European Commission - Daily News

European Commission - Daily News

Daily News 29 / 09 / 2020*
Brussels, 29 September 2020
Nouvelle Alliance pour renforcer la chaîne de valeur des matières premières
Aujourd'hui, le vice-président Maroš Šefčovič et le commissaire Thierry Breton lanceront l'Alliance
européenne des matières premières dans le but de connecter les acteurs industriels, les États
membres et la société civile afin de renforcer la résilience et l'autonomie stratégique des chaînes de
valeur des terres rares et des aimants en Europe. L'Alliance vise à identifier les obstacles,
opportunités et possibilités d'investissement à toutes les étapes de la chaîne de valeur des matières
premières, de l'exploitation minière à la valorisation des déchets, tout en abordant en même temps
la durabilité et les impacts sociaux. Le vice-président Šefčovič a déclaré : « Notre prospective
stratégique montre clairement que la demande de matières premières critiques ne fera
qu'augmenter, compte tenu notamment de la transition en cours vers une économie verte et
numérique. La pandémie a également mis en évidence l'importance des matières premières pour
notre reprise économique. Pour garantir un approvisionnement durable en matières premières, nous
devons unir nos forces à travers l'Europe, comme nous l'avons fait pour l'Alliance européenne des
batteries. » Le commissaire Breton a ajouté : « L'Alliance européenne des matières premières est
une étape importante dans le renforcement des écosystèmes industriels qui dépendent des matières
premières. Elle accélérera les transitions verte et numérique en renforçant les chaînes de valeur, en
diversifiant les approvisionnements et en impliquant tous les partenaires volontaires dans la mise en
œuvre des actions nécessaires. Nous invitons toutes les parties prenantes, les organisations de la
société civile, les chercheurs, les entreprises, grandes et petites, les États membres et les régions, à
nous aider à atteindre ces objectifs. » Annoncée dans la stratégie industrielle, l'Alliance est la
première action du Plan d'action sur les matières premières critiques. Elle sera gérée par KIC-EIT
RawMaterials, une organisation financée par l'UE, et sera supervisée par la Commission, en
particulier par le partenariat d'innovation européen sur les matières premières. L'Alliance sera
ouverte aux acteurs qui souscrivent aux objectifs énoncés dans la déclaration de l'Alliance : rendre
l'Europe économiquement plus résiliente en diversifiant ses chaînes d'approvisionnement, en créant
des emplois, en attirant les investissements, en formant les jeunes talents, et également contribuer
au meilleur cadre pour les matières premières et l'économie circulaire dans le monde. Suivez le
lancement de l'Alliance ici. (Pour plus d'informations: Johannes Bahrke – Tél.: +32 2 295 8615;
Federica Miccoli – Tél.: +32 229 58300; Célia Dejond - Tél: +32 229 88199)

Coronavirus : l'UE et la Géorgie signent des conventions de financement relatives à la
relance pour un montant de 129 millions d'euros
Olivér Várhelyi, commissaire européen au voisinage et à l'élargissement, et Giorgi Gakharia, Premier
ministre géorgien, ont signé ce jour deux conventions de financement d'un montant de 129 millions
d'euros pour aider la Géorgie à faire face à la pandémie de COVID-19 et son impact sur l'économie
du pays. Le commissaire Várhelyi a déclaré : « L'Union européenne se tient aux côtés de la Géorgie
tout au long de la pandémie de COVID-19. Nous continuerons à faire tout ce qui est en notre pouvoir
pour atténuer les effets de la pandémie sur la vie des citoyens et sur les entreprises. » La première
convention de financement, d'un montant de 75 millions d'euros en subventions, soutiendra le plan
économique national de lutte contre la crise, destiné à aider les citoyens géorgiens à se remettre des
conséquences de la pandémie. Les mesures comprennent une assistance sociale pour les ménages
vulnérables et un soutien aux entreprises qui ont maintenu des emplois en ces temps difficiles. Il est
aussi prévu d'augmenter le nombre de lits dans les unités de soins intensifs. Le deuxième
programme d'un montant de 54 millions d'euros de subventions prévoit des mesures ciblant les
régions situées en dehors de la capitale. Le programme se concentrera sur les autorités locales et sur
des actions concrètes pour les citoyens, telles que la remise en état ou la construction
d'infrastructures dans les zones urbaines, la promotion du développement du tourisme et le soutien
aux PME et à l'innovation. Le programme comprend également des mesures visant à soutenir la
décentralisation et à impliquer les citoyens dans la prise de décision au niveau local. Outre ces deux
accords, le train de mesures de l'UE visant à soutenir la lutte contre la COVID-19 en faveur de la

