Daily News 06 / 12 / 2021

Brexit Adjustment Reserve: Commission approves €920.4 million pre-financing for Ireland

The European Commission has adopted the decision to allocate funding from the Brexit Adjustment Reserve to Ireland, for a total of €920.4 million. Ireland is the biggest beneficiary of the Brexit Adjustment Reserve and the first Member State to receive its pre-financing. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “Brexit has had a negative impact on many people's lives. Within the EU, it is the people in Ireland who feel it the most. The EU's Brexit Adjustment Reserve stands for solidarity with those most affected. In moving forward, we don't want to leave anyone behind. The funding that Ireland will receive will contribute to improve living standards, support economic growth in the country and mitigate the negative impacts in local communities.” This funding will help Ireland's economy in mitigating the impact of Brexit, through support to regions and economic sectors, including on job creation and protection, such as short-time work schemes, re-skilling, and training. The Brexit Adjustment Reserve of €5.4 billion has been put in place to support all Member States while ensuring a strong concentration on those most affected. More details in the press release. (For more information: Vivian Loonela - Tel.: +32 229 66712; Veronica Favalli – Tel.: +32 229 87269)

Coronavirus: EU supports Member States with transport of patients and medical teams

The Commission continues to provide further financial support to Member States through the Mobility Package of the Emergency Support Instrument. The recent support amounts to over €2.9 million and helped the transport of COVID-19 patients and medical teams of Member States. This comes on top of the €170 million already made available for the transport of essential medical items and vaccination related equipment since last year. Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, said: “In the last two years, the Emergency Support Instrument has helped patients to move to get treatment and medical teams to assist where they were most needed. The instrument also covered the costs of the transport of vital health equipment. With the help of the Emergency Support Instrument we provided Member States a valuable tool in our joint fight against COVID-19. Through this latest ESI call, we have financed the transportation of patients and medical teams, to help save lives, a true sign of European solidarity. However, every European can contribute to preventing national health care systems getting overwhelmed and getting this pandemic under control. Full vaccination provides the strongest protection there is.” Operations funded recently include the transport of medical teams from Denmark, Israel, Poland and Germany to Romania, and the transport of patients from Romania to Germany, Poland, Austria, Czechia, Denmark and Italy. Operations to support Slovakia also received funding, as part of the country's efforts against the coronavirus pandemic. Following an application process among EU Member States in November, the operations supported are taking place in November and December 2021. (For more information: Balazs Ujvari - Tel.: +32 229 54578; Daniel Puglisi - Tel.: +32 229 69140)

Space: launch of two more Galileo satellites to secure Europe's strong position in providing global navigation services

Two new Galileo satellites were successfully launched on Sunday early morning from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, bringing the total number of spacecraft in orbit to 28. Five years after Galileo first entered into service, Galileo signals are used by more than 2.3 billion devices worldwide, from smartphones to emergency beacons. Commissioner Thierry Breton, in charge of the Internal Market, said: “Since 2016, the Galileo Open Service has been providing outstanding positioning accuracy which is by now used by more than two billion users worldwide. Galileo also features a Search and Rescue service, which greatly reduces the time to locate persons in distress, and provides the first-ever return link service, which informs those in distress that their call for help has been received. This launch reinforces the current constellation and secures Europe's strong position in the field of global navigation satellites and services.” As one of the main components of the European Space Programme, Galileo provides freely accessible satellite data enabling positioning, navigation and timing determination. These find applications not only in the mobile phone sector and car navigators, but also in various fields such as synchronisation of energy grids, transport and mobility sector, land use sector and distress location services. Galileo continues to develop ground-breaking new services, by introducing soon the first authenticated signals, as well as the first high accuracy signals of 20 centimeters. An innovative Emergency Warning Service is also being prepared. For more information, please watch Commissioner Breton's message and consult this page. (For more information: Sonya Gospodinova – Tel.: +32 229 66953; Célia Dejond – Tel.: +32 229 88199)

La Commission célèbre 10 000 jeunes entrepreneurs qui ont bénéficié d'une expérience professionnelle à l'étranger

