The EU Commission has approved a €1.2 billion Polish scheme to support investments in electricity storage facilities to foster the transition to a net-zero economy. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (‘TCTF’).
The Council today adopted a new regulation on the transparency and targeting of political advertising, aimed at countering information manipulation and foreign interference in elections. The regulation will make it easy for citizens to recognise political advertisements, understand who is behind them and know whether they have received a targeted advertisement, so that they are better placed to make informed choices. It will also ensure that political advertising takes place
Today, EU employment and social affairs ministers confirmed the provisional agreement reached on 8 February 2024 between the Council’s presidency and the European Parliament’s negotiators on the platform work directive. This EU legal act aims to improve working conditions and regulate the use of algorithms by digital labour platforms. The directive will make the use of algorithms in human resources management more transparent, ensuring that automated systems are monitored by
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of WESTFA Energy GmbH (‘WESTFA’) by Mabanaft GmbH & Co. KG (‘Mabanaft’), both of Germany. The transaction relates primarily to the distribution of liquefied petroleum gas (‘LPG’). The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the companies’ limited combined market position resulting from the proposed transaction.
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Alteryx, Inc. by Clearlake Capital Group L.P. (‘Clearlake’) and Insight Venture Management LLC (‘Insight’), all of the US. The transaction relates primarily to the IT sector, in particular to computer software products. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given that Alteryx has negligible activities in the European Economic
The European Commission has approved a €750 million Italian scheme to support small and medium-sized companies (“SMEs”) and mid-caps companies in the context of Russia’s war against Ukraine. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023 and amended on 20 November 2023, to support measures in sectors which are key to accelerate the green transition and reduce
Law enforcement actions within Europol’s Operational Task Force lead to series of arrests and searches targeting smugglers active along the Balkan route. A large-scale investigation under Europol’s Operational Task Force (OTF), involving law enforcement and judicial authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Slovenia with the informational support from Germany, has led to the dismantling of migrant smuggling networks active across the so-called Balkan route. The more than a year-long investigation
The Aliens Division of Attica within the Hellenic Police (Ellinikí Astynomía), supported by Europol, targeted a criminal network involved in document fraud and migrant smuggling activities. The criminal network, based in Athens, produced high-quality falsified travel and identification documents, which were used to enable irregular migrants to travel illegally across the EU and legalise their stay in their final destination country. The investigation led to four action days between September
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Auberge Resorts LLC by MSD Hospitality Partners L.P. and ARC Capital Holdings LLC, all of the US. The transaction relates primarily to the hospitality industry. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given that Auberge Resorts has negligible activities in the European Economic Area and that the companies are
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of VOLTERRA S.A. by MYTILINEOS S.A., both of Greece. The transaction relates primarily to the energy sector, particularly to the retail supply of electricity and natural gas. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the companies’ limited market positions resulting from the proposed transaction.
The European Commission has approved a €1.1 billion Italian scheme to support investments for the production of equipment necessary to foster the transition towards a net-zero economy, in line with the Green Deal Industrial Plan. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework, adopted by the Commission on 9 March 2023 and amended on 20 November 2023, to support measures in sectors which are key
Ministers discussed progress on the work to reach a common position on the late payment regulation. Ministers exchanged their views on the basis of a document prepared by the Belgian presidency. The main points of discussion were the choice of the legal instrument (directive or regulation) and the binding 30 day payment periods (whether they should be fixed or adapted to the situations in which businesses operate).
On 7 March 2024, the Finnish Government submitted to Parliament a proposal concerning the implementation of the amendments made to the guidelines of the Maritime Labour Convention of the International Labour Organization in 2022. The proposal would adopt the amendments and bring them into force at the national level. The amendments to the guidelines made in 2022 concern private employment services in the maritime sector and annual reporting of the
Following a dialogue with the European Commission and national consumer authorities, Tinder has committed to inform consumers that discounts they propose for premium services are personalised by automated means. Tinder uses automated means to, for exemple, identify consumers who showed little or no interest in their premium services at a standard price to subsequently offer them personalised discounts. Personalising discounts without explicitly informing consumers is unfair as it hinders them
As of today, Apple, Alphabet, Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and ByteDance, the six gatekeepers designated by the Commission in September 2023, have to fully comply with all obligations in the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The DMA aims to make digital markets in the EU more contestable and fairer. It establishes new rules for 10 defined core platform services, such as search engines, online marketplaces, app stores, online advertising and messaging, and
In its judgment, the Court of Justice confirms that the TC String contains information concerning an identifiable user and therefore constitutes personal data within the meaning of the GDPR. Where the information contained in a TC String is associated with an identifier, such as, inter alia, the IP address of the user’s device, that information may make it possible to create a profile of that user and to identify him
The law puts regulates the conditions under which criminal proceedings initiated in one member state may be transferred to another member state. The law will be critical in ensuring that the best-placed country investigates or prosecutes a criminal offence and in preventing unnecessary parallel proceedings (of the same suspect) in different EU member states.
Law enforcement and administration of justice in specific cases falls within the competence of national authorities. The European Commission has no competence to intervene in individual cases or to instruct law enforcement and judicial authorities. It is for national authorities to assess if they have jurisdiction and, if so, to decide whether they will launch investigations and then prosecute criminal offenses committed in the context of the Epstein scandal.
Member states’ EU ambassadors today agreed on the Council’s negotiating mandate on the Reform and Growth Facility for the Western Balkans.
The proposed facility is the centrepiece of the new Growth Plan for the Western Balkans, presented by the Commission in November 2023. It will support the EU’s Western Balkan partners in undertaking a comprehensive set of socio-economic and fundamentals reforms, including on the rule of law and fundamental
On 4 March 2023, the EU Member States, European Parliament and Commission reached a provisional political agreement on a proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste. Finland has taken an active part in the preparation of the regulation. The proposal that was agreed on can be evaluated in further detail only after its final content is available. The proposal is still pending formal adoption by the Member States
The “Cyber Solidarity Act”, informally agreed upon with the Belgian Presidency of the Council on Wednesday, aims to build a more resilient, collective EU response against cyber-threats. The legislative proposal seeks to bolster the European Union’s ability to detect, prepare for, and respond to cybersecurity threats and incidents. The proposal’s key objectives include strengthening EU-wide detection and situational awareness of cyber threats, enhancing preparedness and response capabilities for significant cybersecurity
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