Géorgie comprend des fournitures médicales, une aide sociale aux groupes vulnérables, des prêts et
des subventions aux entreprises et aux agriculteurs dans l'ensemble du pays, ainsi qu'un soutien
financier direct au budget de l'État. Ces deux accords font partie de la réaction de l'UE face à la
COVID-19 dans le cadre de l'initiative de l'équipe d'Europe (« Team Europe ») ; ils ont été signés
dans le cadre de la visite officielle du Premier ministre Gakharia à Bruxelles. Des photos et vidéos de
la visite seront disponibles sur le site d'EbS. Pour plus d'informations consultez le communiqué de
presse et le site de la délégation de l'UE en Géorgie. (Pour plus d'informations: Ana Pisonero – Tel.:
+32 229 54320; Zoï Muletier – Tel.: +32 229 94306)

Sustainable transport: EU funds clean busses, electric charging infrastructure and more in
France, Germany, Italy and Spain
Following the EU's investment of €2.2 billion in 140 key transport projects to jump-start the green
recovery, as announced in July, the EU is contributing additional €54 million to five projects that aim
at delivering safer and greener transport services. Among the selection are projects deploying
cleaner busses with charging infrastructure in Paris and Barcelona. The projects also involve
constructing 255 new electric charging stations on Italian roads, and installing ERTMS, the European
Rail Traffic Management System on 238 rail vehicles in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The projects
will be supported through the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), the EU's financial mechanism
supporting transport infrastructure, and further contribute to decarbonising transport as set out in
the European Green Deal. These projects were selected through the CEF Blending Facility, which
allows the leveraging of additional private financing for the projects, in addition to the EU's support.
In total, CEF has now supported 932 projects, with €23.1 billion in total. You can find more details
on today's five new selected projects here. (For more information: Stefan de Keersmaecker – Tel.: +
32 229 84680; Stephan Meder – Tel.: +32 229 13917)

EU countries test their ability to cooperate in the event of cyber attacks
EU Member States, the EU Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA) and the European Commission met
today to test and assess their cooperation capabilities and resilience in the event of a cybersecurity
crisis. The exercise, organised by the Netherlands with the support of ENISA, is a key milestone
towards the completion of relevant operating procedures. The latter are developed in the framework
of the NIS Cooperation Group, under the leadership of France and Italy, and aim for more
coordinated information sharing and incident response among EU cybersecurity authorities.
Furthermore, Member States, with the support of ENISA, launched today the Cyber Crisis Liaison
Organisation Network (CyCLONe) aimed at facilitating cooperation in case of disruptive cyber
incidents. Thierry Breton, Commissioner for the Internal Market, said: “The new Cyber Crisis Liaison
Organisation Network indicates once again an excellent cooperation between the Member States and
the EU institutions in ensuring that our networks and critical systems are cyber secure. Cybersecurity
is a shared responsibility and we should work collectively in preparing and implementing rapid
emergency response plans, for example in case of a large-scale cyber incident or crisis.” Juhan
Lepassaar, Executive Director of ENISA, added: "Cyber crises have no borders. The EU Agency for
Cybersecurity is committed to support the Union in its response to cyber incidents. It is important
that the national cybersecurity agencies come together to coordinate decision-making at all levels.
The CyCLONe group addresses this missing link.” The CyCLONe Network will ensure that information
flows more efficiently among different cybersecurity structures in the Member States and will allow to
better coordinate national response strategies and impact assessments. Moreover, the exercise
organised today follows up on the Commission's recommendation on a Coordinated Response to
Large Scale Cybersecurity Incidents and Crises (Blueprint) that was adopted in 2017. More
information is available in this ENISA press release. More information on the EU cybersecurity
strategy can be found in these Q&A and this brochure. (For more information: Johannes Bahrke –
Tel.: +32 229 58615; Marietta Grammenou – Tel.: +32 229 83583)

