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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13319

22 December 2023
Contents Publication in full By article 39 / 43
NEWS BRIEFS / Economy
Payment to Ukraine of final instalment of macro-financial assistance for 2023

Brussels, 21/12/2023 (Agence Europe) – On Thursday 21 December, the European Commission paid the final instalment of €1.5 billion to Ukraine as part of the EU’s €18 billion macro-financial assistance package for 2023. This assistance will be used to finance the immediate needs of the country, faced with Russian military aggression: payment of civil servants’ salaries and pensions, maintenance of public services and repair of critical infrastructure. According to a Commission...

Contents

Christmas: Winter break
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
Interview SOCIAL: Elisabetta Gualmini calls on Member States, particularly France, to support agreement with European Parliament on digital platform workers so as not to “kill social Europe”
SOCIAL: in Council of EU, fate of provisional agreement with European Parliament on digital platform workers remains highly uncertain
COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
COMPETITION: prior approval by FIFA and UEFA of interclub football competitions is contrary to EU law, says Court of Justice
COMPETITION: UEFA and URBSFA rules on home-grown footballers may be contrary to EU law, says Court of Justice
COMPETITION: CJEU confirms illegality of International Skating Union’s rules on authorisation of competitions and participation of athletes
COMPETITION: litigious prohibition of merger agreement between UPS and TNT, Court puts an end to UPS’s claim for damages
RULE OF LAW: EU Court of Justice declares inadmissible a request for a preliminary ruling from Review Chamber of Polish Supreme Court
JUSTICE: CJEU confirms that a European Delegated Prosecutor must confine himself to questions relating to implementation of cross-border investigative measures
HOME AFFAIRS: Court clarifies conditions for refusal to execute European arrest warrant in case of mother with young children
CONSUMERS: EU Court of Justice clarifies consumer rights in car leasing contracts
TRANSPORT/SOCIAL: CJEU dismisses Commission’s action against Denmark concerning 25-hour maximum parking time limit at Danish motorway service stations
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
ECONOMY: reform of Stability and Growth Pact, EU Council adopts its negotiating mandate with European Parliament
ECB: Governing Council proceeds with regular five-yearly adjustment to ECB’s capital key
STATE AID: European Commission approves a French aid measure worth €1.3 billion to support low-carbon flexibility technologies
COMPETITION: European Commission authorises €17.7 billion Italian scheme to support construction of electricity storage facilities
TAXATION: Belgium commits to making progress on taxation files at EU Council in 2024
TAXATION: Brussels Court of Appeal overturns decision of Belgian Data Protection Authority to prohibit transfer of tax data to United States
EXTERNAL ACTION
UNITED KINGDOM: EU Council approves extension of rules of origin on electric vehicles and batteries until end of 2026
SERBIA: following outcry over results of legislative elections, Belgrade announces that new elections will be held in certain regions of country
CHINA: EU-China Summit remains “a dialogue of the deaf” for EU trade concerns, according to Alicia García-Herrero of Bruegel
MIDDLE EAST: ECSA welcomes enhanced EU engagement in Red Sea
TRADE: World Trade Organization says it has reached a “key stage” in regulation of e-commerce
TRADE: EU agri-food trade in September slightly up on summer, according to European Commission
SECTORAL POLICIES
HEALTH: HERA will continue in 2024 to strengthen EU’s preparedness for future health threats
MIGRATION: European Parliament/EU Council agreement on ‘Pact on Migration and Asylum’ provokes mixed reactions
ENERGY: ACER identifies obstacles to integration of distributed energy resources in Europe and puts forward nine recommendations to promote flexibility in electricity system
ENERGY: ACER welcomes ENTSO-E’s ‘Winter Outlook’ but stresses importance of coordinated analysis for security of electricity supply in Europe
CLIMATE: Europeans in favour of fighting climate change, unless this involves significant loss of income, according to Bruegel
BREACHES OF EU LAW
ENVIRONMENT: European Commission refers Ireland to Court of Justice for its failure to impose sanctions against invasive alien species
ENVIRONMENT: European Commission refers Spain to EU Court of Justice for failure to comply with urban wastewater standards
SEA: maritime spatial planning, European Commission takes Greece to Court of Justice
ENERGY/CLIMATE: European Commission urges Bulgaria, Austria and Poland to submit updated national energy and climate plans
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: electoral access for people with disabilities, European Disability Forum denounces Commission’s incomplete approach to disparities between Member States
NEWS BRIEFS
AGRICULTURE: ‘Formatge Garrotxa / Queso Garrotxa’, Spain's new geographical indication
STATE AID: green light for Spanish aid worth €400 million to help farmers pay certain insurance premiums
HUMANITARIAN AID: EU allocates a further €2.6 million in humanitarian aid to Malian refugees in Mauritania
EDUCATION: Eurydice launches interactive digital platform on 2021/2022 salaries of teachers and school heads in Europe
ECONOMY: payment to Ukraine of final instalment of macro-financial assistance for 2023
RESEARCH: EuroHPC launches call to select host entities for at least two European quantum computers
RESEARCH: EuroHPC JU announces inauguration of European supercomputer MareNostrum 5 in Spain
HEALTH: European Commission has allegedly failed to meet its transparency obligations in its dealings with tobacco lobbyists
Op-Ed
Op-ed: Europe’s ‘climate election’, listening to voters’worries in 2024 is key to the green transition - by Brieuc Van Damme