Europe Daily News, 20 March 2025

COMPETITION

• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11928 - Oakley Capital / Eurazeo / Bridewell)
• Prior notification of a concentration (Case M.11869 - Stone Point / HPS / MDP / Ardonagh)
• Commission clears creation of joint venture by Alat and TKE (M.11925) - Midday Express
• Commission clears acquisition of Heller by H.I.G. Capital (M.11888) - Midday Express
• Competition and labour - A Trade Union Reading of EU Competition Policies - see the ETUC Report
• Belgium - Notification - MEDE.CCS.25-0004 - Südwest Beteiligungen GMBH / Van Merksteijn Steel Group B.V.
• Denmark - The Competition and Consumer Authority meets with the major grocery chains
• Germany - Ongoing district heating proceedings – suspicion of unlawful price adjustment clauses substantiated
• UK - The CMA clears poultry feed deal - An independent inquiry group has cleared Boparan’s deal to buy ForFarmers’ Burston and Radstock feed mills
• UK - The CMA has cleared the completed acquisition by Iberdrola, S.A. (through its subsidiary Scottish Power Energy Networks Holdings Ltd) of North West Electricity Networks (Jersey) Ltd.

STATE AID

• Authorisation for State aid pursuant to Articles 107 and 108 of the TFEU - Cases where the Commission raises no objections – SA.117187 & SA.107658

TRADE & CUSTOMS

• Agenda for: Working Party on Customs Union - 25 March 2025
• Agenda for: Trade Policy Committee (Deputies) / Attachés & experts - 25 March 2025
• Commission Regulation (EU) …/… of XXX amending Regulation (EU) No 142/2011 as regards requirements for the import of used cooking oil - See the Annex
• Commission notice concerning the application of the Regional Convention on pan-Euro-Mediterranean preferential rules of origin or the protocols on rules of origin providing for diagonal cumulation between the Contracting Parties to this Convention
• Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2025/512 of 13 March 2025 on technical arrangements for developing, maintaining and employing electronic systems for the exchange and storage of information under Regulation (EU) No 952/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council
• Minutes of the 1st EU-New Zealand FTA specialised Committee on Wine and Spirits Annex Meeting - 02 & 03 December 2024
• Answer given by Mr Šefčovič to a MEP written question - Objection to the EU-Mercosur agreement
• MEP Siegbert Frank Droese wants to limit exports of Ukrainian products - See the Draft Recommendation
• WTO - Colombia formally accepts Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies
• WTO - Members discuss role of digital industrialization, technology transfer in enhancing e-commerce
• WTO - Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - Notification - European Union - Feed additives - Pine white essential oil from Pinus pinaster Aiton
• WTO - Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - Notification - European Union - Pests : Anoplophora glabripennis (Motschulsky) and Anoplophora chinensis
• WTO - Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - Notification - European Union - Feed additives - Juniper essential oil and juniper tincture from Juniperus communis L.
• EU rifts open even before Trump trade war gets rolling - An early show of European unity is being tested as capitals seek cover from U.S. president’s tariff onslaught - Politico.eu
• EU probes BYD plant in Hungary over unfair Chinese subsidies - Investigation comes as Viktor Orbán has attracted large Chinese investments to his country - Financial Times
• UK must be more ambitious in rebuilding EU relations, says business group - British Chambers of Commerce head says recent warm words about post-Brexit reset are ‘not nearly enough’ - Financial Times

INTERNAL MARKET & INDUSTRY

• EU boosts innovation with new European partnerships in advanced materials, textiles and photovoltaics
• Commission's Action Plan to secure a competitive and decarbonised steel and metals industry in Europe
  - see the Communication, Q&As and FactSheet and the Remarks by EVP Séjourné
• Open publication: Drug trafficking – controlling chemicals used to make illegal drugs (update of EU list) - Delegated regulation - Feedback period: 20 March 2025 - 17 April 2025
• Consumer protection: a contractual term obliging a young sportsman to transfer part of his income if he becomes a professional athlete may be unfair (See CPR No.36/2025 - Judgment of the Court in Case C-365/23; SIA « A » Vs. C, D, E)

FINANCE

• Commission unveils Savings and Investments Union strategy to enhance financial opportunities for EU citizens and businesses
  - see the Communication, Q&As and FactSheet and the Remarks by Commissioner Albuquerque
• Special report 07/2025: The EFSI – Contributed substantially to addressing the investment gap, but had not fully reached the € 500 billion target in the real economy by the end of 2022
• The EBA launches call for papers for its 2025 Policy Research Workshop
• EU revives capital markets union plan to unlock trillions in savings - Financial services commissioner says Europeans need better incentives to invest rather than save - Financial Times

EMPLOYMENT & SOCIAL POLICY

• Main Results of the Tripartite Social Summit
• Main messages from the Tripartite Social Summit
• Statement by President von der Leyen and Speech by President António Costa following the Tripartite Social Summit

