Daily News 16 / 10 / 2020

The Swedish city of Malmö wins the Commission's Fair and Ethical Trade City Award

Based on 11 eligible applications from local authorities across the European Union, and after shortlisting the top five applicants, a jury composed of representatives of business, civil society, the International Trade Centre and the Commission has chosen today the Swedish city of Malmö as a Winner of the 2020 Fair and Ethical Trade City Award. The award will fund a project selected by the Winner to support fair and ethical supply chains in a non-EU country improving working conditions and the protection of the environment. Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People and Commissioner for Trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, said: “It has been truly inspiring to see what cities around Europe are doing to promote fair and ethical trade. Malmö, as a Sustainable Trade Champion, has been holistically engaging its multicultural community of consumers, businesses and civil society to do just that, with a strong vision for the city's future role. As cities are on the frontline of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, they will also be essential in an economic recovery with sustainability as its core principle. My compliments to the five cities awarded ‘Special Mentions' and congratulations to Malmö on winning the Fair and Ethical Trade City Award after a tight race!” The jury awarded ‘Special Mentions' to five cities to acknowledge their specific merits: Gothenburg, (Sweden) for public procurement, Neumarkt (Germany) for community engagement, Bremen (Germany) for global partnerships and outlook, Jelenia Góra (Poland) as a Rising Champion and Stuttgart (Germany) for monitoring impact. The European Commission launched the Award in 2017 to celebrate and support the initiatives of the cities that encourage fair and ethical trade practices and the municipality level. The award ceremony was held today in the Belgian City of Ghent, the winner of the first edition of the Award. For more information see the full announcement and the award website. (For more information: Miriam Garcia Ferrer – Tel.: + 32 229 99073; Kinga Malinowska– Tel.: + 32 229 51383)

Winners of EU Datathon 2020 announced

During the online finals of the 18th European Week of Regions and Cities, the winners of the fourth edition of the EU Datathon were announced. EU Datathon is an annual competition that invites people passionate about data to develop new, innovative apps that make good use of the EU's numerous open datasets. Up for grabs was the prize of €100,000 and the Public Choice Award. The following teams won: for challenge 1, ‘A European Green Deal', GeoFluxus (Belgium, Greece, Lithuania); challenge 2: ‘An economy that works for people', Team FinLine (United Kingdom); challenge 3: ‘A new push for European democracy', Next Generation Democracy (Denmark); challenge 4: ‘A Europe fit for the digital age', Digital Forest Dryads of Copernicus (Romania) and Team FinLine for the ‘Public Choice Award'. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, commented: “With 121 submissions from all over the world, this year's participation was the largest in the competition's history. This great interest in open data shows that we can make a better use of the huge amount of open information that we have at our disposal and we plan to do so in order to improve our policy-making and, most importantly, people's lives.” Commissioner for Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn, added: “I congratulate the 12 finalist teams for having presented excellent ideas for concrete business models and social enterprises. They have all sparked off suitable innovative approaches and solutions to help Europe address key challenges by using EU open data.” The EU Datathon is organised every year by the Publications Office of the European Union in close collaboration with the European Commission. More information on the winners and their projects can be found here. (For more information: Vivian Loonela - Tel.: +32 229 66712, Veronica Favalli - Tel.: +32 229 87269)

Publication des derniers chiffres du commerce agroalimentaire: le commerce agroalimentaire de l'UE27 soutient la croissance malgré les défis du coronavirus et du Brexit

Le dernier rapport mensuel sur le commerce agroalimentaire publié aujourd'hui montre qu'entre janvier et juin 2020, la valeur totale des exportations agroalimentaires de l'UE27 a augmenté de près de 3% par rapport à la même période en 2019, atteignant 90,2 milliards d'euros, tandis que la valeur des importations a augmenté à 62,7 milliards d'euros (soit une hausse de près de 2,5%). L'UE a bénéficié d'un excédent commercial agroalimentaire de 27,4 milliards d'euros au cours de cette période, soit une augmentation de 5% par rapport aux mois correspondants de 2019. Même si les valeurs mensuelles des exportations de l'UE27 ont repris en juin, après une baisse en mai, les importations ont continué à baisser après une tendance à la baisse depuis mars. Les exportations agroalimentaires de l'UE ont continué d'afficher de solides performances tant en Chine que dans la région du Moyen-Orient et de l'Afrique du Nord (MENA). Les exportations vers la Chine ont augmenté par rapport à la même période de l'année dernière, principalement grâce aux ventes de viande de porc, de blé, d'abats et d'aliments pour nourrissons. Dans la région MENA, la valeur des exportations agroalimentaires de l'UE a augmenté notamment en Arabie saoudite, en Algérie et au Maroc. Cette croissance a été tirée par une forte demande d'orge et de blé de l'UE. La valeur des exportations de l'UE27 vers le Royaume-Uni a diminué de 521 millions d'euros au premier semestre 2020, tandis que la valeur des importations en provenance du Royaume-Uni a chuté de 863 millions d'euros. Le rapport complet est disponible en ligne et de plus amples informations sur la politique agro-commerciale sont disponibles ici. (Pour plus d'informations: Miriam Garcia Ferrer – Tél.: +32 229 99075; Thérèse Lerebours – Tél.: +32 229 13963)

