European Commission - Daily News

European Commission - Daily News

Daily News 13 / 07 / 2021
Brussels, 13 July 2021
Facilité pour la reprise et la résilience: Malte présente son plan officiel pour la reprise et la
résilience
La Commission a reçu aujourd'hui un plan officiel pour la reprise et la résilience de la part de Malte.
Ce plan expose les réformes et les projets d'investissement public que Malte prévoit de mettre en
œuvre avec le soutien de la facilité pour la reprise et la résilience (FRR). La FRR, l'instrument au
cœur de NextGenerationEU, apportera jusqu'à 800 milliards d'euros (en prix courants) pour soutenir
les investissements et les réformes dans l'ensemble de l'UE. Elle jouera un rôle crucial pour aider
l'Europe à sortir plus forte de la crise et à assurer les transitions écologique et numérique. La
présentation de ce plan fait suite à un dialogue soutenu entre la Commission et les autorités
maltaises au cours des derniers mois. La Commission va à présent évaluer le plan maltais sur la base
des onze critères énoncés dans le règlement et traduire son contenu en actes juridiquement
contraignants. La Commission a maintenant reçu 25 plans pour la reprise et la résilience, de la part
de la Belgique, de la Tchéquie, du Danemark, de l'Allemagne, de l'Estonie, de la Grèce, de l'Espagne,
de la France, de la Croatie, de l'Italie, de l'Irlande, de Chypre, de la Lettonie, de la Lituanie, du
Luxembourg, de la Hongrie, de Malte, de l'Autriche, de la Pologne, du Portugal, de la Roumanie, de la
Slovénie, de la Slovaquie, de la Finlande et de la Suède. Un communiqué de presse et un document
questions-réponses sont disponibles en ligne. (Pour plus d'informations: Arianna Podestà – Tél.: +32
229 87024 ; Enda McNamara - Tél.: +32 229 64976)

Political agreement on the Aarhus Regulation: Commission welcomes increased public
scrutiny of EU acts related to the environment
The Commission welcomes the provisional political agreement reached yesterday between the
European Parliament and the EU Member States in the Council on amending the Aarhus Regulation
that will allow for increased public scrutiny of EU acts affecting the environment. The Commission
had proposed the amendment in October 2020, following its commitment under the European Green
Deal to improve access to administrative and judicial review at EU level for citizens and
environmental non-governmental organisations. Commissioner for the Environment, Oceans and
Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevičius, said: “I welcome the amendment to the Aarhus Regulation
provisionally agreed between co-legislators. It will strengthen the capacity of European civil society
and a wider public to exercise scrutiny over decisions affecting the environment. This is an important
element of the checks and balances in the environmental rule of law to ensure that the European
Green Deal brings a lasting change.” The agreed amendment will improve the possibilities for the
civil society to request that EU institutions review their acts with the aim to ensure better
environmental protection and a more effective climate action. More information is in the press
release. (For more information: Vivian Loonela - Tel.: +32 229 66712; Daniela Stoycheva – Tel.: +32
229 53664)

New EU guidance helps companies to combat forced labour in supply chains
The Commission and the European External Action Service (EEAS) have published today a Guidance
on due diligence to help EU companies to address the risk of forced labour in their operations and
supply chains, in line with international standards. The Guidance will enhance companies' capacity to
eradicate forced labour from their value chains by providing concrete, practical advice on how to
identify, prevent, mitigate and address this risk. Executive Vice-President and Commissioner for
Trade Valdis Dombrovskis said: “There is no room in the world for forced labour. The Commission is
committed to wiping this blight out as part of our broader work to defend human rights. This is why
we put strengthening the resilience and sustainability of EU supply chains at the core of our recent
trade strategy. Businesses are key to making this happen, because they can make all the difference
by acting responsibly. With today's Guidance, we are supporting EU companies in these efforts. We
will ramp up our due diligence work with our upcoming legislation on Sustainable Corporate

