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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 12903

4 March 2022
Contents Publication in full By article 22 / 35
EU RESPONSE TO COVID-19 / State aid
€687 million Italian support scheme approved for commercial rail operators affected by Covid-19
Brussels, 03/03/2022 (Agence Europe)

On Wednesday 2 March, the European Commission authorised a €687 million Italian aid scheme to compensate commercial long-distance rail passenger service providers for damage suffered between 1 July 2020 and 30 April 2021 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Beneficiaries will be entitled to compensation in the form of direct grants for the damage suffered during the relevant period.

Since the start of the pandemic, the Italian government has implemented a range of measures to limit the...

Contents

Russian invasion of Ukraine
MIGRATION: EU interior ministers unanimously agree to activate directive on immediate protection of Ukrainian refugees
DEFENCE: even if it supplies arms to Ukraine, EU is “not a belligerent”, says senior European official
MOLDOVA: EU announces additional financial support for Chișinău
ENERGY: IEA presents 10-point plan to reduce EU dependence on Russian gas
COHESION: Elisa Ferreira announces imminent initiative to address refugee crisis caused by Russia-Ukraine war
ECONOMY: Poland and Lithuania want to exclude more Russian banks from SWIFT
COUNCIL OF EUROPE: European Court of Human Rights suspends Ukrainian cases
UN: EU calls UN General Assembly vote historic
RUSSIA: EU denounces media censorship and repression of anti-war protesters
ECB: Renew Europe group in European Parliament calls for measures to facilitate convertibility of Ukrainian hryvnia into EU currencies
EXTERNAL ACTION
ENLARGEMENT: Georgia and Moldova also apply for EU membership
SECTORAL POLICIES
HOME AFFAIRS: first political steering meeting for Schengen area overshadowed by war in Ukraine
MIGRATION: war in Ukraine makes Paris’ approach to ‘Migration and Asylum Pact’ even more relevant, says Gérald Darmanin
JUSTICE: EU Member States want to encourage initiatives to combat antisemitism and racism
ENVIRONMENT : towards an EU Sustainable Products Regulation setting ecodesign and information requirements for almost all products
CLIMATE: ‘Fit for 55' package, French Presidency of EU Council takes stock of negotiations between Member States
TRANSPORT: ‘ReFuelEU Aviation’, future availability of alternative fuels debated in European Parliament Committee
DIGITAL: Bart Groothuis insists on need for clear rules for companies to ensure common high level of cybersecurity
HEALTH: sixteen EU Member States launch an important project of common European interest in health
REGIONS/CITIES: for Elisa Ferreira, reflection on future of cohesion “must start now”
EU RESPONSE TO COVID-19
HEALTH: EU Council mandates European Commission to negotiate a WHO international agreement on pandemics to be adopted by 2024
STATE AID: €687 million Italian support scheme approved for commercial rail operators affected by Covid-19
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
TAXATION: Ukrainian crisis worries MEPs over energy supply
STATE AID: European Commission approves 2022-2027 regional aid map for Malta
INSTITUTIONAL
BUDGET/RULE OF LAW: European Parliament will ask European Commission to apply conditionality mechanism to countries concerned
COURT OF AUDITORS: “We have not been able to identify any problems concerning the legality of the expenditure”, defends EU Court of Auditors
COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
ENVIRONMENT: approved environmental association may make legal challenge over approval of defeat devices fitted to motor vehicles
NEWS BRIEFS
CLIMATE/FINANCE: additional delegated act on EU taxonomy, scenarios considered in European Parliament for objecting
INDUSTRY: EIB announces €600 million loan to support semiconductor sector in Italy and France
INTERNAL MARKET: market surveillance; European Commission has launched consultation period on procedures for designating testing facilities
MOZAMBIQUE: Borrell calls for financial support for EUTM-trained military units
DIGITAL: Council of Europe and European Commission organise cyber security training
FISHERIES: EU plays key role in global shark trade, denounces IFAW
TRANSPORT: European Commission consults on future revision of Air Services Regulation
CORRIGENDUM
FINANCE: European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs has only issued an opinion on corporate sustainability reporting