Daily News 16 / 08 / 2023

Ukraine: €135 million initially planned for programmes with Russia and Belarus will be transferred to strengthen cooperation with Ukraine and Moldova

The Commission has decided to transfer €135 million of the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation Instrument, originally planned for 2021-2027 Interreg NEXT programmes with Russia and Belarus, to other Interreg programmes with Ukraine and Moldova.

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira said: “The decision to cancel the originally envisaged cooperation with Russia and Belarus through our Interreg programmes is the result of the brutal war of Russia against Ukraine. I am glad that the funds we had initially planned for this cooperation will now benefit the EU's programmes with Ukraine and Moldova. This will help strengthen collaboration between EU regions and local stakeholders with Ukrainian and Moldovan partners.”

Concretely, this funding may support a range of activities, including Solidarity Lanes and the development of cross-border transport links, health services, education and research projects, social inclusion schemes, as well as reinforcing the institutional capacity of Ukrainian and Moldovan public authorities. Involvement in Interreg programmes also brings administrative capacity benefits and experience to both countries in the management and implementation of EU funds.

Following the Russian military aggression against Ukraine and in line with the measures adopted by the EU, in March 2022, the Commission had initially suspended cooperation with Russia and its ally Belarus in Interreg programmes. This led to €26 million being redistributed to support cooperation programmes with Ukraine and Moldova. This decision redistributes the remaining funding from the 2021-2027 period in the same manner. 

The Commission has also decided that regions in Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Poland which were supposed to participate in cooperation programmes with Russia and Belarus may participate in other existing Interreg programmes.

(For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker – Tel.: +32 2 298 46 80; Célia Dejond – Tel.: +32 2 298 81 99)

European Citizens' Initiative: Commission decides to register initiative on preservation and development of Ukrainian culture and heritage

Today, the European Commission decided to register a European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) entitled ‘Preservation and development of Ukrainian culture, education, language, and traditions in EU states'.

The organisers of the initiative urge the Commission to step up its actions in supporting the integration of Ukrainian refugees in the EU. They also call on the Commission to propose new legislation to preserve Ukrainian culture, language, traditions and heritage, as well as to establish a pan-European structure of integration centres.

The decision to register is of a legal nature and it does not prejudge the final legal and political conclusions of the Commission on this initiative and the action it will intend to take, if any, in case the initiative obtains the necessary support.

The Commission considers this European Citizens' Initiative legally admissible but has not analysed the substance of the proposal at this stage.

Following today's registration, the organisers have six months to open the signature collection. If a European Citizens' Initiative receives one million statements of support within one year from at least seven different Member States, the Commission will have to react. The Commission will have to decide whether to take action in response to the request or not, and will be required to explain its reasoning.

More information is available online in our press release.

(For more information: Anitta Hipper – Tel.: +32 2 298 56 91; Yuliya Matsyk – Tel.: +32 2 291 31 73)

Mergers: Commission clears the acquisition of Syneos Health by Veritas, EIM and Patient Square

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control of Syneos Health, Inc. by Veritas Capital Fund Management, L.L.C (‘Veritas'), Elliott Investment Management L.P. (‘EIM') and Patient Square Capital L.P. (‘Patient Square'), all of the US.

Syneos Health is a global contract research and outsourced commercialization organization providing services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms. Veritas is a private equity fund investing in companies that provide critical products, software and services to government as well as to commercial customers worldwide. EIM is an investment manager company. Patient Square is a dedicated health care investment firm.

The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given the absence of horizontal overlaps and limited vertical links between the companies' activities in 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.11170.

(For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 2 298 70 24; Sara Simonini- Tel.: +32 2 298 33 67)

Concentrations : la Commission autorise l'acquisition de Walor par Mutares

La Commission Européenne a approuvé, en vertu du règlement européen sur les concentrations, l'acquisition de Walor International S.A.S. (« Walor »), basée en France, par Mutares SE & Co. KGaA (« Mutares »), basée en Allemagne.

Walor est active dans la production et la fourniture de composants et d'accessoires automobiles, notamment des moteurs et des systèmes de direction, ainsi que des composants pour le secteur de l'énergie. Mutares est un fonds d'investissement actif dans l'acquisition de sociétés de grande et de moyenne taille actives dans différents secteurs d'activité.

La Commission a conclu que l'acquisition envisagée ne soulèverait pas de problème de concurrence, compte tenu de son impact très limité sur la structure du marché. 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.11100. 

(Pour plus d'informations: Arianna Podesta – Tél.: +32 2 298 70 24; Sara Simonini- Tél.: +32 2 298 33 67)

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.

Prochains événements de la Commission européenne

Eurostat: communiqués de presse