Le programme « Erasmus pour jeunes entrepreneurs » (EYE) célèbre aujourd'hui une étape importante. 10 000 entrepreneurs ont acquis de l'expérience auprès d'un entrepreneur qualifié dans un autre pays. Depuis sa création en 2009, le programme a aidé les nouveaux entrepreneurs à développer leurs compétences entrepreneuriales et à acquérir une expérience entrepreneuriale grâce à une formation sur le tas dans une entreprise d'accueil à l'étranger. De plus, les entrepreneurs d'accueil peuvent tirer parti des idées, de la vision et de l'énergie nouvelles qui découlent de l'accueil de ces jeunes collègues. Thierry Breton, commissaire chargé du marché intérieur, a déclaré à ce propos: « Il est formidable de voir que tant d'entrepreneurs bénéficient d'une collaboration avec leurs pairs plus expérimentés dans le cadre du programme Erasmus pour jeunes entrepreneurs! Aujourd'hui, l'étape décisive est un témoignage du succès de ce programme et la preuve que l'Europe dispose d'une multitude d'entrepreneurs talentueux prêts à construire le prochain succès économique de l'Europe. » Le programme Erasmus pour jeunes entrepreneurs facilite les échanges entrepreneuriaux d'une durée pouvant aller jusqu'à 6 mois dans 39 pays participants de l'Union européenne et de son voisinage. Le programme est financé par la Commission et n'a cessé de croître depuis son lancement. Ce programme s'inscrit dans le cadre de la stratégie de l'UE en faveur des PME, qui les aide à accéder aux marchés internationaux. Grâce à un soutien financier supplémentaire du Parlement européen depuis 2018, de nouvelles destinations en dehors de l'Europe ont été incluses dans l'initiative EYE GLOBAL, qui permet désormais également des échanges avec des entrepreneurs aux États-Unis, au Canada, en Israël, à Singapour, et Corée du Sud. Pour en savoir plus sur le programme, cliquez ici. (Pour plus d'informations: Sonya Gospodinova – Tél.: +32 229 66953; Federica Miccoli – Tél.: +32 229 58300)

Data Act: Businesses and citizens in favour of a fair data economy

The Commission publishes today the results for the open public consultation on the Data Act, the upcoming flagship initiative of the European Data Strategy. Most of the respondents consider that action at EU or national level is needed on business-to-government data sharing for the public interest, especially for emergencies and crisis management, prevention and resilience. The responses show that while businesses engage in data sharing, data transactions are still held back by numerous obstacles of a technical or legal nature. Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President for a Europe fit for the Digital Age, said: “The Data Act will be a major new initiative to ensure fairness by providing better control for data sharing to citizens and businesses, in line with our European values. We welcome the broad interest and the support towards this initiative.” Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, added: “Concretely with this Act, users will have more control over the data they generate via their smart objects and EU businesses more possibilities to compete and innovate and easily transfer data between service providers. As part of our Digital Decade, fostering secure data access and use will contribute to the emergence of a sovereign European Single Market for data.” The consultation ran from 3 June to 3 September 2021 and gathered views on measures to create fairness in data sharing, value for consumers and businesses. The consultation results will feed into the impact assessment accompanying the Data Act and the review of the Directive on the legal protection of databases. The Data Act will aim at clarifying for EU consumers and businesses who can use and access what data for which purposes. It follows up on and complements the Data Governance Act, which aims to increase trust and facilitate data sharing across the EU and between sectors and on which a political agreement has been reached last week between the European Parliament and EU Member States. (For more information: Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 229 58615; Charles Manoury – Tel.: +32 229 13391)

Eurobaromètre : Les Européens en faveur de principes numériques

La Commission publie aujourd'hui les résultats d'un Eurobaromètre spécial réalisé en septembre et octobre 2021, une écrasante majorité des citoyens de l'UE pensent que l'internet et les outils numériques joueront un rôle important à l'avenir. En outre, une large majorité juge utile que l'Union européenne définisse et promeuve des droits et principes européens pour cette transformation numérique. Plus généralement, ce sondage examine comment les citoyens de l'UE perçoivent l'avenir des outils numériques et de l'internet ainsi que l'impact de ces outils et d'internet sur leurs vies d'ici à 2030. Sont recensés l'importance du numérique dans la vie quotidienne des européens, les préoccupations quant aux dangers et les risques en ligne, leur besoin de mieux connaître leurs droits numériques et enfin leur soutien à la future déclaration sur les principes numériques. Les résultats de cette première enquête Eurobaromètre permettront en effet d'élaborer la proposition de déclaration européenne sur les droits et principes numériques du Parlement européen, du Conseil et de la Commission. La Commission s'est engagée à présenter cette déclaration dans le cadre de sa boussole numérique présentée le 9 mars 2021, établissant une vision, des objectifs et les voies à suivre à l'horizon 2030. Ces principes couvrent des domaines tels que l'accès aux services internet, à un environnement en ligne sûr et fiable, aux services de santé numériques et aux services publics et administrations numériques centrés sur l'humain. Cette déclaration favorisera une transition numérique façonnée par des valeurs européennes communes. Plus d'informations sont disponibles dans ce communiqué de presse. (Pour plus d'informations: Johannes Bahrke - Tél. : +32 229 58615; Charles Manoury - Tél. : +32 229 13391)

State aid: Commission adopts revised Guidelines on State aid to promote risk finance investments

