Daily News 21 / 08 / 2023
Incendies : L'UE mobilise des avions supplémentaires et pompiers pour la Grèce
Alors que de nouveaux incendies se sont déclarés dans la région d'Alexandroupolis-Feres en Grèce, l'UE déploie deux avions de lutte contre les incendies rescEU basés à Chypre et une équipe de pompiers roumaine via le mécanisme de protection civile de l'UE.
Au total, 56 pompiers et 10 véhicules devraient arriver dans le pays aujourd'hui encore. En outre, une équipe de pompiers au sol pré-déployée par la France est déjà présente en Grèce dans le cadre du plan de préparation de l'UE à la saison des feux de forêt.
Le commissaire chargé de la gestion des crises, Janez Lenarčič, a déclaré : "La Grèce a déjà connu, et de loin, son pire mois de juillet depuis 2008 en termes d'incendies de forêt. La zone brûlée est plus grande et les incendies sont plus intenses et plus violents, détruisant plus de surface qu'auparavant. L'incendie d'Alexandroupolis-Feres a déjà endommagé des habitations et provoqué l'évacuation de huit villages. La réponse rapide de l'UE est une fois de plus essentielle et je remercie Chypre et la Roumanie d'aider les pompiers grecs qui opèrent déjà sur le terrain."
Cette aide fait suite à la réponse de l'UE à l'activation précédente du mécanisme de protection civile de l'UE par la Grèce le mois dernier, lorsque 9 avions, 510 pompiers et 117 véhicules ont été mobilisés. En outre, la cartographie par satellite Copernicus de l'UE permet d'évaluer les dégâts dans plusieurs zones de la région.
La Commission reste en contact étroit avec les autorités grecques par l'intermédiaire de son centre de coordination de la réaction d'urgence et se tient prête à mobiliser une aide supplémentaire si nécessaire.
(Pour plus d'informations: Balazs Ujvari - Tél.: +32 2 295 45 78; Daniel Puglisi - Tél.: +32 2 296 91 40)
Mergers: Commission to assess the proposed acquisition of Nasdaq Power by EEX
The European Commission has accepted the requests submitted by three EU Member States and one EFTA Member State to assess the proposed acquisition of Nasdaq's European power trading and clearing business by European Energy Exchange AG (‘EEX') under the EU Merger Regulation (‘EUMR').
EEX, a German subsidiary of Deutsche Börse AG, is the leading energy exchange in Europe. It develops, operates and connects markets for energy and commodity products. Nasdaq Power, a Swedish and Norwegian subsidiary of Nasdaq, Inc., provides a regulated marketplace offering trading and clearing services of Nordic, German and French futures contracts for electricity as well as for EU emission allowances.
The proposed acquisition does not reach the notification thresholds set out in the EUMR, and it was not notifiable in any Member State. Denmark and Finland submitted initial referral requests to the Commission pursuant to Article 22(1) of the EUMR on their own initiative. This provision allows Member States to request the Commission to examine a merger that does not have an EU dimension but affects trade within the single market and threatens to significantly affect competition within the territory of the Member States making the request. Other EU Member States and countries of the European Economic Area had the opportunity to join the requests. Subsequently, Sweden and Norway joined the initial referral requests.
On the basis of the information available to the Commission at this early stage, and without prejudice to the outcome of its full investigation, the Commission considers that the transaction meets the criteria for referral under Article 22 of the EUMR. In particular, the transaction appears to combine the only two providers of services facilitating the on-exchange trading and subsequent clearing of Nordic power contracts. Such services allow for the use of long-term energy contracts with set future prices and are therefore key for more stable and predictable energy prices, to the ultimate benefit of consumers and businesses. It is therefore important to ensure a strong and competitive trading and clearing ecosystem to support the smooth functioning of energy markets, especially in the current context of energy crisis. The Commission has asked EEX to notify the transaction. EEX cannot implement the transaction before notifying and obtaining clearance from the Commission.
This is the third occasion on which the Commission has accepted referral requests pursuant to Article 22(1) of the EUMR in application of its Article 22 Guidance adopted on 26 March 2021.
(For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 2 298 65 00; Sara Simonini +32 2 298 33 67)
Mergers: Commission clears creation of joint venture by Scania and sennder
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the creation of a greenfield joint venture by Scania CV AB (‘Scania') of Sweden and sennder Techologies GmbH (‘sennder') of Germany.
The joint venture will supply heavy-duty battery electric vehicles (‘BEV') based on a pay-per-use-model along with associated digital, physical, and commercial services. Initially, it will be active in Germany and later on it will roll out its services in other European countries. Scania, part of the Volkswagen Group, is a worldwide developer and manufacturer of trucks and buses, including BEVs, and a provider of vehicle financing, insurance, and rental services. sennder is a digital road freight forwarder providing a wide range of full truck load services to shippers across Europe.
The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given its limited impact on the market. 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.11145.
(For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 2 298 65 00; Sara Simonini +32 2 298 33 67)
Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Equity Inmuebles S.L by Coral Reef and MHI
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of: (i) joint control of 12 properties and businesses of Equity Inmuebles S.L (‘Equity') by Coral Reef E 2023 S.A. (‘Coral Reef') and Melia Hotels International S.A. (‘MHI'), all three of Spain; (ii) sole control of three Equity properties and businesses by Coral Reef; and (iii) sole control of two Equity properties and businesses by MHI.
Equity owns the real estate of a 17-hotel portfolio spread across the Spanish mainland and the Canary Islands. Coral Reef is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, an independent investment institution, and is holding and administrating companies and financial instruments. MHI operates hotels in Asia, Europe, Middle East, Africa, South, Central and North America, and the Caribbean.
The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns because of its limited impact on the market. 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.11190.
(For more information: Daniel Ferrie – Tel.: +32 2 298 65 00; Sara Simonini +32 2 298 33 67)
Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings
Note that these items can be subject to changes.
Upcoming events of the European Commission
Eurostat press releases