Daily News 29 / 07 / 2020

European Commission secures EU access to Remdesivir for treatment of COVID-19

Yesterday, the European Commission has signed a contract with the pharmaceutical company Gilead to secure treatment doses of Veklury, the brand name for Remdesivir. As from early August onwards, and in order to meet immediate needs, batches of Veklury will be made available to Member States and the UK, with the coordination and support of the Commission. The Commission's Emergency Support Instrument will finance the contract, worth a total of €63 million. This will ensure the treatment of approximately 30,000 patients presenting severe COVID-19 symptoms. This will help to cover the current needs over the next few months, while ensuring a fair distribution at EU level, based on an allocation key, taking into account the advice from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The Commission is now also preparing a joint procurement for further supplies of the medicine, expected to cover additional needs and supplies as from October onwards. Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, said: “In recent weeks, the Commission has been working tirelessly with Gilead to reach an agreement to ensure that stocks of the first treatment authorised against COVID-19 are delivered to the EU. A contract has been signed yesterday, less than a month after the authorisation of Remdesivir, which will allow the delivery of treatments from early August for thousands of patients. The Commission is leaving no stone unturned in its efforts to secure access to safe and efficient treatments, and is supporting the development of vaccines against coronavirus. Yesterday's agreement is another important step forward in our fight to overcome this disease.” A press release is available online. (For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker – Tel.: +32 229 84680; Darragh Cassidy – Tel.: +32 229 83978)

Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative: EU countries make good use of the increased flexibility to spend their cohesion policy funding

Today, the Commission is publishing a first, provisional evaluationof how EU Member States have been making use of the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative (CRII) packages. Since the adoption of the first CRII proposal, Member States have mobilised with unprecedented speed vast amounts of cohesion policy resources to fight the coronavirus crisis. So far, 26 EU countries and the UK have made use of the flexibilities provided for under the CRII, and 18 countries have adjusted their cohesion policy programmes accordingly. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira,said: “The results we are publishing today show that the Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative packages are a much needed help for our Member States. They have provided the legal means for countries to readapt their investment plans and quickly mobilise EU funding to areas most in need, such as health sectors as well as employment and SMEs support.” Moreover, thanks to CRII and the modification of Commission's internal procedures to allow for a swift treatment of all requests, programme modifications could be introduced and executed at record speed. As a result, there are 88 confirmed coronavirus relevant programme amendments from 18 countries, and many more are to come in the next few weeks. More information on the results so far is available in this factsheet. The Coronavirus Response Investment Initiative website is also presenting concrete examples of results from EU countries. The Commission is expected to publish a report on CRII packages results in October 2020. (For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker – Tel.: +32 229 84680; Sara Soumillion – Tel.: + 32 229 67094)

Coronavirus Global Response: 45 EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flights deliver over 1,000 tonnes of medical aid

Following a new EU Humanitarian Air Bridge flight to South Sudan today carrying 41 tonnes of supplies, the Commission has now coordinated and financed the delivery of over 1,100 tons of medical equipment to critical areas in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Countries supported include Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iran, Sudan, South Sudan, Haiti, Somalia, Guinea Bissau, Iraq and Yemen. The 45 Air Bridge flights have also transported 1,475 medical and humanitarian staff since its launch on 8 May 2020. Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič who has been on several Air Bridge flights, said: “The EU has not backed away from global solidarity during the coronavirus pandemic. We need more cooperation and coordination at the international level to really get the pandemic under control. Our EU Air Bridge flights have made a real difference to countries with fragile health systems. We will continue working both at home in Europe and internationally to support our partners facing this common challenge.” In addition to providing transport capacities, the EU has also provided diplomatic support to facilitate access for the humanitarian delivery. The EU is coordinating closely with and complementing UN flight operations managed by the World Food Programme. A press release is available online. (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 229 54578; Daniel Puglisi – Tel.: +32 229 69140)

Investment Plan supports Europe's first home-grown battery gigafactory in Sweden

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is investing $350 million (around €300 million) to support the financing of Europe's first home-grown gigafactory for lithium-ion battery cells, Northvolt Ett, in northern Sweden. The region's clean power base will enable Northvolt to utilise 100% renewable energy within its production processes. The financing is supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), the main pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe. Vice-President in charge of the European Battery Alliance, Maroš Šefčovič, said: “The EIB and the Commission are strategic partners under the EU Battery Alliance, working closely with the industry and Member States to put Europe on a firm path towards global leadership in this strategic sector. Northvolt has been among our frontrunners, set to build Europe's first home-grown Gigafactory for lithium-ion battery cells, with a minimal carbon footprint. By supporting this state-of-the-art project, we also confirm our resolve to boost Europe's resilience and strategic autonomy in key industries and technologies.” The press release is available here. The projects and agreements approved for financing under the Investment Plan are expected to mobilise €514 billion in investments, of which €14.3 billion is in Sweden. (For more information: Marta Wieczorek – Tel.: +32 229 58197; Siobhán Millbright – Tel.: +32 229 57361)

