Europe Daily News, 10 November 2023 | Perspectives & Events

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11221 – Nippon Express / Cargo-Partner)
• Commission clears acquisition of Repower by Kanton Graubünden and Swiss Energy Infrastructure Holding (M.11266) – Midday Express
• Germany – Two mergers of regional newspapers approved by the Bundeskartellamt
• Italy – Investigation opened by the AGCM into alleged cartel in the hollow glass sector

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU – Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.108877
• Opinion of Advocate General Medina of 09 November 2023 in Joined Cases C‑790/21 P and C‑791/21 P, Covestro Deutschland AG Vs. European Commission (C‑790/21 P) and Federal Republic of Germany Vs. Covestro Deutschland AG, European Commission (C‑791/21 P)
  Re: Appeal – State aid – Germany – State aid scheme in favour of certain large electricity consumers – Exemption from network charges in 2012 and 2013 – Decision declaring the aid scheme incompatible with the internal market and unlawful and ordering the recovery of the aid granted – Action for annulment – Time limit for bringing proceedings – Admissibility – Concept of aid – State resources – Parafiscal tax or other mandatory levies – State control over the funds
• Opinion of Advocate General Medina of 09 November 2023 in Joined Cases C‑792/21 P and C‑793/21 P, AZ Vs. European Commission (C‑792/21 P) and Federal Republic of Germany Vs. AZ, European Commission (C‑793/21 P)
  Re: Appeal – State aid – Germany – State aid scheme in favour of certain large electricity consumers – Exemption from network charges in 2012 and 2013 – Decision declaring the aid scheme incompatible with the internal market and unlawful and ordering the recovery of the aid granted – Action for annulment – Time limit for bringing proceedings – Admissibility – Concept of aid – State resources – Parafiscal tax or other mandatory levies – State control over the funds
• Opinion of Advocate General Medina of 09 November 2023 in Joined Cases C‑795/21 P and C‑796/21 P, WEPA Hygieneprodukte GmbH, WEPA Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, Vs. European Commission (C‑795/21 P) and Federal Republic of Germany Vs. WEPA Hygieneprodukte GmbH, WEPA Deutschland GmbH & Co. KG, European Commission (C‑796/21 P)
  Re: Appeal – State aid – Germany -State aid scheme in favour of certain large electricity consumers – Exemption from network charges in 2012 and 2013 – Decision declaring the aid scheme incompatible with the internal market and unlawful and ordering the recovery of the aid granted – Action for annulment – Time limit for bringing proceedings – Admissibility – Concept of aid – State resources – Parafiscal tax or other mandatory levies – State control over the funds
• Commission approves €1.7 billion Italian State aid scheme under the Recovery and Resilience Facility to support agrivoltaic installations – IP/23/5451
• Commission authorises a Luxembourg State aid scheme worth €15 million aimed at safeguarding biodiversity (SA.108665) – Midday Express
• Germany agrees tax subsidies for industry worth up to €28bn by 2028 – Deal to help shield country’s manufacturers from high energy costs likely to draw criticism from Brussels – Financial Times

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Trade Policy Committee (Full Members) – 16 November 2023
• Agenda for: 120th Customs Code Committee – General Legislation Section – 28 November 2023
• Draft Commission Implementing Regulation (art. 291) amending Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1637 as regards the rules and procedures concerning excise goods being exported under suspension of excise duty and the use of fallback documents
• Notice of initiation of an expiry review of the anti-subsidy measures applicable to imports of certain pneumatic tyres, new or retreaded, of rubber, of a kind used for buses or lorries and with a load index exceeding 121 originating in the People’s Republic of China (CN codes 4011 20 90 and ex 4012 12 00)
• Decision No 1/2023 of the EU-Central America Association Council of 29 June 2023 modifying Appendix 2 (List of working or processing required to be carried out on non-originating materials in order that the product manufactured can obtain originating status) and Appendix 2A (Addendum to the list of working and processing required to be carried out on non-originating materials in order that the product manufactured can obtain originating status) to Annex II (Concerning the Definition of the Concept of Originating Products and Methods of Administrative Cooperation) to the Agreement establishing an Association between the European Union and its Member States, on the one hand, and Central America on the other
• Council Decision (EU) 2023/2505 of 26 July 2022 on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union within the Trade Specialised Committee on Customs Cooperation and Rules of Origin as regards the consultation laid down in Article 63(3) of 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
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2489 of 30 October 2023 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (CN: 8205 5100)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2490 of 30 October 2023 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (CN: 9033 0090)
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2491 of 8 November 2023 concerning the classification of certain goods in the Combined Nomenclature (CN: 9620 0091)
• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question – Speed of trade defence investigation
• Answer given by EVP Dombrovskis to a MEP written question – Growing trade deficit with China
• WTO to highlight role of trade policy for climate action at COP28 in Dubai
• WTO – Türkiye launches safeguard investigation on wire rods – see the Notification