State aid: Commission approves €103 million Romanian guarantee scheme to support trade credit insurance market in coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €103 million (approximately RON 500 million) Romanian guarantee scheme to support the trade credit insurance market in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. Trade credit insurance protects companies supplying goods and services against the risk of non-payment by their clients. Given the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak, the risk of insurers not being willing to maintain their insurance coverage has become higher. The Romanian guarantee scheme ensures that trade credit insurance continues to be available to all companies, avoiding the need for buyers of goods or services to pay in advance, therefore reducing their immediate liquidity needs. The Commission assessed the measure under Article 107(3)(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which enables the Commission to approve State aid measures implemented by Member States to remedy a serious disturbance in their economy. The Commission found that the scheme notified by Romania 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 general principles set out in the State aid Temporary Framework. Furthermore, the Commission has found the scheme is in line with the Short-term export-credit Communication. On this basis, the Commission has 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.58531 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; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

State aid: Commission approves €12 million Lithuanian scheme to support companies active in poultry production and processing sectors affected by coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved a €12 million Lithuanian scheme to support companies active in the poultry production and processing sectors that have been particularly affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The public support, which will take the form of direct grants, will be open to poultry producers and to poultry processing companies. The aid aims at ensuring sufficient working capital for those primary producers that suffered losses of at least 5% in total average income in October 2020 compared to October 2017-2019 and processing companies that suffered losses of at least 5% in total average income from July to September 2020, compared to the same period in years 2017-2019. The purpose of the scheme is to help the beneficiaries address their liquidity needs and continue their activities during and after the outbreak. The measure is expected to support more than 1,000 enterprises. The Commission found that the Lithuanian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, (i) the aid will not exceed €100,000 per company active in the primary agricultural production sector or €800,000 per company active in the processing of agricultural products and (ii) the scheme will run until 31 December 2020. 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 measures 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.58856 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; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

Mergers: Commission clears the acquisition of sole control of Aspen's EU Thrombosis Business by Mylan

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of sole control of Aspen's EU Thrombosis business, of Mauritius, by Mylan N.V., of the Netherlands. Aspen's EU Thrombosis business consists of certain intellectual property, assets and rights relating to the unincorporated business of manufacture, distribution and marketing of four Aspen Pharmacare Holdings Limited antithrombotic products in the European Economic Area. Mylan is a global pharmaceutical company that develops, licenses, manufactures, markets and distributes generic, branded generic and specialty pharmaceuticals. Mylan provides contract manufacturing services for sterile liquid pharmaceuticals. These services serve as an input to the production and sale of injectable anti-thrombotic fixed dose pharmaceuticals (‘FDP'), provided by Aspen's EU Thrombosis Business. The Commission assessed this vertical relationship and concluded that the proposed transaction would raise no competition concerns, given that the combination of the activities of the two companies would not change the market dynamics in contract manufacturing services for sterile liquid pharmaceuticals. The Commission also concluded that there is no overlap between the product offers of the merging companies. The transaction was examined under the normal merger review procedure. More information is available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.9962. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 229 87024; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

Concentrations: La Commission autorise l'acquisition de Financière Colisée par EQT Fund Management

La Commission européenne a approuvé, en vertu du règlement européen sur les concentrations, l'acquisition de Financière Colisée S.A.S., basée en France, par EQT Fund Management S.à r.l., basée au Luxembourg. Financière Colisée est active dans la gestion de soins pour personnes âgées incluant la gestion de maisons de retraite, la prestation de soins à domicile notamment pour des patients en phase post-aiguë, en Belgique, Espagne, France, Italie et en Chine. EQT est un gestionnaire d'actifs investissant dans divers secteurs notamment dans des projets d'infrastructures principalement en Europe et en Amérique du Nord. La Commission a conclu que la concentration envisagée ne soulèverait pas de problèmes de concurrence dans la mesure où les deux entreprises ne sont pas actives sur le même marché ou sur des marchés liés ou complémentaires. La transaction a été examinée dans le cadre de la procédure simplifiée de 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.9966. (Pour plus d'informations: Arianna Podesta – Tél.: +32 229 87024; Maria Tsoni – Tél.: +3 229 90526)

