Europe Daily News, 13 March 2025

COMPETITION

• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11870 - Igneo / Höegh Family Group / Larus)
• Non-opposition to a notified concentration (Case M.11809 - Rolls-Royce / Cez Holdings / Rolls-Royce SMR)
• Commission clears acquisition of ZT by AMD (M.11749) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Cigierre by QuattroR and BC Partners (M.11873) - Midday Express
• Austria - Fair competitive conditions: BWB continues to fight unfair trading practices and presents its Annual Report 2024
• France - The Autorité de la concurrence clears, subject to conditions, the acquisition by Carrefour of the French operations of the Louis Delhaize group (Cora and Match stores)
• Romania - The Competition Council approved the transaction by which Emma Zeta Limited intends to take over Diamedix Impex SA.
• UK - Monitoring of the commitments given by International Consolidated Airlines Group, S.A (IAG) to the European Commission in relation to its acquisition of British Midland Ltd (bmi)

STATE AID

• Judgment of the Court of 13 March 2025 in Joined Cases C-746/23 and C-747/23; Cividale SpA, Flag Srl (C-746/23), Duferco Italia Holding SpA, Duferco Sertubi SpA (C-747/23) Vs. Ministero dello Sviluppo economico, Direzione generale per l'incentivazione delle attività imprenditoriali del Ministero dello Sviluppo economico, Dipartimento per lo Sviluppo e la Coesione economica del Ministero dello Sviluppo economico, Direzione generale per l'incentivazione delle attività imprenditoriali del Ministero dello Sviluppo economico-Divisione X, in the presence of : Fonderia di Torbole SpA
  Re: ‘Reference for a preliminary ruling - Aid granted by a Member State - Concept of “aid” - National legislation providing for the grant of a measure in favour of undertakings operating in the steel foundry sector in the event of partial or total closure of their production sites - Financial contribution - Advantage’

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/468 of 12 March 2025 opening and providing for the management of Union tariff quotas for certain processed agricultural products originating in the Republic of Chile
• EU-Norway Agreement: modification of concessions on all the tariff-rate quotas included in the EU Schedule CLXXV as a consequence of the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the EU
• Report of the 2nd round of negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the Philippines - 10 to 14 February 2025
• Answer given by Mr Hansen to a MEP written question - Suspected tax fraud in Moroccan tomato imports to the EU in recent years
• Answer given by the Council to a MEP written question - Recent decision by the Court of Justice of the European Union on EU-Kingdom of Morocco trade agreements

EU/USA

• EU seeks talks with U.S. at WTO on steel, aluminum ‘safeguard measures'
• WTO - Goods barometer little changed at start of 2025 but trade policy uncertainty looms
• Ambassador Jamieson Greer issues Statement on the European Union's announced retaliatory tariffs
• U.S. tariffs threaten European steel and European sovereignty. Effective EU safeguards are needed, urges EUROFER
• Canada sounds alarm at G7: ‘Nobody is safe’ from Trump’s tactics - Politico.eu

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• Judgment of the Court of 13 March 2025 in Case C-266/22, CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co. Ltd, Astra Vagoane Călători SA Vs. Autoritatea pentru Reformă Feroviară, Alstom Ferroviaria SpA
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Award of public contracts in the European Union - Directive 2014/24/EU - Article 25 - Economic operators from third countries which have not concluded an international agreement with the Union which guarantees, on a reciprocal and equal basis, access to public contracts - No right of those economic operators to ‘treatment no less favourable’ - Exclusion of such an economic operator from a procedure for the award of a public contract, by virtue of national legislation - Exclusive competence of the Union
• Main results of the Competitiveness Council (Internal market & Industry) - 12 March 2025
  - European countries agree to strengthen position in global semiconductor industry
• MEPs call for a more competitive EU that respects social and labour standards - See the Resolution
• Europe’s military heavyweights call for defense industry deregulation - Politico.eu