Agriculture : la Commission approuve une nouvelle indication géographique de Croatie
La Commission européenne a approuvé la demande d'inscription du « Brački varenik » de Croatie
dans le registre des indications géographiques protégées (IGP). Le « Brački varenik » est un produit
utilisé comme condiment et obtenu en faisant cuire du jus pressé de raisins frais ou secs. Il se
présente sous la forme d'un liquide sucré, visqueux, à l'arôme de miel, possédant une saveur et une
odeur de raisin légères et une saveur de caramel modérée. Le « Brački varenik » est fabriqué sur l'île
de Brač, au sud de la Croatie. La renommée de ce produit et son mode spécifique de préparation
reposent sur la longue expérience de la population locale, transmise d'une génération à l'autre, et
demeure étroitement liée à l'environnement et au relief de l'île. De fait, il est utilisé comme

ingrédient incontournable dans de nombreux plats traditionnels. Cette nouvelle appellation va
rejoindre plus de 1490 produits alimentaires déjà protégés dont la liste est disponible dans la base
de données eAmbrosia. Pour plus d'informations, voir aussi les pages sur la politique de qualité.
(Pour plus d'informations: Miriam Garcia Ferrer – Tél.: +32 229 99075; Thérèse Lerebours – Tél.:
+32 229 13963)

Antitrust: Commission fines car parts suppliers of €18 million in cartel settlement
The European Commission has fined Brose and Kiekert a total of €18 million for taking part in two
cartels concerning supplies of closure systems for cars in the European Economic Area (EEA). Magna
was not fined as it revealed both cartels to the Commission. Magna, based in Canada and Brose,
based in Germany took part in a bilateral cartel concerning supplies of door modules and window
regulators for a certain car model of Daimler group. Magna and Kiekert, based in Germany took part
in a separate bilateral cartel concerning supplies of latches and strikers to BMW group and Daimler
group. All three companies acknowledged their involvement in the cartels and agreed to settle the
case. The three car equipment suppliers coordinated their pricing behaviour and exchanged
commercially sensitive information. The aim of the three companies involved in both cartels was to
preserve each party's existing business and to avoid a deterioration of the prevailing pricing levels of
the supplies. The Commission's investigation revealed the existence of two separate infringements.
Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: “Components
such as door modules, window regulators and latching systems are essential for the proper
functioning of cars, they provide protection against injury and ensure safety and comfort. The three
suppliers colluded to increase their profits from the sale of these components. These cartels
ultimately hurt European consumers and adversely impacted the competitiveness of the European
automotive sector.” The full press release is available online. (For more information: Arianna
Podesta – Tel. +32 229 87024; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

State aid: Commission approves €32 million Polish aid scheme to compensate airports for
damage suffered due to coronavirus outbreak
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a PLN 142 million (approximately
€32 million) Polish aid scheme to compensate airports for the damage suffered due to the
coronavirus outbreak. In order to limit the spread of the coronavirus, on 15 March 2020, Poland
banned all international and domestic air passenger services at Polish airports. The flight restrictions
were progressively lifted as of 1 June 2020, but certain travel warnings, travel bans and restrictive
measures remained in place until the end of June 2020. This resulted in high operating losses for the
operators of Polish airports. Under the scheme, the Polish authorities will be able to compensate
airports for the revenue losses suffered during the period between 15 March and 30 June 2020, as a
result of the restrictive measures on international and domestic air passenger services implemented
by Poland. The support will take the form of direct grants. The scheme includes a claw-back
mechanism, whereby any possible public support in excess of the actual damage received by the
beneficiaries will have to be paid back to the Polish State. The risk of the State aid exceeding the
damage is therefore excluded. The Commission assessed the measure under Article 107(2)(b) of the
Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which enables the Commission to approve State
aid measures granted by Member States to compensate specific companies or specific sectors (in the
form of schemes) for the damage directly caused by restrictive measures taken in exceptional
occurrences, such as the coronavirus outbreak. The Commission found that the scheme notified by
Poland will provide compensation for damage that is directly linked to the coronavirus outbreak. It
also found that the measure is proportionate, as the compensation does not exceed what is
necessary to make good the damage. On this basis, the Commission concluded that the aid is in line
with EU State aid rules. More information will be available on the Commission's competition website,
in the public case register under the case number SA.58212 once confidentiality issues have been
resolved. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel. +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32
229 55344; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