Governance.” High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell said: “Forced labour is not only a
serious violation of human rights but also a leading cause of poverty and an obstacle to economic
development. The European Union is a global leader on responsible business conduct and business
and human rights. The Guidance we publish today translates our commitment into concrete action. It
will help EU companies to ensure their activities do not contribute to forced labour practices in any
sector, region or country.” More information is available in our press release. (For more information:
Miriam García Ferrer – Tel.: +32 229 99075; Peter Stano - Tel: +32 229 5455; Álvaro Rangel
Hernández – Tel.: +32 2 291 36 65; Gesine Knolle – Tel.: +32 229 54323)

EU launches Women TechEU pilot to put women at the forefront of deep tech
Today, the European Commission launched Women TechEU, a new EU scheme supporting deep-tech
start-ups led by women and helping them grow into tomorrow's deep tech champions. This scheme
comes under the new Horizon Europe innovation ecosystems programme, reinforced by the European
Innovation Council (EIC). Data shows that only 15% of innovative start-ups are founded or co-
founded by women, and a mere 6% have all-women founding teams. These women-led businesses
raise less venture capital than their male-only counterparts, including at the vital early-stage
investments, and the amounts that they raise tend to be lower. Across Europe only around 5% of
venture capital goes to mixed teams and only 2% to all-female teams. Women TechEU addresses
this innovation gender gap by supporting women-led deep tech start-ups at the early, riskiest stage.
The scheme will offer financial support to women-led start-ups with grants of €75,000 and first-class
coaching and mentoring through the EIC Women Leadership Programme. The EIC Accelerator
programme also targets women-led start-ups, but the new Women TechEU scheme provides support
at the earlier, formative stage of companies in order to increase the number of women launching
their own start-ups. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and
Youth, said: “Through Women TechEU, we want to increase the number of women-led start-ups and
create a fairer and more prosperous European deep-tech ecosystem. We believe that today's support
to deep-tech female founders will increase their chances of success and boost the overall European
innovation ecosystem by drawing in more female talent.” Up to 50 promising deep tech start-ups
from EU Member States and Associated Countries will be funded under the first Women TechEU pilot
call that will close on 10 November 2021. More information is available here. (For more information:
Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 229 58615; Charles Manoury – Tel.: +32 229 13391)

Matières premières : L'UE et l'Ukraine lancent un partenariat stratégique
Aujourd'hui, l'UE et l'Ukraine ont lancé un partenariat stratégique sur les matières premières, dans le
but de parvenir à une intégration plus étroite des chaînes de valeur des matières premières et des
batteries. Le vice-président Maroš Šefčovič et le Premier ministre ukrainien, Denys Shmyhal, ont
signé un protocole d'accord sous-tendant le partenariat lors de la conférence de haut niveau
consacrée à cette question. Le partenariat stratégique avec l'Ukraine comprendra des activités tout
au long de la chaîne de valeur des matières premières et des batteries critiques primaires et
secondaires, et, conformément aux objectifs du plan d'action de l'UE pour les matières premières
critiques, il contribuera à diversifier, renforcer et sécuriser l'approvisionnement des deux parties en
matières premières critiques, essentiel pour réaliser les transitions écologique et numérique. Le
partenariat jouera également un rôle décisif dans la préservation de la compétitivité mondiale et
dans le développement de la résilience de l'industrie de l'UE et de l'Ukraine. La signature
d'aujourd'hui constitue le premier résultat tangible dans le cadre de la coopération renforcée entre
l'Union européenne et l'Ukraine dans les domaines du pacte vert pour l'Europe et de la stratégie
industrielle. Il fait suite à l'engagement et à l'intérêt mutuels exprimés lors de la 7e réunion du
Conseil d'association entre l'UE et l'Ukraine, le 11 février 2011. Pour plus d'informations, veuillez
consulter le discours et les remarques du vice-president Šefčovič, le reportage EbS ainsi que notre
communiqué de presse. (Pour plus d'informations: Johannes Bahrke – Tél.: +32 229 58615;
Federica Miccoli – Tél.: +32 229 58300; Célia Dejond – Tél.: +32 229 88199)