ENVIRONMENT & CLIMATE CHANGE

• Agenda for: Working Party on the Environment - 24 March 2025
• Meeting of the Council (Environment) - 27 March 2025
  - Transboundary shipment of waste - improving accessibility of information for competent authorities and control bodies, including in cases of illegal shipment of waste - Information from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Romania and Slovakia
• Open publication: Carbon storage – oil and gas producers’ contributions to the EU’s 2030 storage objective - Delegated regulation - Feedback period: 19 March 2025 - 16 April 2025
• Proposal for a Directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2008/98/EC on waste - Analysis of the final compromise text with a view to an agreement
• Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2025/530 of 30 October 2024 amending Annexes I and III to Council Regulation (EC) No 2173/2005 following a Voluntary Partnership Agreement with the Republic of Ghana for a Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) licensing scheme for imports of timber into the European Union

AGRICULTURE & FISHERIES

• Meeting of the “Agriculture & Fisheries” Council - 24 March 2025
  - High-level conference “Common Agricultural Policy for food security” (Warsaw, 5 March 2025) - Information from the Presidency
  - Background note on EU Aquaculture campaign: an important EU sector, working with passion - Information from the Commission
  - Amending Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 to include the purchase of breeding animals as eligible EAFRD expenditure - Information from Romania
  - Background note on Implementation of the provisions of Article 14 of the Fisheries Control regulation for permitted margin of tolerance (MOT) applied in small pelagic fishery landed unsorted - Information from Latvia and Lithuania
• Commissioner Hansen in the Netherlands to present the Vision for Agriculture and Food - Midday Express

DIGITAL & INFORMATION SOCIETY

• Commission sends preliminary findings to Alphabet under the Digital Markets Act
• Commission welcomes new initiative to support European cultural and linguistic diversity in the field of artificial intelligence
• Commission provides guidance under Digital Markets Act to facilitate development of innovative products on Apple's platforms - see the Q&A on the specification decisions
• Europe tries to fix its plumbing — and leave Starlink behind - Many governments outside the US do not want to rely on Elon Musk’s satellite company - Financial Times

DATA PRIVACY & CYBERSECURITY

• Agenda for: Working Party on Data Protection - 26 March 2025
• Commission Implementing Decision of XXX amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1772 of 28 June 2021 pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the adequate protection of personal data by the United Kingdom
• Commission Implementing Decision of XXX amending Implementing Decision (EU) 2021/1773 of 28 June 2021 pursuant to Directive (EU) 2016/680 of the European Parliament and of the Council on the adequate protection of personal data by the United Kingdom
• Opinion of Advocate General Campos Sànchez-Bordona of 20 March 2025 in Case C‑655/23, IP Vs. Quirin Privatbank AG
  Re: Preliminary ruling proceedings -Protection of personal data - Regulation (EU) 2016/679 - Article 5(1)(a) - Article 6(1) - Article 17 - Article 18 - Article 79(1) - Article 82(1) - Right to require the non-recurrence of unlawful processing - Right to compensation - Non-material damage - Assessment
• France - CNIL: Conclusions of the Lasserre mission on data protection and competition: deepening the dialogue - 18 March 2025

ECB, EURO & ECONOMY

• Debt Sustainability Monitor 2024 - Report by DG Economic and Financial Affairs
• Speech by Christine Lagarde: Hearing of the Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament
• Liquidity conditions and monetary policy operations from 23 October 2024 to 4 February 2025 - ECB Economic Bulletin No.2/2025
• The Role of National Promotional Banks and Institutions (NBPIs) in the Implementation of UN Agenda 2030 in Europe - Scientific paper by DG Economic and Financial Affairs

FUTURE OF EUROPE

• Agenda for: Meeting of the European Council, 20 & 21 March 2025

EXTERNAL RELATIONS

• Joint Statement by HR/VP Kallas and Commissioner Kos on the recent events concerning Istanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu
• International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination: Statement by the High Representative on behalf of the EU
• Answer given by Mr Síkela to a MEP written question - Embargo on minerals labelled as originating from Rwanda
• Zambia: Statement by the Spokesperson on the abolition of the death penalty

EU/RUSSIA/UKRAINE

• Commission delivers a further €1 billion to Ukraine under its part of the G7 loan, to be repaid with proceeds from immobilised Russian assets
• UK OFS - Penalty issued against subsidiary of major law firm for breaches of sanctions linked to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
• Europe is about to make its biggest strategic mistake - Control over Moscow’s blocked foreign reserves empowers the EU to shape how the Ukraine war ends - Financial Times

DEFENCE

• Remarks by HR/VP Kallas and Commissioner Kubilius on the White Paper for European Defence and the ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030
• Poland and UK discuss defence spending as Europe moves to re-arm - Financial Times