other trade negotiations as of 27 January 2023
• Overview of economic partnership agreements updated on 26 January 2023
• EU - Republic of Korea Digital Partnership - Digital Trade Principles - 30 November 2022
• Joint Report - 1st meeting of the Committee on Customs of the EU-Singapore FTA - 20 December 2022
• EFTA Council meets for the first time in 2023 and for the fifth time under Liechtenstein Chairmanship
• EFTA States and Thailand meet for their third round of negotiations
• Can the EU keep up with the US on green subsidies? - The huge incentives in the Inflation Reduction Act are provoking a debate in Europe with ramifications for the entire single market - Financial Times
• EU sidelined in US-Dutch deal to block chips exports to China - Deal between The Hague and Washington exposes EU’s weaknesses in fighting global trade war over sensitive technologies - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Judgment of the General Court of 1 February 2023 in Case T‑659/20, SJ AB, supported by Kingdom of Sweden, intervener, Vs. European Commission
  Re: Directive 2014/25/EU - Procurement procedures of entities operating in the water, energy, transport and postal services sectors - Implementing decision on the applicability of Article 34 of Directive 2014/25 to railway passenger transport in Sweden - Rights of the defence - Right to be heard
  
• Agenda for: 88th meeting of the Expert Group on the implementation of the Services Directive - 14 February 2023
• 5th Session of the WIPO Working Group on the Development of the Lisbon System (Geneva, 24 to 26 January 2023) - Final EU/Member States statements
• Opinion of the European Economic and Social Committee on the Proposal for a Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on prohibiting products made with forced labour on the Union market [COM (2022) 453 final
• The Green Deal Industrial Plan: putting Europe's net-zero industry in the lead - IP/23/510, QaA & Communication
• EU faces up to US green subsidies with industrial overhaul - The bloc introduces a raft of industrial policy measures to compete with its transatlantic ally - Politico.eu

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Agenda for: Meeting of the members of the Financial Services Committee - 15 February 2023
  
• Opinion of the European Banking Authority on the draft European Sustainability Reporting Standards (ESRS)
• ESAs consult on draft Guidelines on the system for the exchange of information relevant to fit and proper assessments

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Energy - 02 February 2023
• ECA Special Report 03/2023: Internal electricity market integration - Complex legal architecture, delays, weaknesses in governance and incomplete market surveillance hamper full achievement of the ambitious objective
• Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the EU within the EU-UK Specialised Committee on Energy established under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the EU and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the one part, and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the other part, concerning the EU-UK electricity trading arrangements

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Judgment of the General Court of 01 February 2023 in Case T-354/21, ClientEarth Vs. European Commission
  Re: Access to documents - Regulation (EC) No 1049/2001 - Control system for ensuring compliance with the rules of the common fisheries policy - Regulation (EC) No 1224/2009 - Documents concerning the implementation of fisheries control in Denmark and France - Partial refusal of access - Exception relating to the protection of the purpose of inspections, investigations and audits - General presumption of confidentiality - Overriding public interest - Aarhus Convention - Regulation (EC) No 1367/2006
• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment - 09 February 2023
• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Basel) - 07 February 2023
• Investigating Europe′s secondary raw material markets - EEA Report No 12/2022

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Europe's Beating Cancer Plan: Commission presents first Country Cancer Profiles under the European Cancer Inequalities Registry - IP/23/421
• Report of the 7th Thematic Group meeting on the Cancer Inequalities Registry - 26 January 2023
• Health Union: the HERA laboratory network becomes operational - Midday Express
• Scientific Opinion on "Draft Environmental Quality Standards for Priority Substances under the Water Framework Directive" - 5-6 rings PolyAromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) - Adopted on 30 January 2023 - Deadline for comments: 1 March 2023
• Scientific Opinion on "Draft Environmental Quality Standards for Priority Substances under the Water Framework Directive" - Tributyltin Compounds - Adopted on 30 January 2023 - Deadline for comments: 1 March 2023
• Minutes of the Working Group meeting on Methodologies of 11 January 2023

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Answer given by Ms Vălean to a MEP written question - Heavy freight industry 

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Minutes of Third meeting - European Semiconductor Expert Group - 28 September 2022
• Digital Services Act: Commission provides guidance for online platforms and search engines on publication of user numbers in the EU
• EU and Singapore launch Digital Partnership - IP/23/467
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP  written question - Telecom tariff hikes fuelled by inflation

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• ENISA organised its first ever cybersecurity policy conference together with the European Commission to discuss the evolution of the EU cybersecurity policy framework 

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Southern Africa: HR/VP Borrell co-chairs South Africa-EU Ministerial Dialogue and holds bilateral and regional meetings to strengthen relations with South Africa and Botswana
• Myanmar: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the 2nd anniversary of the military take-over
• North Macedonia: Remarks by HR/VP Josep Borrell ahead of the meeting with Foreign Minister Bujar Osmani
• EU statement at Ambassadorial-level meeting of the Peace Building Commission on South Sudan
• Humanitarian aid: EU releases over €43 million for Myanmar and Bangladesh - IP/23/372
• Georgia: New Head of monitoring mission appointed
  

BREXIT

• UK review of EU laws expanded after 1,000 pieces of legislation added - Schedule for post-Brexit reform and revocation by end of 2023 becomes even tougher - Financial Times
• Sunak faces crunch decision on post-Brexit Northern Ireland - Deal taking shape on trading arrangements but unionists and Eurosceptics still need to be brought on board - Financial Times

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Judgment of the General Court of 1 February 2023 in Case T-470/21, Oleksandr Viktorovych Klymenko Vs. Council of the European Union supported by European Commission
  Re: Non-contractual liability - Common foreign and security policy - Restrictive measures taken with regard to the situation in Ukraine - List of persons, entities and bodies to which the freezing of funds and economic resources applies - Limitation period - Partial inadmissibility - Sufficiently serious breach of a rule of law conferring rights on individuals - Non-material damage - Reality of damage - Causal link
  
• Consolidated version - FAQs concerning sanctions adopted following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and Belarus' involvement in it
• FAQs concerning sanctions adopted following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine and Belarus' involvement in it (Medicines and medical devices)