Concentrations: La Commission autorise l'acquisition d'ARC Holdings par Private Theory Luxco

La Commission européenne a approuvé, en vertu du règlement européen sur les concentrations, l'acquisition du contrôle exclusif d'ARC Holdings, société mère d'ARC Group, basée en France, par la société Private Theory Luxco, basée au Luxembourg. ARC Group est actif dans les arts de la table, en particulier la production et la distribution de verrerie, de vaisselle et d'articles de cuisine. Private Theory Luxco est spécialisée dans l'acquisition et la gestion de participations dans d'autres entreprises. Private Theory Luxco contrôle également ADI, une entreprise active dans la distribution de verrerie, de vaisselle de table et d'articles de cuisine en Espagne et au Portugal, qui faisait jusque récemment partie d'ARC Group. La Commission a conclu que la concentration envisagée ne soulèverait pas de problème de concurrence compte tenu de l'absence d'impact sur la structure du marché et des chevauchements très limités entre les activités des entreprises concernées. La transaction a été examinée dans le cadre de la procédure simplifiée de 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.9941. (Pour plus d'informations: Arianna Podesta – Tél.: +32 229 87024; Maria Tsoni – Tél.: +3 229 90526)

STATEMENTS

Statement on World Food Day

Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, and Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, have issued a statement to mark World Food Day 2020:  “On the occasion of the International World Food Day, the EU reiterates its commitment to fight hunger across the globe and tackle its root causes. We must do everything in our power to prevent people dying from hunger and children suffering the lifelong effects of malnutrition. Today we face serious challenges, which require global efforts. Food insecurity continues to rise due to conflict, climate change and economic shocks. The effects of the coronavirus pandemic are taking hunger and malnutrition to unprecedented levels. The EU is committed to working together and coordinating efforts with global actors, including by participating in key initiatives (…). We are already making substantial investments in food security worldwide and will ensure food security continues to be a priority. During 2014-2020, the EU mobilised €12.8 billion to promote food and nutrition security and sustainable agriculture in over 80 countries. Since 2010, the EU has supported more than 100 million people lacking access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food through its humanitarian food assistance. (….) Looking ahead, the UN Secretary General's Food Systems Summit in 2021 will be a major global milestone in moving to a more sustainable planet, and we are fully committed to achieving an ambitious outcome from that Summit.” The full statement is available here. (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 229 54578; Ana Pisonero Hernandez - Tel.: +32 229 54320; Daniel Puglisi – Tel.: +32 229 69140, Gesine Knolle - Tel.: +32 229 54323)

Journée de l'UE contre la traite des êtres humains : la Commission réaffirme sa volonté d'éradiquer la traite des êtres humains

A l'occasion de la 14ème Journée européenne de lutte contre la traite des êtres humains, la Commission européenne réaffirme sa volonté de protéger les victimes, de soutenir les survivants et de poursuivre les auteurs de la traite des êtres humains. Margaritis Schinas, vice-président chargé de la promotion de notre mode de vie européen, a déclaré : « Étant donné que les criminels continuent de tirer des profits considérables de l'exploitation de leurs victimes, nous devons redoubler d'efforts en matière de prévention, d'enquête, de poursuites et de condamnations à l'encontre des trafiquants d'êtres humains. L'identification précoce des victimes constituera un thème spécifique de l'approche à venir de la Commission en vue de l'éradication de la traite des êtres humains, comme indiqué dans la récente stratégie pour une Union de la sécurité. » Ylva Johansson, commissaire chargée des affaires intérieures, a déclaré : « Chaque année, des milliers de personnes sont identifiées comme victimes de la traite des êtres humains dans l'UE, dont près de la moitié sont des citoyens de l'UE, et le nombre de ces personnes continue d'augmenter. Les enfants représentent près d'un quart de toutes les victimes dans l'UE, et la plupart sont des filles. Ils sont victimes de la traite à des fins d'exploitation sexuelle, de travail forcé et d'activités criminelles. Près des trois quarts des victimes dans l'UE sont des femmes, victimes de la traite pour toutes les formes d'exploitation, victimes de violences et d'inégalités. Toutes les victimes de la traite des êtres humains ont besoin d'une intervention précoce et d'un soutien. Nous réaffirmons aujourd'hui notre volonté d'éradiquer la traite des êtres humains, de protéger les victimes et de lutter contre l'impunité des auteurs. » Le cadre juridique et politique de l'UE repose sur la Directive de l'UE relative à la lutte contre la traite des êtres humains, qui établit des dispositions solides en matière de protection, d'assistance et de soutien des victimes, ainsi que de prévention et de poursuites. Aujourd'hui, deux études financées par la Commission, axées sur le coût économique, social et humain de la traite des êtres humains, ainsi que sur les mécanismes nationaux et transnationaux d'orientation sont publiées en ligne. Ces deux études sont des actions clés de l'UE dans la lutte contre la traite des êtres humains. La semaine prochaine, la Commission présentera le rapport 2020 sur les progrès réalisés dans la lutte contre la traite des êtres humains, qui analyse les tendances actuelles ainsi que l'efficacité des réponses des États membres. De plus amples informations sur l'action de l'UE en matière de lutte contre la traite des êtres humains sont disponibles en ligne. (Pour plus d'informations: Adalbert Jahnz — Tél.: + 32 229 53156; Ciara Bottomley — Tél.: + 32 229 69971; Laura Bérard — Tél.: + 32 229 55721)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Mobilising the private sector to finance the green transition: International Platform on Sustainable Finance marks its first anniversary 

