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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 12616

5 December 2020
Contents Publication in full By article 22 / 31
ECONOMY - FINANCE / State aid
Madeira ‘Free Zone’ scheme breaches EU rules, says European Commission
Brussels, 04/12/2020 (Agence Europe)

On Friday 4 December, the European Commission found that implementation of the aid scheme for the Madeira Free Zone (Regime III) in Portugal does not comply with State aid rules.

The Commission argued that the investigation showed that planned tax reductions were applied to companies that made no real contribution to the region’s development, including jobs created outside Madeira (and even outside the EU), in breach of the conditions of EU state aid rules.

Portugal must now recover the...

Contents

INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET: guarantees must be given to avoid “arbitrary” use of ‘Rule of law mechanism’, according to Charles Michel
BUDGET: EU Council and European Parliament reach interim agreement on 2021 budget
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: four MEPs from Five Star Movement expected to join Greens/EFA group
EXTERNAL ACTION
UNITED KINGDOM: negotiations are continuing between London and Commission to reach agreement on post-Brexit relationship in next few days
FOREIGN AFFAIRS: transatlantic relations and strategic autonomy on EU Council’s agenda
TURKEY: EU could impose sanctions, warns Charles Michel
OACPS: political agreement between EU and 79 ACP countries on a modernised post-Cotonou partnership will be initialled in January
SECTORAL POLICIES
FISHERIES: EU institutions seal compromise on 2021-2027 EMFF
FISHERIES: EU lifts Kiribati’s yellow card following its efforts to fight illegal fishing 
JUSTICE: European Parliament to vote on 7 December on legislative proposals on electronic evidence
TERRORISM: EU27 insist on religious training, strengthened external borders and fight against online hate
TRANSPORT: mobility strategy, an essential roadmap to enable von der Leyen Commission to honour its climate commitments
ENERGY: Member States’ divisions over different types of hydrogen cause difficulties in adopting EU Council conclusions
ENERGY: International Energy Agency is concerned about lack of progress in energy efficiency at global level
ENERGY: NGO report criticises lack of sufficient measures to combat energy poverty in Central and Eastern Europe
CLIMATE: managing EU forests differently could mean them absorbing twice as much CO2 each year, says Greenpeace
COHESION: regions rather satisfied with agreement on umbrella regulation
SOCIAL AFFAIRS
SOCIAL: European Parliament and Council of the EU meet once again to discuss Regulation on coordination of social security systems
SOCIAL: Portuguese Presidency will organise a Social Summit on 7 and 8 May 2021
ECONOMY - FINANCE
FINANCE: EU Council sets its immediate priorities for Capital Markets Union
STATE AID: European Commission asks Italy to end tax exemptions for ports
STATE AID: Madeira ‘Free Zone’ scheme breaches EU rules, says European Commission
NEWS BRIEFS
CLIMATE: United Kingdom sets new ambitious target of 68% reduction in emissions by 2030
ENERGY: Denmark commits to cease all new oil and gas exploration in North Sea and to end current production in 2050
MOLDOVA: EU concerned about passing of legislation on limitation of presidential powers
OSCE: Borrell welcomes appointment of Helga Schmid as Secretary General of organisation
REGIONS: Twenty-four regions demand to be integrated into European legislative process for Recovery Plan
EEAS: Stefano Sannino appointed Service’s Secretary General as of next 1 January
CALENDAR
Main activities of European Institutions: from 7 to 11 December 2020
CALENDAR EXTRA
Other events: until 11 December 2020
CORRIGENDUM
SOCIAL: clarification of Hubertus Heil’s comments on EU Council’s legal opinion on minimum wages