Europe Daily News, 27 September 2022

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.10851 - CVC / Platinum Ivy / TMF Group)
• Greece - Decision on the request of the company MASOUTIS for exemption from a commitment
• Romania - The Competition Council approved the taking over by GIP Gutenberg GMBH of some wind energy companies
• UK - The CMA has imposed fines totalling over £2 million on Elite Sports, JD Sports and Rangers FC after they admitted to fixing the prices of certain Rangers FC merchandise.
• UK - The CMA announced the launch its merger inquiry in the acquisition by Macquarie and BCI of the National Grid gas transmission and metering
• UK - The CMA has accepted undertakings in lieu of reference for the anticipated acquisition by Bouygues S.A. of Equans S.A.S..

STATE AID

• Commission approves additional German measures to support electricity production from renewable energy sources (SA.102303 & SA.103086) - IP/22/5811
• Commission approves €20 million Irish scheme to support development of cultural digital games (SA.102047) - Midday Express

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: 639th meeting of the Export Credits Group - 05 October 2022
• Agenda for: Customs Union Working Party - 28 September 2022
  - Proposal for a Council Regulation amending Annex I to Regulation (EEC) No 2658/87 on the tariff and statistical nomenclature and on the Common Customs Tariff
  - Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Association Committee meeting in Trade configuration established by the Association Agreement between the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community and their Member States, of the one part, and Ukraine, of the other, concerning the update of Annex XV (Approximation of customs legislation) to the Agreement - see the Annex
• Minutes of the 4th DIH Project Group Meeting UCC DA/IA - Data Annexes Revision for Harmonisation of Customs Data Requirements - 01 September 2022
• Notice of the expiry of certain anti-dumping measures (Barium carbonate; The People’s Republic of China; Anti-dumping duty; Regulation (EU) 2017/1759; 29.9.2022)
• WTO - DDG Paugam: “Clear that sustainability is at the heart of trading models of the future”

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Single Market: 20 years of SOLVIT network at the service of EU citizens and businesses resolve cross-border problems - Midday Express
• Commission Implementing Decision of 13.9.2022 granting an authorisation under Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council to Pfizer Manufacturing Belgium NV for a use of 4- (1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutyl)phenol, ethoxylated (4-tert-OPnEO)
• ECHA - Agenda for: 57th meeting of the Committee for Socio-economic Analysis - 29 November-2 December and 5, 7-8 December 2022
• ECHA - QSAR Toolbox extension broadens possibilities for animal-free chemicals assessment 

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• State of play of legislative proposals in the field of financial services
• Scaling up sustainable finance in low and middle-income countries: High-Level Expert Group kick-starts work - IP/22/5724

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Working Party on Tax Questions (Indirect Taxation – Excise duties/Energy taxation) - 12 October 2022
• Answer given by Mr Gentiloni to a MEP written question - Economic exemption for transportation services used to export goods to the benefit of the global competitiveness of the EU economy 

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Main results of Agriculture & Fisheries Council - 26 September 2022 
  - Regulation on the sustainable use of plant protection products - Information by the Polish delegation 
  - Rising carnivore populations in Europe: Challenges for agriculture and rural areas - Note from the Austrian delegation, supported by Croatia, Finland, Hungary, Latvia, Romania and Slovakia

ENERGY

• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1655 of 26 September 2022 recognising the report including information on the typical greenhouse gas emissions from the cultivation of soybean in Argentina under Article 31(3) and (4) of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1656 of 26 September 2022 on recognition of the Austrian agricultural certification scheme (AACS) for demonstrating compliance with the requirements set in Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council for biofuels, bioliquids, biomass fuels, renewable liquid and gaseous fuels of non-biological origin and recycled carbon fuels
• Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2022/1657 of 26 September 2022 on the recognition of the Sustainable Biomass Program voluntary scheme for demonstrating compliance with the requirements of Directive (EU) 2018/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council for biofuels, bioliquids, biomass fuels, renewable liquid and gaseous fuels of non-biological origin and recycled carbon fuels
• Security of supply: Commission participates at inauguration of the Baltic Pipe - Midday Express
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - Remarkable increase in Spanish imports of liquified natural gas from Russia in the context of the REPowerEU plan
• Answer given by Ms Simson to a MEP written question - Restricting shops’ use of illuminated advertising displays and air conditioning
• ACER consults on updating the "grid connection network codes" to cover e-mobility and storage
• REPowerEU - Non-paper from the Commission Services on pre-financing
• Countries ramp up pressure on Brussels to propose a gas price cap - But there’s still significant opposition to limiting the price of imported gas - Politico.eu

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (CITES) - 29 September 2022
• Climate Action: CO2 emissions from new cars fell in 2020 as zero- and low-emission vehicle sales tripled - See EEA Report

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Farm to table strategy: Member States endorse Commission proposal to lower pesticide residue limits to better protect bees (clothianidine & thiaméthoxame) - Midday Express
• Scheer - Scientific Opinion on "Draft Environmental Quality Standards for Priority Substances under the Water Framework Directive" - Ibuprofen
• ECDC - The EU experience in the first phase of COVID-19: implications for measuring preparedness
• ECDC - Shigellosis - Annual Epidemiological Report for 2018
• Edible insects, energy drinks and antimicrobial resistance: experience consumer health protection up close - BfR Statement 34/2022 - 26.09.2022

DIGITAL SINGLE MARKET

• Keynote speech by EVP Vestager at the BEUC conference on consumer protection in the digital age, Brussels 27 September 2022
• BSA leads Joint Industry Statement on the "EU Artificial Intelligence Act and High-Risk Obligations" for General Purpose AI
• CEO statement on the role of connectivity in addressing current EU challenges - ETNO

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber issues - 28 September 2022

AREA OF FREEDOM SECURITY JUSTICE

• Fight against corruption: Commission presents EU assessment in review of UN Convention against Corruption - Midday Express
• Kingpins of sexual exploitation gang arrested in Berlin - Tricked into a fake business deal, the victims found themselves under the control of the traffickers - see Europol Statement

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• NextGenerationEU: European Commission endorses positive preliminary assessment of Italy's request for €21 billion disbursement under the Recovery and Resilience Facility - IP/22/5663
• InvestEU: €100 million in new microfinance loans targeting small entrepreneurs and farmers across Romania - IP/22/5813
• Commissioner Ferreira in Croatia and Slovenia to discuss the Partnership Agreements 2021-2027 - Midday Express
• Brexit, what Brexit? Euro area portfolio exposures to the United Kingdom since the Brexit referendum - ECB Working Paper Series No.2734
• The anatomy of consumption in a household foreign currency debt crisis - ECB Working Paper Series No.2733
• Interview with ECB's Philip R. Lane conducted by András Szigetvari on 20 September 2022
• ECB - Monetary developments in the euro area: August 2022

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Council Decision (CFSP) 2022/1654 of 27 September 2022 amending Decision (CFSP) 2018/1788 in support of the South-Eastern and Eastern Europe Clearinghouse for the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons (SEESAC) for the implementation of the Regional Roadmap on combating illicit arms trafficking in the Western Balkans
• Sri Lanka: EU releases €1.5 million to respond to growing humanitarian needs - Midday Express

RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE

• Hungary opposes EU sanctions on Russian nuclear sector - Politico.eu