In the margins of the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings today, Valdis Dombrovskis, Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People, and Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), will co-host an event marking the first anniversary of the International Platform on Sustainable Finance (IPSF). To mark the occasion, the IPSF will publish today its first public annual report, which highlights the Platform's commitment and ongoing efforts to explore common tools to help private finance play its part in securing a greener global future. While green financial markets are growing, more work needs to be done to meet our environmental objectives, especially to facilitate our green recovery following the coronavirus pandemic. To this end, the IPSF has created a working group on taxonomies, co-led by the EU and China, to help enhance transparency for investors and facilitate cross-border green investments. The IPSF is part of international efforts to meet the commitments of the Paris Agreement for a low-carbon economy. Its members are public authorities from Argentina, Canada, Chile, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Morocco, New Zealand, Norway, Senegal, Singapore, Switzerland and the European Union. They are supported by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the European Investment Bank, the Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action, the International Organization of Securities Commissions, the Network for Greening the Financial System, the OECD, and the UN Environment Programme – Finance Initiative in their role of observers. You can follow the live web-stream of the event from 16:00-16:45 CET. The IPSF annual report will be available online at 16:00 CET. (For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500; Aikaterini Apostola – Tel.: +32 229 87624)

Commissioners Breton and Schmit host Pact for Skills roundtable with Aerospace and Defence executives

This morning, Commissioners Breton and Schmit chaired a high-level roundtable on the Pact for Skills with the Aerospace and Defence manufacturing sector. This roundtable is the third in a series of sectorial roundtables. The Pact was announced under the European Skills Agenda adopted by the Commission on 1 July 2020. The objective of the Pact is to provide a framework to mobilise all relevant stakeholders – industrial, social, regional and education partners – to assist people in developing the right skill-set for a sustainable, social and resilient recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Partnerships established under the Pact will benefit from Commission support such as a partnership platform and advice on EU funding options. The Aerospace and Defence sector has been identified as an important industrial ecosystem to partner up with under the Pact due to the severe consequences of the pandemic, the strong engagement from the industrial players as well as its progress under the current Blueprint of Sectoral Cooperation on Skills initiative. Upskilling (improving existing skills) and reskilling (training in new skills) are important drivers for the recovery from the pandemic and for the long-term restructuring of the sector. The meeting showed a strong and positive commitment to work together to ensure the reskilling and upskilling of workers in the European Aerospace and Defence industry. (For more information: Sonya Gospodinova – Tel.: +32 229 66953; Marta Wieczorek – Tel.: +32 229 58197)

EU Green Week puts the spotlight on nature as our strongest ally in green recovery 

Europe's biggest yearly environmental event EU Green Week will take place this year in a fully virtual format from 19 to 22 October. It will focus on how biodiversity can contribute to society and the economy, and the role it can play in supporting and stimulating recovery in a post-pandemic world, bringing jobs and sustainable growth, in line with the European Green Deal. This year's Green Week will also act as a milestone on the path to the COP 15 Biodiversity Summit, now scheduled for 2021, where world leaders plan to adopt a 10-year action plan for biodiversity. Virginijus Sinkevičius, Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries said: “Nature is calling on us to halt biodiversity loss and reverse the damage we have been causing. Now is the moment to create a more sustainable economy, one that doesn't destroy our life support system, but protects, restores and heals it instead. I am convinced that even in these extraordinary circumstances this year's Green Week will be another success story created by all actors involved.” During three days of more than 30 virtual sessions, the EU Green Week will focus at implementation of the European Green Deal and the EU Biodiversity Strategy that the Commission adopted in May, and will offer a chance to rethink our relationship with nature, to change the activities driving biodiversity loss and the wider ecological crisis, and to weigh up the implications for our economy and society. In addition to an opening conference in Lisbon and the high-level conference in Brussels, more than 200 partner events are happening around the continent. More information is available here. (For more information: Vivian Loonela - Tel.: +32 229 66712; Daniela Stoycheva – Tel.: +32 229 53664)

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