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Europe Daily Bulletin No. 13640

Contents Publication in full By article 1 / 35
COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
TRANSPARENCY: European Commission failed to justify its refusal to grant access to text messages exchanged between its President and CEO of Pfizer, rules EU General Court

In a judgment handed down on Wednesday 14 May (Case T-36/23), the General Court of the European Union annulled the European Commission’s decision [C(2022)8371] of November 2022 to refuse a journalist access to text messages exchanged between its President, Ursula von der Leyen, and the CEO of the US pharmaceutical group Pfizer, Albert Bourla.

Relying on the Regulation on access to documents of the EU institutions, former New York Times Brussels correspondent Matina Stevis is challenging...

Contents

COURT OF JUSTICE OF THE EU
TRANSPARENCY: European Commission failed to justify its refusal to grant access to text messages exchanged between its President and CEO of Pfizer, rules EU General Court
EXTERNAL ACTION
UNITED KINGDOM: with five days to go to London Summit, EU27 once again criticise UK’s ‘cherry-picking’ attitude
MONTENEGRO: President of European Council shows support for Podgorica’s ambitions to join EU by 2028
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: António Costa calls for concrete reforms from Sarajevo in order to move forward in EU accession process
TRADE: transatlantic trade relations again at top of Trade Council’s agenda on Thursday 15 May
Russian invasion of Ukraine
RUSSIA: unanimous agreement in EU Council on a 17th package of European sanctions
TRADE: European Commission proposes to temporarily reinstate import quotas for Ukraine after 5 June
SECTORAL POLICIES
AGRICULTURE: European Commission proposes to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens on farmers
FOOD SAFETY: risk to human health from pesticide residues remains low, according to EFSA
SINGLE MARKET: European Commission launches initiatives to support startups and scaleups
ENVIRONMENT: EU Council and European Parliament will resume negotiations on priority hazardous substances to be monitored in water on 20 May
ENVIRONMENT: revision of REACH regulation will be guided by “speeding up procedures” and “simplification”, says Stéphane Séjourné
ENVIRONMENT: major exporters of timber to EU could be spared in classification of countries at risk under ‘deforestation regulation’
HOME AFFAIRS: Polish Presidency of EU Council submits new proposals in attempt to break deadlock on text on child sexual abuse material online
JUSTICE: insolvency law, balance between legal certainty and employee protection debated by European Parliament's Committee on Legal Affairs
TRANSPORT: MEPs condemn EU Council for failing to comply with legislation on air passenger rights
ENERGY: European Commission launches call for evidence with view to publishing legislative package for networks at end of 2025
ENERGY: energy ministers, advocates of nuclear power and Friends of Renewables”, meet on sidelines of their informal meeting
ENERGY: regulation on gas storage – interinstitutional negotiations have begun
CONSUMERS/TOURISM: S&D group proposes regulating short-term rentals to harmonise rules across EU and tackle housing crisis
SOCIAL AFFAIRS - EMPLOYMENT
EMPLOYMENT: e-declaration for posting of workers – Polish Presidency of EU Council will seek ministerial agreement on 22 May
SOCIAL: rules on coordination of social security schemes, EU co-legislators’ negotiation meeting scheduled for 19 May postponed
ECONOMY - FINANCE - BUSINESS
FINANCE: ‘retail investment’, European Parliament wants to take simplification proposed by European Commission further
INSTITUTIONAL
EUROPEAN COMMISSION: former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn appointed EU Special Envoy for Cyprus
DEMOCRACY: Christian Democrats join forces with conservatives and far right in European Parliament to bog down European Ethics Body
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS - SOCIETAL ISSUES
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: withdrawal of Horizontal Anti-Discrimination Directive - Hadja Lahbib provides clarification for MEPs
FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS: 2025 edition of International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association’s ‘rainbow map’ warns of a decline in LGBTI rights in Europe
NEWS BRIEFS
BIOTECHNOLOGY: European Commission seeks input on European Biotech Act
MONEY LAUNDERING: EU Council approves appointment of members of Executive Board of future ‘AMLA’
EUROPEAN COURT OF AUDITORS: MEPs back Croatian candidate for Court of Auditors
ECONOMY/DEFENCE: continued negotiations in EU Council on ‘SAFE’ instrument, designed to help Member States increase their military spending
ENERGY/TRANSPORT: according to IEA, sales of electric cars in Europe expected to reach 25% share by 2025
SPORT: BeInclusive EU Sport Awards - winners announced
TRANSPORT: MEPs back agreement with EU Council on driving licence revision and driving disqualification
Op-Ed
SPACE op-ed: Regions Can Help the EU Space Act Take Off - by Vincenzo Colla, Artur Lima & Miquel Sàmper