Daily News 18 / 08 / 2021

Migration: HR/VP Borrell and Commissioner Johansson at extraordinary meeting of Interior Ministers on the situation at the EU's external borders with Belarus

This afternoon, High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell and Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, will participate in an extraordinary meeting of Interior Ministers which had been scheduled to discuss the latest developments at the external borders of the EU with Belarus. The meeting will take place by videoconference as part of the Integrated Political Crisis Response (IPCR) mechanism, the European Council's crisis framework for coordinating response to crises at the highest political level. At the meeting, Ministers will also assess needs gaps and decide on further actions required to safeguard the integrity and security of this part of the EU's external border. Representatives from Frontex, EASO and Europol, as well as representatives from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland will also participate. HR/VP Borrell and Commissioner Johansson will take the opportunity of this high-level political forum to provide an update on the latest developments in Afghanistan with a focus on political, humanitarian and migration aspects. (For more information: Peter Stano - Tel.: +32 229 54553; Christian Wigand - Tel: +32 229 62253)

State aid: Commission approves €43 million Italian scheme to support the sports sector in the context of the coronavirus outbreak

The European Commission has approved a €43 million Italian scheme to support companies active in the sports sector affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The scheme, which will be managed by ‘Istituto per il Credito Sportivo', will be open to sports associations and amateur sports entities, as well as to professional sports clubs engaged in national team championships of Olympic and Paralympic disciplines, that are registered in Italy. Under the scheme, the public support will take the form of (i) gratuitous State guarantees covering 90% of loans with a nominal amount of up to €30,000; (ii) State guarantees of up to €5 million covering 80% of the underlying loan amounts; (iii) subsidised interest rates on all the loans covered under (i) and (ii); and (iv) a grant to exempt companies benefiting from guarantees on loans covered under (ii) from the payment of guarantee premiums. The aim of the scheme, which applies only to new loans (i.e. loans granted after the adoption of the Commission decision), is to help the beneficiaries address the liquidity shortages they face due to the coronavirus outbreak and enhance their access to financing, thus helping them continue their activities during and after the outbreak. The Commission found that the Italian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, measures (i), (iii) and (iv) provide for aid which will not exceed €1.8 million per beneficiary as provided by the Temporary Framework; and measure (ii) provides for loans that cannot be higher than (a) 25% of the total revenue of the beneficiary as reported in its financial statements for 2019, or (b) the requirement for working capital and investment costs in the following 18 months, in the case of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), and in the following 12 months, in the case of large enterprises. For all measures, aid can only be granted until 31 December 2021. The Commission concluded that the scheme 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.64218 in the State aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved. (For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of joint control over Landlog by DOCOMO and Komatsu

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control over Landlog Ltd. by NTT DOCOMO, Inc. (‘DOCOMO') and Komatsu Ltd., all of Japan. Landlog is the supplier of an Internet of Things (‘IoT') platform in Japan that hosts software applications for the construction industry developed by third-party app providers. DOCOMO is the main mobile phone operator in Japan, providing telecommunication services, 5G networks, ICT solutions and technical and operational services to other companies. Komatsu is a manufacturer of construction, mining and forestry equipment, as well as diesel engines and industrial machinery such as press machines, lasers and thermoelectric generators. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given that Landlog has negligible actual or foreseen activities within the territory of the European Economic Area. 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.10366. (For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344)

STATEMENTS

La journée mondiale de l'aide humanitaire : déclaration du HR/VP Borrell et du commissaire Lenarčič 

A la veille de la journée mondiale de l'aide humanitaire, le haut représentant/vice-président Josep Borrell et le commissaire chargé de la gestion des crises Janez Lenarčič ont déclaré : « Dans la perspective de la Journée mondiale de l'aide humanitaire 2021, nous honorons tous les travailleurs humanitaires qui sauvent des vies et aident les plus vulnérables dans les crises mondiales. L'engagement et les efforts sans faille du personnel humanitaire et médical, qui s'efforcent chaque jour, souvent dans des conditions difficiles, d'atténuer les souffrances de millions de personnes dans le besoin, ont été d'autant plus remarquables depuis le début de la pandémie de coronavirus. Le virus n'est toutefois pas la pire menace à laquelle ils sont confrontés. Malheureusement, en 2020, 108 travailleurs humanitaires ont perdu la vie et 125 ont été enlevés. En 2021, 105 attaques majeures ont été perpétrées contre des travailleurs humanitaires à ce jour. Nous condamnons ces attaques et leurs auteurs doivent répondre de leurs actes. Sauver des vies ne devrait jamais coûter des vies ; les travailleurs humanitaires ne peuvent être une cible. Nous saluons leur courage et leur dévouement et exprimons notre sympathie aux familles, aux amis et aux collègues de ceux qui ont perdu la vie tout en aidant les autres. » La déclaration entière est disponible ici. (Pour plus d'informations: Peter Stano - Tél.: +32 229 54553; Balazs Ujvari - Tél.: +32 229 54578; Gesine Knolle - Tél.: +32 229 54323; Claire Joawn - Tél.: +32 229 56859)

Liste des points prévus à l'ordre du jour des prochaines réunions de la Commission

Veuillez noter que ces informations sont données sous réserve de modifications.

Eurostat: communiqués de presse

The Spokesperson's Service has re-opened the Berlaymont press room to a limited number of journalists. For more information, please see here.