The EU Commission has appointed Emanuele Tarantino as Chief Competition Economist at the Directorate-General for Competition. The department ensures that all companies compete equally and fairly on their merits within the single market.
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Adapt2 Solutions, Inc. (‘Adapt2′) by Blackstone Inc. (‘Blackstone’) and Vista Equity Partners Management, LLC (‘Vista’), all of the US.
The transaction relates primarily to the provision of energy trading and power settlement software.
For the Flag State Directive, the co-legislators agreed to incorporate the relevant International Maritime Organization (IMO) rules (the International Instruments Code, or III-Code) into EU law. This ensures these rules can be enforced on ships flagged in the EU Member States. Member States will also need to carry out an agreed number of flag State inspections each year and to provide for the digitalisation of Member States’ statutory ship certificates,
MEPs agreed with drivers assessing their own fitness to drive when a driving licence is being issued and renewed, letting EU countries decide if the self-assessment should be replaced by a medical examination with a minimum set of checks on drivers’ eyesight and cardiovascular conditions amongst others. However, MEPs want EU governments to put more effort into raising public awareness of mental and physical signals that may put a person
MEPs adopt their first reading position about EU supplementary certificates enabling longer protection of patented medicinal and plant protection products. Innovative medicines and pesticides should enjoy 5-year longer EU-wide patent protection on top of 20-year protection of patent to compensate for lengthy testing requirements before these products are placed on the EU market. Unitary supplementary protection certificates aim to cover costs invested into research of innovative substances at the EU
Judicial and law enforcement authorities in Italy, Latvia and Lithuania have taken concerted action against a large-scale money laundering business, centring around a Lithuanian financial institution. Since 2017, an estimated EUR 2 billion has been laundered by two main suspects via a worldwide web of shell companies. The suspects, who now have been detained, offered money laundering online as a service to criminals.
Today the UK and US have announced a number of sanctions against those that support, enable or deliver work of the Houthis, the Iran-backed proxy group in Yemen responsible for widespread attacks against commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The UK will today sanction 2 individuals and 3 organisations for their role in providing financial or military support to the Houthis, in order to expose and disrupt their efforts to
Port state control (PSC) is a system of inspection of foreign ships in ports of states other than the flag state by PSC officers, to verify that the competency of the master, officers and crew on board, the condition of a ship, and its equipment comply with the requirements of international conventions and, in the EU, with applicable EU law. As such, PSC is important in ensuring maritime safety and
On 27 February 2024, the EU gender equality ministers have met in Brussels to look back at the series of achievements of the current term of the European Parliament and Commission and lay ground for the mandate of the next Parliament and Commission. The Belgian Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Equal Opportunities and Diversity Marie-Colline Leroy, chaired the informal ministerial meeting, held at the Egmont Palace in Brussels in
People in the Horn of Africa are facing mounting humanitarian needs as the region is plagued by multiple conflicts, climate extremes and economic shocks. Around 65 million are estimated to be in immediate need of assistance. The EU announced today an initial allocation of €171 million in humanitarian aid to the region. This funding is in addition to €72 million already announced for Sudan. Overall, the total initial allocation for
The set of rules agreed in the Joint Initiative on Services Domestic Regulation will streamline authorisation requirements and ease procedural hurdles faced by businesses around the globe, in particular micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. This agreement will help reduce the costs of global services trade by more than €110 billion every year, by ensuring transparency, efficiency and predictability of authorisation and qualification requirements and procedures.
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Wesco Aircraft Holdings, Inc. (‘Incora’) of the US by Allianz SE of Germany and Silver Point Capital, L.P. (‘Silver Point’) of the US. The transaction relates primarily to the provision of supply chain solutions in the defense, space, automotive and industrial sectors. The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns,
The project, funded under the 2014-2020 cohesion policy programming period, will involve the modernisation of railway tracks, overhead lines, telecommunications equipment, and water and sewage management. Stations will be upgraded, while flyovers, pedestrian bridges, and a pedestrian subway will be built. These features will allow passenger trains to travel at speeds up to 160 km/h at certain sections. The new rail infrastructure will ensure lower maintenance costs accompanied by a
The new EU Special Representative will continue the work of his predecessors to contribute to the implementation of the EU’s policy on human rights, EU’s positions on promoting compliance with international humanitarian law and support for international criminal justice. Furthermore, he will help establish a stronger European voice through dialogues on human rights with governments in third countries and international and regional organisations, as well as with civil society organisations
Today, the Council adopted new rules to improve European capital markets and strengthen investor protection in the EU. The directive adopted today amends the alternative investment fund managers directive, which governs managers of hedge funds, private equity funds, private debt funds, real estate funds and other alternative investment funds in the EU. The directive also modernises the framework for undertakings for collective investment in transferable securities (UCITS), i.e. plain-vanilla EU-harmonised
Workers are now better protected. For the first time in 40 years, the EU has revisited the limit values for occupational exposure to lead and its inorganic compounds, by reducing them fivefold. These reprotoxic substances can affect sexual function and fertility, and they may also damage the nervous system, among other things. In addition, the directive is the first-ever EU legislation to set limit values for diiosocyanates, a group of
Today the Council has formally adopted a regulation that transposes into EU law certain fisheries management, conservation and control measures in the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) convention area. The newly-adopted regulation also updates the multiannual management plan for bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean.
Today the Council has decided to prolong the restrictive measures linked to internal repression in Belarus and regime’s support for Russia’s war against Ukraine for another year, until 28 February 2025. The decision was taken on the basis of the annual review of the restrictive measures and in view of the continuing repression and drastically deteriorating human rights situation in Belarus, and the ongoing involvement of the country in Russia’s
The Council adopted today a regulation that will make instant payments fully available in euro to consumers and businesses in the EU and in EEA countries. The new rules will improve the strategic autonomy of the European economic and financial sector as they will help reduce any excessive reliance on third-country financial institutions and infrastructures. Improving the possibilities to mobilize cash-flows will bring benefits for citizens and companies and allow
Today, the Council adopted a regulation on the automated search and exchange of data for police cooperation. The new law will improve the existing framework – often referred to as Prüm I – which already allows law enforcement authorities to consult the national databases of other member states as regards DNA, fingerprint and vehicle registration data. The rules agreed today will broaden the data categories for which automated exchanges can
The aid will take the form of a direct grant and will support the construction of a direct reduction plant and three new electric arc furnaces. The new installations will replace two of the three existing blast furnaces and two of the four existing oxygen furnaces. The new direct reduction plant will initially operate with natural gas. Natural gas will be gradually phased out of the steel production processes to
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