Investment Plan for Europe supports growth fund investing in early-stage technology
businesses
Today, OTB Ventures launches the new ‘OTB Growth Fund I', which is backed by the European Scale-
up Action for Risk capital (ESCALAR) of the European Commission and the European Investment
Fund (EIF). ESCALAR is a pilot programme launched by the European Commission and the EIF,
using resources of the Investment Plan for Europe, to invest in funds with ambitions of making
follow-on investments in scale-ups in their existing portfolios. Today's investment will enable OTB
Ventures to continue pursuing its mission to empower Europe's most talented entrepreneurs to scale

their businesses globally, while keeping a strong focus on technology advancement in research and
development hubs in Central and Eastern Europe. The new capital will support continued investment
for OTB portfolio companies, spanning the tech industry, including the areas of cybersecurity, space,
financial technology and robotic automation. Executive Vice-President for An Economy that Works for
People, Valdis Dombrovskis, said: “I welcome the launch of this growth fund supported by the
European Fund for Strategic Investments and the EIF. We need more funding options for promising
technology start-ups in Europe, which create new jobs and help secure our competitive edge. I look
forward to seeing many more such examples in action.” The European Fund for Strategic
Investments (EFSI) is the main pillar of the Investment Plan for Europe, which has so far mobilised
€546.5 billion of investment, supporting over 1.4 million SMEs and start-ups across the EU. The
press release is available online. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 229 87024;
Flora Matthaes – Tel.: +32 229 83951)

Antitrust: Commission launches public consultation on revision of the Horizontal Block
Exemption Regulations and Guidelines
The European Commission has launched today a public consultation inviting all interested parties to
comment on the revision of the R&D and Specialisation Block Exemption Regulations, known as the
Horizontal Block Exemption Regulations, and accompanying Guidelines. Today's consultation is part
of the on-going review process initiated in September 2019 to ensure revised rules are in place when
the current rules expire in December 2022. The public consultation in the form of an online
questionnaire seeks views on the different policy options and additional proposals for revision
outlined in the Inception Impact Assessment. The public consultation forms part of the impact
assessment phase of the review that seeks to address the issues raised during the evaluation phase
and to assess the impact of the policy options proposed by the Commission. The deadline for
providing feedback is 5 October 2021. Following this, interested parties will have the possibility to
provide their views on the draft revised rules that the Commission will publish for comments. The
preceding evaluation phase showed that the rules on horizontal agreements between companies and
the Horizontal Guidelines are useful tools for businesses. At the same time, the evaluation has
identified several areas where the rules are not sufficiently adapted, in particular, in relation to
digitisation and the pursuit of sustainability goals. The Staff Working Document concluded that legal
certainty could be improved and the administrative supervision by national competition authorities
and national courts could be simplified by addressing those areas. The online questionnaire is
available here and more information about the review process can be found here. (For more
information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 229 87024; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

Aides d'Etat: La Commission autorise la prolongation du régime français d'aide fiscale en
faveur des investissements productifs en outre-mer
La Commission européenne a autorisé, en vertu des règles de l'UE en matière d'aides d'Etat, la
prolongation, jusqu'au 31 décembre 2027, d'une mesure fiscale en faveur de l'investissement
productif en outre-mer sous forme de réduction d'impôt sur le revenu ou d'une déduction d'impôt sur
les sociétés («défiscalisation») octroyée aux contribuables pour les inciter à investir des capitaux
dans des projets outre-mer. Cette mesure avait été autorisée par la Commission en 2015 (SA.38536)
et prolongée en 2019 jusqu'à fin 2020 (SA.50299). Avec d'autres mesures (en particulier un crédit
d'impôt) qui ne font pas l'objet de la présente décision (car elles sont conçues pour être compatibles
avec le règlement général d'exemption par catégorie), elle constitue un régime d'aide fiscale à
l'investissement productif qui, dans son ensemble, a pour objectif de faciliter le financement et la
promotion des investissements productifs dans les départements et régions d'outre-mer. Les
opérations de financement sont effectuées, dans la majorité des cas, via un intermédiaire qui se
charge du montage financier et du portage du projet d'investissement. Le budget annuel estimé pour
la mesure de défiscalisation est de 540 millions d'euros. La Commission a apprécié ce régime au
regard des règles en matière d'aides d'État, et en particulier de l'article 107.3.c du traité sur le
fonctionnement de l'Union européenne. La Commission a considéré que le régime contribuait à
faciliter le financement d'investissements productifs indispensables à la transformation et au
développement économique des régions ultra marines, en remédiant à une offre sous-optimale de
capitaux dans ces régions. En particulier, elle s'est appuyée sur une évaluation du régime sur la
période précédente (2014-2020), réalisée par un cabinet indépendant, où il apparaît que celui-ci (i)
a eu un impact positif sur l'offre de financement des investissements productifs dans les régions
concernées ; (ii) était proportionné, et (iii) n'a pas eu d'impact négatif sur la concurrence et les
échanges entre États membres. La Commission a conclu que les effets positifs de l'aide sont
supérieurs aux effets négatifs éventuels, au vu des résultats de l'évaluation du régime et compte
tenu des garde-fous existants. Sur cette base, elle a conclu que le régime était conforme aux règles

