Europe Daily News, 05 June 2025

COMPETITION

• Opinion of Advocate General Szpunar of 05 June 2025 in Case C‑161/24, OSA, z.s., formerly OSA – Ochranný svaz autorský pro práva k dílům hudebním, z.s. Vs. Úřad pro ochranu hospodářské soutěže
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Competition - Dominant position - Article 102 TFEU - Collective management organisation handling copyright - Rates for the provision of a licence to make copyrighted works available - Accommodation establishments - Calculation method - Failure to take the occupancy of rooms into account - Unfair trading conditions - Excessive prices
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12010 - Actis / GIC / Serena-Energia)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11485 - Brasserie Nationale / Boissons Heintz
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.12012 - Madison Dearborn Partners / Schoeller Group)
• Commission clears acquisition of Löhr by Van Mossel (M.11951) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Saxo Bank by BJSS (M.11968) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Carschhaus by Central Group (M.11978) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of NextGen Healthcare by Madison Dearborn Partners and Thoma Bravo (M.11997) - Midday Express

STATE AID

• Opinion of Advocate General Biondi of 05 June 2025 in Case C‑401/24; Staten genom Sjöfartsverket Vs. Stockholms Hamn Aktiebolag
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Aid granted by Member States - Article 107(1) TFEU - Concept of ‘undertaking’ - Notion of ‘aid’ - Concept of ‘existing aid’ and of ‘new aid’ - Compensation paid under an agreement concluded before Sweden’s accession to the European Union, by a State authority to a municipal undertaking, to compensate for the loss of revenue arising from the abolition of passage fees for a lock
• Commission approves €211 million Irish State aid measure to support the production of unscripted audiovisual programmes with Irish and European cultural content (SA.117991) - Midday Express
  
• Commission considers revision of State aid rules for better access to affordable housing
  
• EFTA Surveillance Authority: State aid – Decision to raise no objections
• Answer given by EVP Ribera to a MEP written question - Commission has it in for French rail freight

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• 2020 EU-US Tariff Dispute: Advocate General Ćapeta - the Commission did not violate Zippo’s right to be heard (See CPR No.66/2025 - Opinion of the Advocate General in the Case C-811/23; Commission Vs. Zippo Manufacturing and Others)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/1132 of 3 June 2025 amending Implementing Regulations (EU) 2020/761 and (EU) 2020/1988 as regards tariff rate quotas for products originating in Ukraine in 2025
• EU extends safeguard measures suspension on iron and steel to support war-torn Ukraine’s economy
• New import surveillance tool to help EU prevent harmful trade diversion - Q&A
• Exports boost EU agri-food trade surplus in February 2025
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - Consequences of the EU-Mercosur agreement for Polish agriculture
• U.S. 50% steel tariffs: new EU trade measure needed now to avert collapse of European market, urges EUROFER
• EU businesses lobby China for rare earths ‘fast-track’ channel - Beijing’s strict controls on critical minerals threaten supply chains worldwide - Financial Times
• It’s always steel — tariffs provide Trump with a familiar trade weapon - The industry has suffered from overproduction and protectionism for decades - Financial Times
• EU urges China to loosen rare earth curbs as carmakers near crisis point - European trade commissioner Maroš Šefčovič raises shortage of vital materials with Chinese commerce minister - Financial Times
• Trump’s steel tariff raise misses real target, says EU - “Let’s not target each other” on metals duties, Trade Commissioner Maroš Šefčovič urges after meeting U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Paris - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Commission adopts European Ocean Pact for a healthy ocean, a competitive blue economy and thriving coastal communities - Q&A, FactSheet and the Communication
• ‘Pharma package’: Council agrees its position on new rules for a fairer and more competitive EU pharmaceutical sector
• The "EU Industry Days 2025" zoom in on competitiveness and decarbonisation - Midday Express
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the STOA-G6 Research and Innovation Summit

TAXATION

• Judgment of the Court of 05 June 2025 in Case C-685/23; Corner and Border S.A. Vs. Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Directive 2008/7/EC - Article 5(2)(b) - Article 6(1)(d) - Indirect taxes on the raising of capital - Concept of “privileges” - Stamp duty on guarantees contracted for the proper performance of a bond issue
• Code of Conduct Group (Business Taxation) - Overview of EU Member States' preferential tax regimes examined since the creation of the COCG in March 1998
• MEPs resume discussions on ‘BEFIT’ initiative defining a Framework for Income Taxation of large companies - See the Report by MEP Evelyn Regner 

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• For the first time, the Court finds that Greece has failed to update the flood risk management plans for 14 river basin districts (See CPR Nº 63/2025 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-359/24, Commission Vs. Greece)
• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (Biodiversity) - 12 June 2025
• Minutes of the 10th meeting of the ABS Consultation Forum - 10 April 2025
• Minutes of the Meeting of the Expert Group on ABS under the Nagoya Protocol - 09 April 2025
• Habitats directive: Council gives final approval to the new protection status of wolves
• Commission launches strategy to enhance water security for people, economy and environment - See the Q&A; the FactSheet and the Remarks by EVP Ribera and Commissioner Roswall
  - Commission Communication & Annexes
  - Commission Recommendation
  - Country Water Profiles
• Commissioner Roswall in Denmark to discuss circular economy, water resilience and other EU environmental policies - Midday Express
• Commission announces winners of LIFE Awards 2025 - Midday Express
• Italy : EIB, with SACE and InvestEU guarantees, provides €150 million for Piedmont water services