TAXATION

• Agenda for: Meeting of the Working Party IV – Direct Taxation - 08 April 2025
• Judgment of the Court of 13 March 2025 in Case C-135/24; John Cockerill SA Vs. Belgian State
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Common system of taxation applicable to parent companies and subsidiaries of different Member States - Directive 2011/96/EU - Article 1(4) - Prevention of fraud and abuse - Article 4(1) - Prohibition on taxation of profits received - Direct effect - Inclusion of the dividend distributed by the subsidiary in the taxable amount of the parent company - Deduction of the dividend distributed from the taxable amount of the parent company - Limitation on the deduction - Intra-group transfer system allowing profits made by certain companies to be transferred to others
• Judgment of the Court of 13 March 2025 in Case C-640/23; Direcţia Generală Regională a Finanţelor Publice Galaţi - Administraţia Judeţeană a Finanţelor Publice Vrancea, Direcţia Generală de Administrare a Marilor Contribuabili Vs. Greentech SA
  Re: Reference for a preliminary ruling - Common system of VAT - Directive 2006/112/EC - Right to deduct VAT - Sales transaction reclassified by the tax authorities as a transfer of a business outside the scope of VAT - Failure to correct the invoice within the limitation period - Impossibility of recovering the VAT paid in respect of that transaction - Principles of effectiveness and fiscal neutrality - Repayment of the tax

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the "Group of Experts on Ecodesign for Sustainable Products and Energy Labelling" on Electronic Displays - 01 April 2025
• Minutes of the 103rd Meeting of the CITES Scientific Review Group - 03 & 04 December 2024
• Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Council Directive 92/43/EEC as regards the protection status of the wolf (Canis lupus)

TRANSPORT & MOBILITY

• Agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Serbia on operational activities carried out by the European Border and Coast Guard Agency in the Republic of Serbia - See the Date of the entry into force & Council Decision (EU) 2025/479 on the Conclusion

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Horizontal Working Party on Cyber Issues - 17 March 2025
• GDPR and transgender identity: the rectification of data relating to gender identity cannot be made conditional upon proof of surgery (See CPR Nº 34/2025 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-247/23, Deldits)
• Commissioner McGrath in Washington DC to discuss data protection, consumer protection and innovation - Midday Express
• European Parliament approves EU–Canada air passenger data agreement - See the Resolution

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• "Tasks for a democratic Europe" - Speech by President António Costa at the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung event
• Remarks by President António Costa at the press conference following the meeting with Chancellor of Germany Olaf Scholz
• MEPs adopted a proposal by the Conference of Presidents (EP President Metsola and political group leaders) for Parliament’s 2026 calendar
• Trump reignites Europe’s Franco-German engine - Politico.eu

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Judgment of the Court of 13 March 2025 in Case C‑44/23 P, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Vs. Council of the EU, European Commission, French Republic, Kingdom of the Netherlands
  Re: Appeal - CFSP - Combating terrorism - Restrictive measures taken against certain persons and entities - Freezing of funds - Common Position 2001/931/CFSP - Article 1(3), (4) and (6) - Regulation (EC) No 2580/2001 - Article 2(3) - Maintenance of an organisation on the list of persons, groups and entities involved in terrorist acts - Applicability to situations of armed conflict - Terrorist group - Nature of, and underlying reasons for, the acts carried out - Distance in time - Ongoing risk of involvement in terrorist activities - Proportionality - Obligation to state reasons
• Judgment of the Court of 13 March 2025 in Case C‑72/23 P, Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), Vs. Council of the European Union; supported by French Republic
  Re: Appeal - CFSP - Combating terrorism - Restrictive measures taken against certain persons and entities - Freezing of funds - Common Position 2001/931/CFSP- Article 1(3), (4) and (6) - Regulation (EC) No 2580/2001 - Article 2(3) - Maintenance of an organisation on the list of persons, groups and entities involved in terrorist acts - Applicability to situations of armed conflict - Terrorist group - Nature of, and underlying reasons for, the acts carried out - Distance in time - Ongoing risk of involvement in terrorist activities - Proportionality - Obligation to state reasons
• MEPs urge the EU to ensure its own security - See the Resolution
• The EU must support the political transition and reconstruction of Syria
• The European Parliament adopted human rights resolutions on Thailand, Sudan and Azerbaijan
• Answer given by HR/VP Kallas to a MEP written question - The situation in Viet Nam regarding human rights and labour rights

EU/RUSSIA/UKRAINE

• The EU must contribute to robust security guarantees for Ukraine - See the Resolution
• Consolidated version of the FAQs concerning sanctions against Russia and Belarus
• FAQs on oil imports concerning sanctions adopted following Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine
• Answer given by Ms Albuquerque to a MEP written question - Financial support for the Russian Federation – transport of Russian oil through the Baltic Sea
• War in Ukraine: the Court of Justice confirms the restrictive measures adopted against Mr Igor Shuvalov, former Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Government (See CPR Nº 33/2025 - Judgment of the Court of Justice in Case C-271/24 P, Shuvalov Vs. Council)