The European Commission has adopted revised Guidelines on State aid to promote risk finance investments (the “Risk Finance Guidelines”). The revised Guidelines will apply from 1 January 2022. They clarify and simplify the rules under which Member States can support and facilitate access to finance by European start-ups, small and medium-sized enterprises (“SMEs”) and companies with a medium capitalization ("mid-caps”), while ensuring a level playing field in the Single Market. The Commission adopted the revised Risk Finance Guidelines following an evaluation of the current rules and after an extensive consultation of all interested parties on the proposed revised text of the Guidelines. The evaluation and the consultation confirmed that the Risk Finance Guidelines are fit for purpose, but they also revealed that some targeted adjustments were needed. The revised Risk Finance Guidelines, in particular: (i) limit the requirement to provide a funding gap analysis to the largest risk finance schemes and further clarify the evidence needed to justify the aid; (ii) introduce simplified requirements for the assessment of schemes targeting exclusively start-ups and SMEs that have not yet made their first commercial sale; (iii) align certain definitions included in the Guidelines with those included in the General Block Exemption Regulation (‘GBER') to ensure consistency. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “Start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises are at the heart of Europe's economic recovery. Ensuring that these companies have access to finance is essential to make the most of their growth potential and the green and digital transitions. That is why, following an extensive consultation process, we have made targeted changes and further simplified our existing State aid rules. This will enable Member States to give financial incentives for European start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises to attract investments when the market does not deliver on its own.” A full press release is available online. (For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344) 

State aid: Commission adopts revised Short-term export-credit insurance Communication

The European Commission has adopted a revised Communication on Short-term export credit insurance (‘STEC Communication'). The STEC Communication lays down rules to (i) ensure that State support to export credits does not distort competition among private and public (or publicly supported) export credit insurers, and (ii) create a level playing field among exporters in different Member States. In 2019, the Commission launched an evaluation of the 2012 STEC Communication, as part of the State aid Fitness Check. The results of the evaluation showed that, in principle, the rules work well and they require only minor adjustments to reflect market developments. Taking into account the positive feedback from stakeholders in the public consultation on the proposed revised text of the STEC Communication, the revised STEC Communication therefore includes a number of targeted adjustments. The revised STEC Communication will enter into force on 1 January 2022, with no expiry date. Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “The revised Communication on Short-term export credit insurance includes targeted adjustments to enable Member States to provide public insurance to European exporters, when the market alone does not deliver. This comes after a thorough analysis of how our rules work in practice.” A full press release is available online. (For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 229 86500; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344) 

State aid: Commission approves €12.5 million Belgian scheme for events businesses affected by the coronavirus pandemic

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a €12.5 million Belgian scheme to support businesses in the events sector affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The scheme was approved on the basis of the Temporary Framework for state aid measures. The measure is open to businesses which organise cultural, artistic or professional events in the Brussels-Capital Region, where these events are cancelled, postponed or affected by capacity restrictions imposed to limit the spread of the virus. Beneficiaries eligible under the scheme may receive aid, the amount of which will depend on incurred, non-cancellable and non-recoverable expenses or, in the case of capacity restrictions, on refunds made by the organiser for tickets already sold. The Commission found that the Belgian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, the aid: (i) will not exceed €2.3 million per beneficiary; and (ii) will be granted no later than 30 June 2022. 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 action the Commission has taken 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 case number SA.100716 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; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526) 

State aid: Commission approves €21.9 million Latvian scheme to support companies and self-employed persons affected by the coronavirus pandemic

The European Commission has approved a €21.9 million Latvian scheme to support companies and self-employed persons affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictive measures that the Latvian government had to implement to limit the spread of the virus. The scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. Under the scheme, the public support will take the form of interest-free deferrals of payment of taxes and social security contributions. The aim of the scheme is to enhance the liquidity of the beneficiaries and to help them continue their activities during and after the pandemic. The Commission found that the Latvian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, (i) the aid will be granted no later than 30 June 2022; and (ii) the payment of taxes and social security obligations will be deferred until no later than 30 June 2023. 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.100633 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; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526) 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Réunions de l'Eurogroupe et des ministres de l'économie et des finances, les 6-7 décembre