de l'UE en matière d'aide d'Etat. La version non confidentielle de la décision sera publiée sous le
numéro SA.60282 dans le registre des aides d'État figurant sur le site web de la Commission
consacré à la concurrence, dès que les éventuels problèmes de confidentialité auront été résolus.
(Pour plus d'informations: Arianna Podesta – Tél.: +32 229 87024; Maria Tsoni – Tél.: +32 229
90526)

State aid: Commission approves €100 million Italian scheme to support foreign
cinematographic and audiovisual productions
The European Commission has approved, under EU State aid rules, a €100 million Italian scheme to
support the production of cinematographic and audiovisual works. The support will take the form of
tax credit to production companies liable for taxation in Italy for the production of works
commissioned by non-Italian companies. The scheme will run until 31 December 2026. The
Commission assessed the scheme under Article 107(3)(d) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the
European Union (TFEU) on aid to promote culture, and the Cinema Communication, which sets out
the compatibility requirements for aid in favour of cinematographic and audiovisual works. The
Commission found that the scheme complies with the Cinema Communication, notably as it supports
only cultural works and respects the limits regarding the aid intensity and the territorialisation of
costs. The Commission concluded that the measure contributes to the promotion of culture without
unduly distorting competition in the Single Market. On this basis, the Commission approved the
scheme under EU State aid rule. The non-confidential version of the decision will be made available
under case number SA.62194 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; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32 229 90526)

State aid: Commission approves €660 million Czech scheme to support self-employed and
partners in small limited liability companies affected by coronavirus outbreak
The European Commission has approved a €660 million Czech scheme to support self-employed
persons and partners in small limited liability companies affected by the coronavirus outbreak. The
scheme was approved under the State aid Temporary Framework and follows a previous €1.2 billion
compensation bonus scheme already approved by the Commission on 12 February 2021
(SA.61358). Under the scheme, the public support will take the form of direct grants. The aim of the
scheme is to mitigate the adverse effects of the coronavirus outbreak on the liquidity of the eligible
small businesses for the periods when their business activities have been significantly affected by
the coronavirus outbreak. The scheme is expected to support 200,000 self-employed persons and
partners in small limited liability companies. The Commission found that the Czech scheme is in line
with the conditions set out in the Temporary Framework. In particular, (i) the support will not exceed
€225,000 per company active in the primary production of agricultural products, €270,000 per
company active in the fishery and aquaculture sector, and €1.8 million per company active in all
other sectors; and (ii) the aid will be granted before 31 December 2021. 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.62930 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; Maria Tsoni – Tel.: +32
229 90526)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of joint control of Fenergo by Bridgepoint and
Astorg
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint
control of Fenergo Group Limited (‘Fenergo') of Ireland by Bridgepoint Europe VI Fund
(‘Bridgepoint') of the UK and Astorg VII SCSp (‘Astorg') of Luxembourg. Fenergo provides software
solutions that streamline the end-to-end client lifecycle management processes, aimed specifically at
helping banks and financial institutions. Bridgepoint is an international asset management group
investing in Europe-focused businesses in a broad range of sectors. Astorg is a European private
equity group acquiring global companies and providing strategic guidance, experienced governance
and adequate capital. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no
competition concerns, given that the companies' combined and individual market shares remain