State aid: Commission approves €2.2 million Belgian aid measures to support Flemish
airports in the context of the coronavirus outbreak
The European Commission has approved €2.2 million Belgian aid measures to support the operators
of Flemish airports (Antwerp airport, Ostend airport and Kortrijk airport) in the context of the
coronavirus outbreak. The measures were approved under the State aid Temporary Framework. The
measures consist in: (i) an aid scheme, under which all Flemish airport operators will receive support
in the form of a direct grant; and (ii) support to the operators of Antwerp and Ostend airports in the

form of payment deferrals of certain costs and fees (namely annual compensation for the use of
statutory staff of the Flemish Region and concession fee for the use of the airport infrastructure due
for the year 2020). The purpose of the aid measures is to help Flemish airport operators mitigating
the liquidity shortages that they have been facing due to the coronavirus outbreak. The Commission
found the measures to be in line with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In
particular, (i) the measures can only be granted until the end of this year; (ii) the direct grants do
not exceed €800,000 per company, as provided by the Temporary Framework; and (iii) the payment
deferrals will be granted by 31 December 2020, and will be due by no later than 31 December 2021
and involve minimum remuneration, in line with the Temporary Framework. The Commission
therefore concluded that the measures are 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
measures 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.58299 in the State aid register on the Commission's competition website once any confidentiality
issues have been resolved. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel. +32 229 87024; Giulia
Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

State aid: Commission approves prolongation of two Greek measures to support transition
towards new electricity market design* [added on 29-09-2020, at 13:10 due to technical
issue]
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, the prolongation for a limited
period of two Greek measures, a flexibility mechanism and an interruptability scheme, to support the
transition to the new electricity market design. Under the flexibility mechanism, which was initially
approved by the Commission on 30 July 2018 (SA 50152), flexible power capacity providers such as
gas-fired power plants, flexible hydro plants and demand response operators can obtain a payment
for being available to generate electricity or, in the case of demand response operators, for being
ready to reduce their electricity consumption. This flexibility in power capacity will allow the Greek
transmission system operator (TSO) to cope with the variability in electricity production and
consumption. Under the interruptibility scheme, which was initially approved by the Commission on
07 February 2018 (SA. 48780), Greece compensates large energy consumers for agreeing to be
voluntarily disconnected from the network when security of electricity supply is at risk, as happened
for example during the gas crisis in the cold winter of December 2016/January 2017. Greece notified
to the Commission its intention to prolong the flexibility mechanism until March 2021, and the
interruptibility scheme until September 2021. The Commission assessed the two measures under the
Guidelines on State aid for environmental protection and energy 2014-2020. The Commission found
that the prolongation of the two measures is necessary for a limited period of time, in view of the on-
going reforms in the Greek electricity market. It also found that the aid is proportionate because the
remuneration of beneficiaries is fixed through a competitive auction, and thus avoids
overcompensation. On this basis, the Commission approved the measures under EU State aid rules.
More information will be available on the Commission's competition website, in the public case
register, under the case number SA.56102 and SA.56103. (For more information: Arianna Podesta –
Tel. +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

State aid: Commission approves €26 million German scheme to compensate youth hostels,
school country homes, youth education centres and family holiday centres in Bavaria for
damages suffered due to the coronavirus outbreak
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a German scheme to compensate
youth hostels, school country homes, youth education centres and family holiday centres in Bavaria
for the loss of revenue caused by the coronavirus outbreak. The public support will take the form of
direct grants and will compensate the damage suffered up to a maximum of 60% of the loss of
revenues incurred by eligible beneficiaries in the period from 18 March 2020 to 31 July 2020. During
this period, the beneficiaries had to close their accommodation facilities due to the restrictive
measure that the German authorities implemented to limit the spread of the coronavirus. When
calculating the loss of revenue, reductions in costs resulting from income generated during the
lockdown (e.g. cancellation fees), as well as possible financial aid granted or actually paid out by
public authorities to cope with the consequences of the coronavirus outbreak (including aid granted
under the measure with case number SA.56974, approved by the Commission in April 2020) will be
deducted. This will ensure that no more than the damage suffered can be compensated. The
measure will be funded via the “Corona Programme Social Affairs” fund of the Free State of Bavaria,

which has a total budget of €26 million. The Commission assessed the measure under Article 107(2)
(b) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU, which enables the Commission to approve State aid
measures granted by Member States to compensate specific companies or specific sectors for the
damages directly caused by restrictive measures taken due to exceptional occurrences, such as the
coronavirus outbreak. The Commission found that the German scheme will compensate damages
that are directly linked to the coronavirus outbreak. It also found that the measure is proportionate,
as the envisaged compensation does not exceed what is necessary to make good the damages. The
Commission therefore concluded that the scheme is in line with EU State aid rules. More information
on 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.58464 in the State aid register on the Commission's competition website. (For more
information: Arianna Podesta – Tel. +32 229 87024; Giulia Astuti – Tel.: +32 229 55344; Maria
Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of Chyronhego by Apollo Capital Management
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of
Chyronhego by Apollo Capital Management L.P., both of the U.S. Chyronhego is active in the
development, production and sale of software, hardware, and services providing graphics creation
and management for live television, news, and sports production. Apollo Capital Management is a
private equity investment fund. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise
no competition concerns because the activities of the companies do not overlap 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.9933. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 229 87024; Maria
Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