Le vice-président exécutif Dombrovskis et le commissaire Gentiloni représenteront la Commission européenne lors de la réunion de l'Eurogroupe qui a lieu aujourd'hui à Bruxelles. Les ministres auront l'occasion d'avoir un premier échange de vues sur les recommandations sur la politique économique pour la zone euro et les avis sur les projets de plans budgétaires des 19 États membres de la zone euro, suite au paquet d'automne du Semestre européen présenté par la Commission le 24 novembre, dans le cadre du Semestre européen. La Commission présentera aussi le douzième rapport de surveillance renforcée concernant la Grèce, ainsi que les conclusions des rapports de surveillance post-programme concernant Chypre, le Portugal, l'Irlande et l'Espagne. Le commissaire Gentiloni participera à la conférence de presse qui suivra la réunion, vers 19h00. Demain, le vice-président exécutif Dombrovskis, le commissaire Gentiloni, et la commissaire McGuinness représenteront la Commission lors de la réunion des ministres de l'économie et des finances qui aura lieu à Bruxelles. Les ministres examineront également l'ensemble des mesures présentées dans le paquet d'automne du Semestre européen, y compris l'examen 2022 de la croissance durable, le rapport sur le mécanisme d'alerte et les recommandations concernant la politique économique de la zone euro. La Commission présentera aussi le paquet législatif relatif à l'union des marchés des capitaux, publié le 25 novembre. Les ministres continueront avec un échange de vues sur l'actualisation des règles relatives aux réductions sur la taxe sur la valeur ajoutée, ainsi que sur le progrès réalisé sur le  train de mesures présentées par la Commission visant à lutter contre le blanchiment d'argent et le financement du terrorisme. De plus, les ministres prendront acte du progrès réalisé sous Présidence slovène pour finaliser l'union bancaire. Une conférence de presse avec le vice-président exécutif Dombrovskis suivra la réunion, vers 14h00. (Pour plus d'informations: Daniel Ferrie - Tél.: +32 229 86500; Aikaterini Apostola – Tél.: +32 229 87624; Andrea Masini - Tél.: +32 229 91519)

La commissaire Johansson à la réunion des coordonnateurs nationaux de lutte contre la traite des êtres humains

Ce matin, la commissaire aux Affaires intérieures, Ylva Johansson, a participé à la réunion virtuelle du réseau européen des rapporteurs nationaux et des mécanismes équivalents où elle a prononcé un discours liminaire. Le ministre slovène de l'Intérieur, Aleš Hojs, au nom de la présidence slovène du Conseil, ainsi que la coordinatrice de l'UE de la lutte contre la traite des êtres humains, Diane Schmitt, ont rejoint la commissaire. Le réseau de l'UE s'efforce d'améliorer la compréhension de la traite des êtres humains et de fournir des informations stratégiques objectives, fiables, comparables et à jour dans ce domaine. La réunion a été l'occasion de discuter des enjeux de la mise en œuvre de la directive anti-traite et de ses éventuelles modifications. Une session conjointe des coordonnateurs nationaux de la lutte contre la traite de l'UE et des coordonnateurs nationaux de la lutte contre la traite d'Europe du Sud-Est, qui réunit 11 pays de la région, aura lieu dans l'après-midi. La coopération entre ces deux groupes de réseaux est importante afin de renforcer la coopération opérationnelle et judiciaire transfrontalière avec les pays tiers d'origine et de transit des victimes de la traite, comme les Balkans occidentaux. (Pour plus d'informations : Adalbert Jahnz - Tél.: + 32 229 53156; Ciara Bottomley - Tél.: +32 229 69971; Laura Bérard - Tél.: +32 229 55721)

Nuit cinématographique européenne 2021 : des films soutenus par l'UE projetés dans toute l'Europe

La quatrième édition de la Nuit européenne du cinéma a démarré aujourd'hui, avec cinq jours de projection gratuite de films soutenus par l'UE dans toute l'Europe. Près de 80 cinémas dans 27 pays participeront à cette édition, qui vise à rapprocher les films européens des citoyens, tout en célébrant la richesse et la diversité de la culture européenne. Suite au succès de la première édition hybride organisée en 2020, cette initiative est à nouveau coorganisée par le volet MEDIA du programme Europe créative et le réseau « Europa Cinemas ». Toutes les projections de films auront lieu conformément aux mesures nationales applicables liées à la pandémie de COVID-19. À cet effet, certains cinémas proposent des projections en ligne. Les projections seront complétées par d'autres activités visant à impliquer le public, telles que des sessions questions-réponses avec l'équipe, des présentations et des débats. En outre, la 34e édition du Prix du film européen, où 12 titres soutenus par le programme MEDIA concourent pour remporter des prix, aura lieu le 11 décembre en format hybride. La Nuit du cinéma européen et les prix du cinéma européen ont une importance particulière cette année dans le contexte des 30 ans de MEDIA, qui célèbre le soutien continu de l'UE à l'industrie audiovisuelle tout au long des décennies et met en lumière le travail de l'industrie, en face et derrière la caméra. (Pour plus d'informations: Johannes Bahrke — Tél.: +32 229 58615; Marietta Grammenou — Tél.: +32 229 83583)

Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings

Note that these items can be subject to changes.

Upcoming events of the European Commission

Eurostat press releases

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