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Agenda for: Tourism Intelligence and data, keys to sustainability Forum – 16 November 2023
• Agenda for: 2nd meeting of the High-Level Forum on European standardisation – 30 November 2023
• Minutes of the Meeting of the EU Product Compliance Network – 07 July 2023
• Minutes of the Commission Expert Group on Mutual Recognition of Goods – 13 October 2023
• Single market directives adopted as at 1.11.2023 sorted by transposition date
• Preliminary draft of the 2024 annual Union work programme for European standardisation
• Draft standardisation request amending Implementing Decision C(2021) 2406 of 14.4.2021 on a standardisation request as regards medical devices and in vitro diagnostic medical devices
• Commissioner Breton travels to Singapore to discuss global chains in tech sector, semiconductors and digitalt – Midday Express
• Euro 7: MEPs support new rules to cut down pollutant emissions – see the EP Resolution
• EP votes against tougher rules for petrol engine emissions – MEPs say bigger cuts would hurt carmakers and consumers but back curbs on microplastics in brakes and tyres – Financial Times
• EU needs to rediscover the vim and vigour of its 1992 project – Letter rom Richard Wright

FINANCIAL SERVICES

• Agenda for: 58th meeting of the EU FIUs’ PLATFORM – 07 December 2023
• ‘CMDI’ proposal will expand scope of banking resolution to additional thirty banks, says Single Resolution Board – see the note from the SRB and from the SSM within the ECB
• ESMA to put cyber risk as a new Union Strategic Supervisory Priority
• ESMA publishes latest edition of its newsletter

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Working Party on Tax Questions (High Level) – 23 November 2023
• Two-pillar solution to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy – Council statement
• New transfer pricing rules to make life easier for businesses in the EU – DG Taxud Newsletter

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

ENERGY

• Agenda for: Seventh meeting of the ad hoc Steering Board of the EU Energy Platform – 16 November 2023
• Proposal for a Council Decision on the position to be taken on behalf of the European Union in the Ministerial Council of the Energy Community (Vienna, Austria, 14 December 2023)
• Russian oil on EU soil: Bulgarian refinery skirts sanctions and buys Russian crude worth an estimated €1.1 billion in tax to the Kremlin – see the Study

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment – 13, 14, 16 and 17 November 2023
• Agenda for: Working Party on International Environment Issues (UNECE Espoo) – 14 November 2023
• Fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Minamata Convention on Mercury (COP 5) (Geneva, 30 October – 3 November 2023) – Compilation of statements from the European Union and its Member States
• Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council on ambient air quality and cleaner air for Europe (recast) – Mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament
• Commission welcomes agreement between European Parliament and Council on Nature Restoration Law – IP/23/5662, see the EP Statement
• EP supports bringing WEEE Directive into line with a Court of Justice judgment regarding management of electrical and electronic waste – see the Amendments adopted
• Answer given by Mr Sinkevicius to a written question – Consistency between the Green Claims Directive and the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation with regard to deliberate claims about bio-based and recycled content
• Answer given by Mr Sinkevicius to a written question – Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substance pollution
• Marine plastic: new method for choosing the best clean-up technologies – Issue 612
• Managing Megafires: an experiment in participatory governance yields new management strategies – Issue 612
• Researchers find landscape features around reserves are key to increasing freshwater-reliant species diversity (European Natura 2000 network) – Issue 612
• EU and Zambia sign Roadmap for the implementation of the Forest Partnership

HEALTH, FOOD & PRODUCT SAFETY

• Speech by President von der Leyen at the 5th anniversary of the Princess Máxima Center for pediatric oncology
• EMA – Meeting highlights from the Committee for Veterinary Medicinal Products (CVMP) 7-9 November 2023
• EMA – First electronic product information (ePI) published for selected human medicines
• Ninth external quality assessment scheme for Listeria monocytogenes typing – ECDC

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Commission sends requests for information to Meta and Snap under the Digital Services Act – Midday Express
• Parliament backs plans for better access to, and use of, data – see the EP Resolution
• Answer given by Mr Breton to a MEP written question – Digital Services Act

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Main Results of: Economic & Financial Affairs Council – 09 November 2023 – Remarks by EVP Dombrovskis
• Recovery fund: Council greenlights updated national plans for Denmark, Lithuania, Austria and Sweden
• Council approves conclusions on statistics
• The New Growth Plan for the Western Balkans – QaA & COM2023 – 692
• ECB makes case for keeping balance sheet big – Central bank’s chief economist Philip Lane says return to pre-crisis levels would destabilise banks – Financial Times

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Unauthorised drilling activities in the Eastern Mediterranean: Council prolongs restrictive measures until 2024 – see Council Regulation (EU) 2023/2507& Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/2488
• Council Regulation (EU) 2023/2506 of 9 November 2023 amending Regulation (EU) No 224/2014 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in the Central African Republic
• Council Decision (CFSP) 2023/2487 of 9 November 2023 amending Decision 2013/798/CFSP concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in the Central African Republic
• Council Implementing Decision (CFSP) 2023/2499 of 9 November 2023 implementing Decision (CFSP) 2015/1333 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Libya
• Council Implementing Decision (CFSP) 2023/2503 of 9 November 2023 implementing Decision (CFSP) 2015/1333 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Libya
• Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2501 of 9 November 2023 implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/44 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Libya
• Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2504 of 9 November 2023 implementing Regulation (EU) 2016/44 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Libya
• European Parliament calls for enforcement of sanctions to be monitored more closely – see the EP Resolution

MIDDLE EAST

• EU coordinates further 6 Humanitarian Air Bridge flights for Gaza – IP/23/5653
• Speech by President von der Leyen at the International Humanitarian Conference for the Civilian Population in Gaza