The Commission yesterday amended its December 2021 proposal, under discussion by the European Parliament and the Council, to revise the TEN-T Regulation. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has redefined the geopolitical landscape. The war’s impacts on global markets, supply chains, and food security have demonstrated how better connections with the EU’s neighbouring partner countries are critical more than ever before. Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean said: “By extending four European Transport Corridors to the territory of Ukraine and Moldova – including the ports of Mariupol and Odesa – our proposal will help improve transport connectivity between these two countries and the EU, facilitating economic exchanges and better connections for people and businesses alike. These corridors will also be a key priority in rebuilding the transport infrastructure of Ukraine once the war ends. Our efforts to facilitate the export of grain from Ukraine via the Solidarity Lanes have also demonstrated the importance of interoperability within the transport system, and reinforced the need to increase convergence within the EU network, making it more resilient and strengthening the internal market.” The Commission prepared the ground for this extension when it adopted revised maps for the TEN-T network in Ukraine earlier this month. Yesterday’s amended proposal removes Russia and Belarus from the TEN-T maps; in the current context, cooperation with these countries is neither appropriate nor in the interest of the Union. Finally, the proposal requires that new built lines in the EU Member States which share a land border with another Member State be built to the standard European gauge, and invites the Member States to plan the migration of existing railway lines, when economically justified, to the European standard track gauge. The amendment responds to the ‘Solidarity Lanes’ communication, which is designed to help Ukrainian agricultural produce and other goods to reach the EU and world markets
NextGenerationEU: Commission receives payment request from Cyprus for €85 million under the Recovery and Resilience Facility
The Commission has today received the first payment request from Cyprus under the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF) for a disbursement of €85 million in financial support (net of pre-financing). Cyprus’ overall recovery and resilience plan will be financed by €0.9 billion in grants and €0.2 billion in loans. Payments under the RRF are performance-based and contingent on Cyprus implementing the investments and reforms outlined in its recovery and resilience plan. This first payment request relates to 14 milestones and targets covering several investments and reforms in the areas of energy efficiency, electricity market, circular economy, anti-corruption and transparency, financial sector and public administration, digital skills and audit and controls. The Commission will now assess the request. Following that, the Commission will send its preliminary assessment of Cyprus’ fulfilment of the milestones and targets required for this payment to the Council’s Economic and Financial Committee. More information on the process of the payment requests under the RRF is available in this Q&A.
State aid: Commission approves €80 million Irish scheme for fishery sector in the context of Brexit
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a € 80 million Irish scheme to support the fishery sector affected by the effects of the withdrawal of the UK from the EU. The aim of the scheme is to incentivise vessel owners to cease commercial fishing activities by scrapping their vessels. The scheme will run until 31 December 2023. Under the scheme, aid will be granted to Irish-registered vessels owners in the form of a direct grant to compensate them for ceasing their fishing activities. The aid amount will be calculated on the basis of the gross tonnage of the scrapped vessel (i.e. €3,600 per gross tonnage). In addition, beneficiaries receive a catch incentive premium of up to €8,400 per gross tonnage, the actual amount of which depends on the impact of the reduced quotas for fish on the vessels. The higher the dependence of the vessel on the fish species for which quotas have been reduced, the higher the catch premium. The total aid amount will not exceed €12,000 per gross tonnage. The beneficiaries will have to pass on a part of the aid to their crew members. To incentivise participation in the scheme, vessel owners and crew members will also benefit from different tax reliefs that would normally be levied related to the aid. Under the scheme, the fishing capacity corresponding to the scrapped vessel will not be replaced by another vessel, and the fishing licenses and authorisations will be permanently withdrawn. The measure is planned to be partially financed under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve established to mitigate the economic and social impact of Brexit, subject to approval under the specific provisions governing funding from that instrument. The Commission assessed the measures under Article 107(3)(c) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which allows Member States to support the development of certain economic activities or regions under certain conditions, and under the Guidelines for the examination of State aid to the fishery and aquaculture sector The Commission found that the scheme facilitates the development of an economic activity and does not adversely affect trading conditions to an extent contrary to the common interest. On this basis, the Commission approved the Irish measure under EU State aid rules. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available under the case number SA.102271 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.
State aid: Commission approves €15 million Slovenian scheme to support the agricultural sector in the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine
The European Commission has approved a €15 million Slovenian scheme to support primary producers of agricultural products in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The scheme was approved under the State Aid Temporary Crisis Framework, adopted by the Commission on 23 March 2022 and amended on 20 July 2022. Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants. The purpose of the scheme is to cover part of the additional costs that the eligible beneficiaries incurred due to the price increase of fertilizers due to the current geopolitical crisis. The Commission found that the Slovenian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Crisis Framework. In particular, the aid (i) will not exceed €62,000 per beneficiary; and (ii) will be granted no later than 31 December 2022. 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 Crisis Framework. On this basis, the Commission approved the scheme under EU State aid rules. More information on the Temporary Crisis Framework .
Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Supreme Energy Muara Laboh by INPEX and Sumitomo
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of PT Supreme Energy Muara Laboh (‘SEML’), of Indonesia, by INPEX Corporation (‘INPEX’) and Sumitomo Corporation (‘SC’), both of Japan. SEML owns and operates a geothermal power plant in Indonesia. INPEX is an oil, gas and mineral exploration and production company active in several countries, including Indonesia. SC is a trading, business management, and project development company, operating worldwide in various sectors, including metal products, transportation, construction, infrastructure, mineral resources, energy, chemicals and electronics. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given SEML’s negligible actual and foreseen 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
The European Commission is committed to personal data protection. Any personal data is processed in line with Regulation (EC) 2018/1725. All personal information processed by the Directorate-General for Communication / European Commission Representations is treated accordingly.
Source: Cyprus News Agency