Coronavirus: easier access to finance for business of the Cultural and Creative sectors

Today, the Commission and the European Investment Fund (EIF) have launched new support measures for cultural and creative businesses to access finance more easily. The EIF will provide more flexibility in its guarantees and counter-guarantees to financial intermediaries with the ultimate goal of alleviating the resulting economic constraints caused by the coronavirus crisis. Concretely, businesses will for example benefit from extensions of repayment terms or temporary credit interruptions. This will help various creative sectors including news media, audiovisual, design, visual arts, music, architecture sub-sectors. Thierry Breton, Commissioner for Internal Market, said: “The social and economic shock caused by the coronavirus pandemic is unprecedented in our generation. The creative and cultural sector has been particularly hard-hit a sector that touches our daily lives and helps to form our opinions, values, and our culture. That is why the revision of this financial tool is vital, to help this industry more easily access financing and thus weather the current storm.” The new support measures will be made available on the market from August 2020 and apply retroactively to loans due from 1 April 2020. This will be done under the existing €251 million Cultural and Creative Sectors Guarantee Facility via a new call. It will benefit existing financial intermediaries already working with the European Investment Fund, as well as to new beneficiaries. The revision of this financial tool – that has already supported over 2,000 Cultural and Creative Sector enterprises across Europe – will enhance further access to finance for SMEs and Small Public Enterprises in the sector by incentivising financial intermediaries to provide more flexible terms and conditions on loans. More information in the press release.(For more information: Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 229 58615; Charles Manoury – Tel.: +32 229 13391)

Coronavirus: EU Consumer Protection authorities and the Commission complete checks to protect consumers from scams online

Today, the European Commission and the Consumer Protection Cooperation Network (CPC Network) published the results of the second high-level screenings on coronavirus scams, carried out in June, following the Commission's call to fight coronavirus-related misleading products and adverts. This follows on from the high-level screening of platforms carried out in May. Among 73 checks of major platforms, one-third (23 checks) found a significant number of dubious offers and advertisements. These companies were informed about the overall findings and gave updated reports on the measures they have been taking to tackle the issue. Didier Reynders, Commissioner for Justice, said: “Major online platforms continue to follow our call to work closely with the European Commission and national Consumer Protection Authorities. The most recent checks performed by these authorities demonstrate that it is no time to lower the guard. Cooperation among authorities and major actors of digital markets is a powerful and effective tool to protect consumers in these disruptive times.” Thanks to these activities, Google reported blocking or removing over 200 million coronavirus-related ads globally over the past months and eBay reported blocking or removing more than 31 million listings that violated their coronavirus policies. Facebook said they removed at least 2.3 million pieces of content from Facebook and Instagram worldwide related to coronavirus, with 27,000 removed within the EU during May. Most platforms reported a sharp decline in coronavirus-related product listings in the last weeks. For example, Amazon reported a 95% decrease in the weekly number of new product listings attempting to make coronavirus-related claims as compared to the March average, with Rakuten and Allegro reporting similar trends. CPC authorities will follow up on these findings and take enforcement measures where necessary and the network will continue its work on fraud topics. All information on how the Commission is working to prevent consumer scams related to coronavirus can be found here. (For more information: Adalbert Jahnz - Tel.: +32 229 53156; Guillaume Mercier - Tel.:+32 229 80564; Charles Manoury – Tel: +32 229 13391)

Commission extends post-programme framework for Greece

The European Commission has adopted a decision to extend the enhanced surveillance framework for Greece by six months, as provided for under Regulation (EU) No 472/2013 (part of the so-called ‘two-pack'). This extension is a normal and expected procedural step, on which Greece has been consulted, enabling the Commission to continue to support Greece's efforts to complete the delivery and implementation of reform commitments taken vis-à-vis the Eurogroup, following the successful completion of the third stability support programme. The next enhanced surveillance report will be published in September. More information on the enhanced surveillance framework for Greece is available here. (For more information: Marta Wieczorek – Tel.: +32 229 58197; Enda McNamara – Tel.: +32 229 64976)