DIGITAL; INFORMATION SOCIETY & CYBERSECURITY

• Meeting of the TTE Council - Telecommunications - 06 June 2025
  - Protecting Minors from Online harms and risks: Age verification, age-appropriate design and a pan-European digital age of majority - Information from Cyprus, Denmark, France, Greece, Slovenia and Spain
• ENISA - National Cybersecurity Strategies: What’s new in the EU’s national cybersecurity policymaking
• Answer given by EVP Virkkunen to a MEP written question - Supporting SMEs to adapt to the Cyber Resilience Act
• Removing regulatory burden for a more competitive and resilient Europe - See the DigitalEurope Executive Brief
• Winning the Tech Race. Cut-simplify-incentivise: Our three-step gameplan - DigitalEurope

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Meeting of the TTE Council - Transports - 05 June 2025
  - Call for common actions in response to Global Satellite Navigation Systems (GNSS) jamming and spoofing threats - Information from Lithuania, Czechia, Estonia, Finland, Italy, Latvia, Romania, and Spain
• Agenda for: Meeting of the Committee on Road Transport - 17 June 2025
• Proposal for a regulation amending Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights and Regulation (EC) No 2027/97 on air carrier liability in respect of the carriage of passengers and their baggage by air - See the Political agreement; Annex 1, 2 & 3
• Recommendation for a Council Decision authorising the opening of negotiations on the revision of the Transport Community Treaty
• EU coordinated position at the 17th session of the Committee of Technical Experts of the Intergovernmental Organisation for International Carriage by Rail (OTIF) as regards items for adoption that do not entail legal effects - Approval

AREA OF FREEDOM, SECURITY & JUSTICE

• EU values: Advocate General Ćapeta considers that, by prohibiting or restricting access to LGBTI content, Hungary infringed EU law (See CPR No.64/2025 -Opinion of the Advocate General in the Case C-769/22; Commission Vs. Hungary)
• Commission proposes predictable and common European way forward for Ukrainian refugees in the EU - Q&A, Factsheet & Remarks by Commissioner Brunner 
  - Communication from the Commission to the Parliament and Council on a predictable and common European way forward for Ukrainians in the EU
  - Commission proposal for a Council Implementing Decision on extending temporary protection
  - Commission proposal for a Council Recommendation on a coordinated approach to the transition out of temporary protection for displaced persons from Ukraine
• EU sends civil protection experts to support Romania in Praid Salt Mine post-flood recovery efforts - Midday Express
• Commissioner Brunner in Portugal for the launch of the annual European Drug Report - Midday Express
• Commissioner McGrath in Moldova to discuss justice and rule of law - Midday Express

CONSUMER PROTECTION

• Judgment of the Court of 05 June 2025 in Case C-749/23,  innogy Energie s.r.o. QS Vs. QS
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Consumer protection - Directive 93/13/EEC - Unfair terms in consumer contracts - Articles 3, 5, 7 and point 1(e) of the Annex - Fixed-term electricity supply contract - Clause imposing a contractual penalty in the event of non-payment - Proportionate nature of the amount of the penalty - Clear and comprehensible nature of the terms - Directive (EU) 2019/944 - Inapplicability
  
• Minutes & Working Documents of the Meeting of the Consumer Policy Advisory Group - 03 April 2025
• Answer given by Mr McGrath to a MEP written question - Simplifying requirements for trade in collectors’ items
• Answer given by EVP Séjourné to a MEP written question - Support for SMEs and challenges posed by the new Directive on liability for defective products

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Commission provides guidance on the implementation of NextGenerationEU – The road to 2026 – Q&A  and Remarks by EVP Fitto and Commissioner Dombrovskis
• EU budget 2026: Providing crucial funding for EU priorities in times of global volatility - Q&A, see all EU annual budget documents
• Bulgaria meets criteria to join the euro area on 1 January 2026 – Q&A, Statement by the Eurogroup President, Paschal Donohoe
• 2025 European Semester Spring Package sets out guidance to boost EU competitiveness – Q&A
  - 2025 European Semester Spring package & - Spring 2025 Economic Forecast
• European Investment Fund supports Danish companies to export in Ukraine
• The EU announces €175 million to support recovery in Syria
• ECB - Convergence Report, June 2025

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Possible items for College agendas from 17 June to 23 July 2025
• Why does Maga world hate Europe? - Donald Trump’s team is taking its US culture war across the Atlantic with implications for the western alliance - Financial Times

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

EU/RUSSIA/UKRAINE

• Freezing of funds: AG Medina considers the criterion for the inclusion of leading businesspersons on the restrictive measures lists, following the invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation, to be lawful (See CPR No.65/2025 - Opinion of the Advocate General in cases C-696/23 P, C-704/23 P, C-711/23 P, C-35/24 P, C-111/24 P, Pumpyanskiy Vs. Council)