EU Insight, 9 April 2021

Brussels, 9 April 2021

CONSULTATION ON HEALTH EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE AUTHORITY

The European Commission launched an online public consultation on the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA). Part of the EU’s answer to the COVID-19 pandemic and a strong European Health Union, HERA aims to improve Europe’s capacity and readiness to respond to cross-border health threats and emergencies. Specifically, the Commission is gathering views with respect to the EU’s framework on i) development, manufacture, and deployment of medical countermeasures, ii) anticipatory threat and risk assessments, iii) market dynamics and supply chain intelligence, iv) development and financing of new countermeasures in times of crisis and v) impact, role, scope and coordination of a future HERA. The consultation will be open until 12 May.

EU-TURKEY MEETING FOCUSES ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND MIGRATION ISSUES

This week European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss the future of EU-Turkey relations. During the meeting, the EU leaders signalled openness to put a concrete and positive agenda on the table, based on three pillars: economic cooperation, migration, and people-to-people contacts. They also underlined the need for high-level dialogues on issues of mutual concern, such as regional issues, public health, climate, and counter terrorism. Finally, Michel and von der Leyen reiterated that Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention represents a concern for the EU.

EU AND UK AGREE ON MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON FINANCIAL SERVICES

The EU and the UK have reached agreement on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) establishing the financial services regulatory cooperation forum. The MoU notes that the cooperation arrangements will provide for i) appropriate dialogue in the process of adoption, suspension, and withdrawal of equivalence decisions, ii) bilateral exchanges of views relating to regulatory developments and other issues of common interest as well as iii) enhanced cooperation and coordination including in international bodies. The MoU is now expected to be approved by Member States and to be formally adopted following domestic approval in the UK.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION SEEKS VIEWS ON REVISION OF GAS EU FRAMEWORK

The European Commission launched a public consultation on revising the Gas Directive and Gas Regulation in the context of the European Green Deal ambition to decarbonise the EU gas sector and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The consultation’s objective is to seek stakeholder views on how the current framework should be revised to facilitate the uptake of renewable and low-carbon gases and consumer empowerment, while ensuring integrated, liquid, and interoperable EU internal gas markets.  The consultation feedback will feed into the Commission’s preparations of legislative proposals for a new hydrogen and gas markets decarbonisation package intended for publication before the end of the year.

DISBURSEMENT OF ADDITIONAL FUNDS AS PART OF SURE PROGRAMME

The European Commission disbursed €13 billion to six EU Member States in the sixth instalment of financial support under the EU’s temporary unemployment re-insurance instrument (SURE). As such, Czechia received €1 billion, Belgium €2.2 billion, Spain €4.06 billion, Ireland €2.47 billion, Italy €1.87 billion, and Poland €1.4 billion. These loans will assist Member States in addressing sudden increases in public expenditure to preserve employment. Overall, the Commission has proposed that 19 EU countries will receive €94.3 billion in financial support under SURE. This figure includes the additional €3.7 billion proposed by the Commission on the same day for six Member States (Belgium, Cyprus, Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, and Malta).

COMING UP NEXT WEEK

• 16 April: Informal video conference of economic and finance ministers. On the agenda: State of play of Capital Markets Union, Presentation by the Commission Economic Recovery in Europe, Recovery and Resilience facility state of play, financing of NGEU.
• 16 April: Eurogroup meeting. On the agenda: Insolvency frameworks, Reporting of High-Level Working Group on EDIS, digital euro, Eurogroup transparency initiative.

Karl Isaksson, Managing Partner Brussels, Kreab

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Kreab • Tel: +32 2 737 6900 • karl.isaksson@kreab.com • www.kreab.com/brussels • Twitter: @KreabEU.