EU-China High-Level Trade and Economic Dialogue

The European Union and China yesterday held their 8th High-Level Trade and Economic Dialogue (HED). Executive Vice-President Valdis Dombrovskis, accompanied by Commissioner for Trade Phil Hogan, met via videoconference with Chinese Vice-Premier Liu He accompanied by several Vice-Ministers. The HED focused on the joint response to coronavirus and global economic governance issues, bilateral trade and investment concerns, and cooperation in the area of financial services and taxation, as a follow up to discussions in the EU-China Summit on 22 June. Executive Vice-President Dombrovskis said: “The current crisis gives us no other option but to work hand in hand with our global partners, including China. By pulling together we can recover more quickly economically, and make progress on areas of mutual interest such as trade and investment relations. However, we also need to address sticking points such as reciprocity in the way our companies are treated. We will need to make further progress on these and other issues ahead of the next leaders' summit in the autumn.” Commissioner Hogan said: “EU-China bilateral and trade relations must be based on the key principles of reciprocity and level-playing field based on clear and predictable rules. Today I have called upon China to engage in serious reform of the multilateral system and its rulebook and to remove the existing barriers impeding access to the Chinese market of EU exporters of goods and services as well as of European investors. Such an approach by China would show a level of responsibility which reflects its economic and trade importance.” For more information, see a press release available online. (For more information: Daniel Rosario – Tel.: +32 229 56185; Kinga Malinowska – Tel.: +32 229 51383)

Aides d'État: La Commission autorise la deuxième modification d'un régime français pour soutenir la reprise de l'économie face à la crise liée au coronavirus

La Commission européenne a autorisé, en vertu des règles de l'UE en matière d'aides d'État, une deuxième modification d'un régime français visant à soutenir l'économie durant la flambée de coronavirus. Le régime existant a été approuvé le 21 mars 2020 (SA.56709) et modifié le 4 juin 2020 (SA.57502). Cet amendement complète la mesure existante sous la forme d'une garantie de financements de court terme fournis par les sociétés d'affacturage à leurs clients dès la réception d'un bon de commande. Contrairement à l'activité d'affacturage classique, les fournisseurs pourront ainsi bénéficier de liquidités sans attendre d'importants délais de paiement. Le régime a été approuvé conformément à l'encadrement temporaire relatif aux aides d'État. Cette mesure complète les dispositifs existants pour soutenir l'économie française dans le contexte de l'épidémie de coronavirus. Le budget estimé de la mesure de 20 milliards d'euros provient d'une réallocation du budget de 300 milliards d'euros prévu pour la précédente mesure de soutien. La Commission a considéré que la mesure notifiée par la France est compatible avec les conditions prévues par l'encadrement temporaire. En particulier, (i) elle couvre de nouvelles lignes de financement ayant une maturité inférieure à six mois, (ii) ces lignes de financement seront octroyées d'ici au 31 décembre 2020 au plus tard, (iii) la garantie de l'État couvre au maximum 90% du montant de la ligne de financement, et (iv) la garantie est rémunérée de manière adéquate. La Commission a conclu que la mesure notifié par la France était nécessaire, appropriée et proportionnée pour remédier à une perturbation grave de l'économie d'un État membre, conformément à l'article 107, paragraphe 3, point b), du traité sur le fonctionnement de l'Union européenne (TFUE), et aux conditions énoncées dans l'encadrement temporaire adopté par la Commission. Sur cette base, la Commission a autorisé la mesure en vertu des règles de l'UE en matière d'aides d'État. De plus amples informations sur l'encadrement temporaire et les autres mesures prises par la Commission pour faire face à l'impact économique de la pandémie de coronavirus sont disponibles ici. La version non confidentielle de la décision sera publiée sous le numéro SA.57989 dans le registre des aides d'État figurant sur le site web de la Commission consacré à la concurrence, dès que les éventuels problèmes de confidentialité auront été résolus. (Pour plus d'informations: Arianna Podesta – Tél.: +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tél.: +32 229 55344)

