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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 12702

21 April 2021
Contents Publication in full By article 4 / 41
EU RESPONSE TO COVID-19 / Taxation/trade
Extension until end of 2021 of exemption from VAT and customs duties on imports of medical equipment

20/04/2021 (Agence Europe) – The European Commission announced on Tuesday 20 April its decision to extend, until 31 December 2021, the temporary exemption from customs duties and value added tax (VAT) on medical devices and protective equipment imported from non-Member States and deemed essential in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic. Taken in April 2020 at the height of the pandemic (see EUROPE B12461A11), the measure has been extended three times and was due to expire this...

Contents

EU RESPONSE TO COVID-19
HEALTH: European Medicines Agency recommends adding unusual thrombosis to list of very rare side effects of Johnson & Johnson vaccine
HEALTH: 651,000 EU-funded Covid-19 vaccines to be delivered to Western Balkans between May and August
HEALTH: Ursula von der Leyen and Mario Draghi want to involve civil society in their ‘global health’ project
TAXATION/TRADE: extension until end of 2021 of exemption from VAT and customs duties on imports of medical equipment
SECTORAL POLICIES
AGRICULTURE: green architecture, targeting of aid and ‘active farmer’ on agenda of 30 April negotiations between EU institutions on CAP
FISHERIES: MEPs call for measures to facilitate ban on discards at sea
CLIMATE: outcome of sixth round of interinstitutional negotiations over ‘Climate Law’ remains uncertain
CLIMATE: European Commission could consider adjacent system for road transport and buildings under reform of ETS
DIGITAL: MEPs want clear guidelines on data transfers to US
DIGITAL: European Commission inaugurates Vega, first of its eight supercomputers
MIGRATION: MEPs concerned about mental health of migrants in Greek island camps
SPACE: response to debris management can only be gradual and pragmatic, experts say
SPACE: EU Council looks at operations from space for Europe’s coastal areas
EXTERNAL ACTION
UNITED KINGDOM: EU Ministers reiterate their support for European Commission’s approach to London
UKRAINE: Mr Kuleba calls on international community to stand firm against Russia
IRAN: members of nuclear deal to continue their work next week
INDO-PACIFIC: EU Council calls for preparation of strategy by September 2021
AUSTRALIA: Valdis Dombrovskis stresses importance of sustainable development in EU-Australia trade agreement
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
FINANCE: European Commission wants to ensure that European financial supervision is still adequate
TAXATION: to be effective, “green” taxation must also be “fair”, warns European Commission
STATE AID: green light for restructuring aid to Polish Regional Railways
COMPETITION: ÖBB, DB and SNCB fined €48.5 million for customer allocation cartel
ECONOMY: euro area inflation confirmed at 1.3% in March
INSTITUTIONAL
RULE OF LAW: exchange of best practices and various remarks to EU Council for second discussion on Commission’s annual report
ENLARGEMENT: EU Council is expected to address this thorny issue in June
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT: S&D group in European Parliament addresses issue of transnational lists in EU elections once again
MULTILINGUALISM: digital green certificate proposal favours English, criticises GEM+ association
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
MEDIA: “EU seems powerless” to defend press freedom, says Reporters Without Borders
COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
JUSTICE: Malta’s system for appointing judges complies with EU law, Court confirms
COUNCIL OF EUROPE
COUNCIL OF EUROPE: Angela Merkel tells Parliamentary Assembly that Council of Europe’s role could be decisive in meeting new challenges
COUNCIL OF EUROPE: Parliamentary Assembly contributes to definition of Council of Europe’s ‘strategic priorities’
NEWS BRIEFS
ENERGY: ‘Renovation Wave’ Strategy and integration of energy system on agenda of informal meeting of EU Member States’ ministers
ENERGY: IEA forecasts a major rebound in energy-related CO2 emissions
ENVIRONMENT: European Commission launches consultation to assess effectiveness of ‘INSPIRE’ Directive
SPACE: European Commission and ESA close to finalising agreement on FFPA
INDIA: Prime Minister Modi cancels EU/India summit on 8 May
JUSTICE: EU Council adopts 2021-2027 ‘Justice’ and ‘Rights and Values’ programmes
MIGRATION: more Ukrainians applied for asylum in EU in February
DIGITAL: EU Council gives green light to Cybersecurity Competence Centre in Bucharest
PALESTINE: Mr Borrell calls for elections to be held across Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem
TERRORISM: European Parliament committee approves agreement on regulation for removal of terrorist content online