STATEMENTS

Adhésion de l'UE à la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme : déclaration commune
au nom du Conseil de l'Europe et de la Commission européenne
Věra Jourová, vice-présidente de la Commission européenne aux valeurs et à la transparence, et
Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secrétaire générale du Conseil de l'Europe rassemblant 47 États, ont publié
la déclaration suivante concernant la reprise des négociations sur l'adhésion de l'Union européenne à
la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme mardi 29 septembre : « L'adhésion de l'Union
européenne à la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme constitue une étape importante vers
la protection des droits de l'homme et des libertés fondamentales partout en Europe. […] La
Convention européenne des droits de l'homme incarne tout ce que défendent le Conseil de l'Europe
et l'Union européenne. En ces temps difficiles, la reprise de ces négociations cruciales constitue un
signal fort de l'attachement de nos deux organisations, et de nos États membres, aux valeurs
fondamentales que nous chérissons. Nous espérons vivement que les négociations aboutissent
rapidement pour le bien de toute l'Europe. » La déclaration conjointe est disponible en ligne. (Pour
plus d'informations: Christian Wigand - Tél.: +32 229 62253; Katarzyna Kolanko - Tél.: +32 229
63444; Alice Hobbs – Tél.: +32 229 80829)

Statement by Commissioner Kyriakides on the first International Day of Awareness of Food
Loss and Waste
Today has been designated the first International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste by the
United Nations. On this occasion, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, made
the following statement: “The figures speak for themselves: in the EU, it is estimated that 20% of all
food we produce is lost or wasted, yet at the same time 33 million people cannot afford a quality
meal every second day. There is no excuse for food waste. It leaves the most vulnerable citizens
exposed. It is detrimental to the environment. And it has huge economic cost. Surplus food should
feed people who need it, not go in the bin. We urgently need to redesign our food systems. This
year, COVID-19 has not only forced us to rethink our way of life and adapt to new realities. The
pandemic has also proven the importance of sustainable food systems, from how we produce and

process food, to the supply chains that bring it to our homes We do not have a moment to spare.
This is why I am proud to have joined the Champions 12.3, a coalition of executives from
governments, businesses, international organisations and civil society as well as researchers and
farmers, aiming precisely to help halve global food waste by 2030 while also reducing food loss. I call
on everyone, whether they are consumers, farmers, food businesses, civil society and policy makers,
on this International Day: let us all commit to fighting against food loss and waste each and every
day!” The full statement is available online. (For more information: Stefan De Keersmaecker –
Tel.: +32 229 84680; Darragh Cassidy – Tel.: +32 229 83978)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

High Representative/Vice-President Borrell addresses the EU-Western Balkans Media
Literacy Conference
Today, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European
Commission, Josep Borrell will address the first edition of the European Union – Western Balkans
Media Literacy Conference which will focus on ‘Media Literacy and Fight against Disinformation in the
Time of Pandemic'. Organised by Western Balkans fact-checkers, youth organisations and the EU, the
event is part of EU's activities aimed at enhancing societal resilience in Bosnia and Herzegovina and
the whole Western Balkans region through support to media literacy, youth empowerment, and the
strengthening of civil society and media freedom. The conference will feature a number of
distinguished speakers and participants including Minister of Defence of North Macedonia Radmila
Šekerinska, Member of the European Parliament Tonino Picula, EU Head of Delegation/Special
Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina Johann Sattler as well as representatives of top fact-
checking and youth organisations, journalists, experts and artists from the Western Balkans and the
European Union. The event will combine physical presence with online participation. Organised in 3
panels, each run from a different location and with a different focus: 1. Brussels: Media literacy and
anti-disinformation policies; 2. Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH): Impact of the pandemic on
media literacy and media credibility; 3. Banja Luka (BiH): Media literacy and youth. The Conference
will start at 14:00 today, the full agenda is available online. You will be able to follow the live
streaming (both in English and in local language) on Zoom by registering here. You can engage via
Zoom, the live streaming on Facebook and using the hashtag #EUWBMediaLiteracy. (For more
information: Peter Stano – Tel.: +32 229 54553; Zoï Muletier – Tel.: +32 229 94306)

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
*Updated on 29-09-2020, at 13:10 due to technical issue
                                                                                            MEX/20/1771