State aid: Commission approves €165 million Dutch measure to support the travel industry in the context of the coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved a €165 million Dutch measure to support the five Dutch Travel Guarantee Funds that operate package travel guarantee schemes in the Netherlands and that have been affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The measure was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The support, which will take the form of subsidised loans, aims to ensure that the five Funds have sufficient liquidity to guarantee all payments made by travellers for package tours that had to be cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak. By broadening the guarantee to vouchers offered by travel operators, the measure also encourages travellers to accept vouchers instead of direct repayment, mitigating the severe liquidity shortage that the Dutch travel industry is facing. The Commission found that the Dutch measure is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, (i) the reduced interest rates will be above the minimum levels set in the Temporary Framework; (ii) the loan contracts will be signed by 31 December 2020 at the latest; and (iii) the maturity of the loans will not exceed six years. The Commission concluded that the measure is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State, in line with Article 107(3)(b) TFEU and the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. On this basis, the Commission approved the measure under EU State aid rules. More information on the Temporary Framework and other actions taken by the Commission to address the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic can be found here. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.57985 in the State aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel. +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344)

State aid: Commission approves €67.5 million Maltese scheme to support SMEs affected by coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved a €67.5 million Maltese scheme to support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The public support will take the form of State guarantees on loans for a nominal value of up to €250,000 per company. The purpose of the scheme is to provide access to working capital to those SMEs that are facing sudden liquidity shortages due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Commission found that the Maltese scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, the amount of aid will not exceed €800,000 per company (€100,000 per company active in the primary production of agriculture products; €120,000 per company active in the fishery and aquaculture sector) as provided by the Temporary Framework. The Commission concluded that the measure is necessary, appropriate and proportionate to remedy a serious disturbance in the economy of a Member State, in line with Article 107(3)(b) TFEU and the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. On this basis, the Commission approved the measure under EU State aid rules. More information on the Temporary Framework and other actions taken by the Commission to address the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic can be found here. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.57961 in the State aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel. +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344)

Concentrations: la Commission approuve le projet d'acquisition du contrôle conjoint de la société Antevis par Société Hospitalière d'Assurances Mutuelles et Actineo

La Commission Européenne a autorisé, en vertu du règlement européen sur les concentrations, l'acquisition du contrôle conjoint de l'entreprise Antevis SAS, basée en France, par les entreprises Société Hospitalière d'Assurances Mutuelles (« SHAM »), également basée en France, et Actineo GmbH, basée en Allemagne. Antevis offrira des services aux assureurs d'erreurs médicales. SHAM est active dans le secteur de l'assurance non-vie, en particulier dans l'assurance d'erreurs médicales. Actineo offre des services de gestion des assurances pour préjudices corporels. La Commission a conclu que la concentration envisagée ne soulèverait pas de problème de concurrence du fait que l'entreprise commune n'exerce ou n'exercera qu'une activité négligeable sur le territoire de l'Espace économique européen. La transaction a été examinée dans le cadre de la procédure simplifiée du contrôle des concentrations. De plus amples informations sont disponibles sur le site internet concurrence de la Commission, dans le registre public des affaires sous le numéro d'affaire M.9897.(Pour plus d'informations: Arianna Podesta – Tél.: +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tél.: +32 229 55344)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of joint control of Craftnote by Cordes & Graefe and Fischer

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of MyCraftnote Digital GmbH (‘Craftnote') by Cordes & Graefe KG and Fischerwerke GmbH & Co. KG (‘Fischer'), all three of Germany. Craftnote is active in the development and distribution of hardware and software for service providers and craft businesses, including  associated services. Cordes & Graefe is a wholesaler in the area of sanitary, heating and airconditioning products, roofing technology, electrical products, civil engineering products and industrial technology. Fischer produces fastening technology and automotive interiors, provides business consulting and produces construction toys. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns given the negligible activities of the joint venture in the territory of the European Economic Area. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger procedure. More information is available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.9893. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel. +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344) 

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of a portfolio of eight properties of Banco Sabadell in Spain by SEGRO and PSPIB

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of a portfolio of eight properties of Banco Sabadell in Spain, by SEGRO plc of the U.K. and Public Sector Pension Investment Board of Canada. Three of the properties in the target portfolio generate a rental income from the lease of commercial retail properties, including a warehouse and a car park, while the remaining five properties are undeveloped land, which generate no income. SEGRO owns, manages and develops modern warehousing facilities and light industrial properties located around major conurbations and key transportation hubs across a number of EU countries. PSPIB manages a diversified global portfolio including stocks, bonds, real estate, natural resources and infrastructure on behalf of the pension funds of the federal Public Service, the Canadian Forces, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Reserve Force. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given the companies' moderate combined market positions and the very limited overlaps resulting from the proposed transaction. The transaction was examined under the simplified merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.9888. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel. +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344)

Eurostat: communiqués de presse