minimal both for horizontal and vertical relationships in the markets where the companies are active.
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.10303. (For more information: Arianna Podesta – Tel.: +32 229 87024; Maria Tsoni – Tel.:
+32 229 90526)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Commission Breton in Italy and Malta to discuss EU technology capacities and vaccine
strategy roll-out
Commissioner Thierry Breton, in charge of the Internal Market and responsible for the Task Force on
Industrial Scale-up of COVID-19 vaccine production, is in Italy and Malta today to discuss both EU
technology capacities and vaccine strategy roll-out. During his morning visit in Rome, Commissioner
Breton met with Prime Minister Mario Draghi to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing EU
industry in its green and digital transitions. They also discussed the milestone reached last week by
the EU which delivered to Member States enough doses to fully vaccinate 70% of adult population.
Moreover, Commissioner Breton had a meeting with the Minister of Economic Development Giancarlo
Giorgetti to notably discuss the upcoming EU Alliance on semiconductors. In Italy, the Commissioner
also met the Undersecretary of State at the Prime Minister's Office with portfolio for Space Bruno
Tabacci to discuss connectivity and the EU launchers Alliance. Later during the day, Commissioner
Breton will be in Valletta to meet with Prime Minister Robert Abela. They will have the opportunity to
discuss the implementation of the Digital COVID Certificate, as well as the successful vaccination
campaign rolled-out in Malta, which fully vaccinated 81% of its adult population. (For more
information: Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32 229 58615; Federica Miccoli – Tel.: +32 229 58300; Célia
Dejond – Tel.: +32 229 88199)

Stratégie vaccinale européenne: La commissaire Kyriakides rencontre le vice-premier
ministre et ministre des Affaires sociales et de la Santé publique de Belgique
Demain, 14 juillet, la commissaire Kyriakides rencontrera le vice-premier ministre et ministre des
Affaires sociales et de la Santé publique de Belgique, M. Frank Vandenbroucke. Les discussions
porteront sur la stratégie de l'UE en matière de vaccins et sur le déploiement de la campagne
nationale de vaccination en Belgique, ainsi que sur l'évolution des propositions dans le cadre de
l'Union européenne de la santé. La réunion se poursuivra par la visite d'un centre de vaccination à
Molenbeek, à Bruxelles, et d'un projet de vaccination satellite pour les groupes vulnérables,
également à Bruxelles. Avant la réunion et la visite du centre de vaccination, Stella Kyriakides, la
commissaire à la santé et à la sécurité alimentaire, a déclaré : « La Belgique a été un partenaire
important pour la stratégie vaccinale de l'UE et pour la production de vaccins - c'est à partir de la
Belgique que les premières doses ont été expédiées dans l'UE en décembre et c'est également avec
le soutien de la capacité de fabrication industrielle belge que nous avons pu fournir suffisamment de
vaccins pour vacciner 70 % de la population adulte de l'UE. Je suis heureux de constater que la
Belgique a mené une campagne de vaccination très réussie, avec un pourcentage impressionnant de
plus de 80 % de la population ayant déjà reçu une dose. Cependant, il reste des défis à relever et le
combat n'est pas encore terminé. Tous les États membres doivent également se concentrer sur la
vaccination des populations difficiles à atteindre et à briser le plafond de verre de l'hésitation à se
faire vacciner. Je suis impatiente de discuter de la manière dont l'UE peut continuer à soutenir le
déploiement de la campagne nationale de vaccination belge, qui a été couronnée de succès. » Les
mesures prises aujourd'hui s'inscrivent dans le cadre des efforts continus de la Commission et de
l'engagement de la commissaire Kyriakides à soutenir le déploiement des campagnes nationales de
vaccination contre la COVID-19 dans les États membres. (Pour plus d'informations : Stefan De
Keersmaecker - Tél : +32 229 84680 ; Darragh Cassidy - Tél : +32 229 83978)

Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings

Note that these items can be subject to changes.

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.
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