The SMSG helps to facilitate consultation between ESMA and its stakeholders on ESMA’s areas of responsibility and provides technical advice on its policy development. This helps to ensure that stakeholders can contribute to the formulation of policy from the beginning of the process.

The SMSG was established under Article 37 of the ESMA Regulation and is composed of 30 members, representing consumers, users of financial services, financial market participants, academics, employees in the financial sector and SMEs. It meets on at least four occasions per year and twice with ESMA’s Board of Supervisors. 

Each Member of the SMSG serves for a period of two and a half years and can serve two consecutive terms.

The successful candidates will take up their roles in January 2019.

Application process

The call for expression of interest for membership in the SMSG is open to all those who represent stakeholders active in the European Union. The deadline for applications is 6 September 2018.

Relevant documents for the application can be found here. 

·         Call for Expression of Interest;

·         Application form; and

·         Renewal Procedure.

The applications should be accompanied by a CV, preferably in the Europass format. Candidates are also invited to provide a letter of motivation, clearly stating the reasons behind the application.   

Selection process

The details of the selection process are in the Call for Expression of Interest. 

The final decision on the composition of the SMSG is expected to be made by the ESMA Board of Supervisors in November 2018.

Investissement numérique: 500 millions d’euros de financement de l’UE pour le développement de la 5G chez Nokia

La Banque européenne d’investissement (BEI) a signé un prêt de 500 millions d’euros avec l’entreprise de télécommunications finlandaise Nokia dans le cadre du Plan d’Investissement pour l’Europe. L’entreprise utilisera ce prêt pour accélérer ses travaux de recherche et développement sur la technologie 5G, la norme de télécommunication mobile de nouvelle génération. Le prêt est garanti par le Fonds européen pour les investissements stratégiques (EFSI), le cœur du Plan d’Investissement. La technologie 5G devrait permettre d’atteindre des vitesses plus élevées, une connectivité massive, une autonomie de dix ans pour les capteurs et d’obtenir des réseaux très réactifs et fiables pour les clients. Le vice-président Jyrki Katainen, responsable de l’emploi, de la croissance, de l’investissement et de la compétitivité, a déclaré: “Pour que l’Europe puisse pleinement adopter et bénéficier des nouvelles technologies, il faut un effort soutenu d’investissement. C’est là que le Plan d’Investissement peut jouer un rôle crucial. Je suis ravi qu’avec l’accord d’aujourd’hui, le Plan contribue aux activités de recherche et développement de Nokia dans plusieurs pays européens pour faire progresser le développement de la technologie 5G.” (Le communiqué de presse complet est disponible ici. Pour plus d’informations: Lucia Caudet – Tél .: +32 229 56182; Siobhán Millbright – Tél .: +32 229 57361)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of FFT by Fosun International

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of FFT GmbH & Co. KGaA, of Germany and FFT Gesellschaft mbH of Austria (together, “FFT”) by Fosun International Limited of China. FFT supplies automated and flexible production systems for the automotive industry as well as for non-automotive sectors. Fosun International is an investment group focused on several sectors such as pharmaceutical, medical services, leisure, fashion, insurance and finance. The Commission concluded that the proposed acquisition would raise no competition concerns, given that there are no horizontal overlaps or vertical links between the activities of the companies. 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.9027. (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100)

Mergers: Commission clears acquisition of joint control over Fitness DK by Elixia and TryghedsGruppen

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control over Fitness DK Holding A/S of Denmark by Elixia Holding S.à.r.l of Luxembourg and TryghedsGruppen smba of Denmark. Fitness DK Holding is the holding company of the Danish fitness centre operator Fitness DK A/S which owns and operates 41 fitness centres across Denmark. Elixia, controlled by the Altor funds of Sweden, jointly controls the fitness chain Health & Fitness Nordic (‘HFN’). TryghedsGruppen, a member based organisation whose members are policyholders of Danish insurance company Tryg, is the other jointly controlling shareholder of HFN. HFN operates fitness centres in Sweden, Norway and Finland, but not in Denmark. The Commission concluded that the proposed transaction would raise no competition concerns given the lack of horizontal overlaps and vertical links between the activities of the companies. The transaction was examined under the simplified procedure. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number M.9008. (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100) 

Commission clears acquisition of joint control over Abatec by PIAG and MTIB

The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the acquisition of joint control over Abatec group AG by Pierer Industrie AG (PIAG) and Michael Tojner Industriebeteiligungs und -beratungs GmbH (MTIB), all of Austria. Abatec is active in the production of surface-mounted technology, local position measurement systems and high performance carbonators. PIAG is a vehicle group with a focus on the global motorcycle segment and the automotive high-tech component sector, while MTIB is active in the fields of energy storage, aerospace components and industrial components. The Commission concluded that the proposed transaction would raise no competition concerns because the activities and turnover of Abatec are limited 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.8990. (For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 229 80100)

Agriculture: the Commission approves new geographical indications from Poland

A traditional sausage from the Cracow region in South-East Poland, known as Kielbasa Krakowska Sucha Staropolska, is registered as Traditional Speciality Guaranteed (TSG)and a local variety of garlic from Małopolskie Province, referred to as Czosnek Galicyjski, has also been added today to the list of 30 Polish quality food products considered under the EU rules as Protected Geographical Indications (PGI). Kielbasa Krakowska Sucha Staropolska sausage is a smoked, cooked and dried sausage produced from high quality lean pork. Czosnek galicyjski garlic is purple-pink or has a purple skin, with large bulbs and a small number of cloves. For more information about EU quality policy and protected traditional products see dedicated pages. (For more information: Daniel Rosario – Tel: +32 229 56 185; Clémence Robin – Tel: +32 229)

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Commissioner Hahn at Western Balkans Prime Ministers’ meeting in Durres, Albania

Today, Johannes Hahn, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, is in Durres, Albania, to take part in an informal meeting of the Western Balkan Prime Ministers. The discussions at the meeting focus in particular on the regional economic integration, including the Regional Economic Area (REA). “The Regional Economic Area is the key to the goal of regional economic integration. Intra-regional trade is up for the first time in years: an increase of more than 13% in intra-CEFTA trade in 2017 compared to 2016. Given this backdrop, our own prediction of REA potentially creating around 80,000 new jobs by 2025 seems almost too cautious,” stressed Commissioner Hahn, “putting the work on rule of law as well as growth and jobs at the heart of Commission’s engagement with the region on its European path”. See the full speech here. (For more information: Maja Kocijančič – Tel.: +32 229 86570; Adam Kaznowski – Tel.: +32 229 89359)

Upcoming events of the European Commission (ex-Top News)

The EEA report ‘The circular economy and the bioeconomy — Partners in sustainability‘ shows that the two policy agendas have similar objectives and areas of intervention, including food waste, biomass and bio-based products, and that they would benefit from stronger links, particularly in product and infrastructure design, and collaboration throughout the value chain.

According to the report, the increasing demand for food, feed, biomaterials and bioenergy resources could worsen the over-exploitation of natural resources. By extending the lifetime of products and recycling materials, a circular, bio-economy approach can help retain material value and functionality for longer time as well as avoid unrecycled biowaste.

Promising innovations and strategies for circular biomass use include biorefinery, 3D printing with bioplastics, multi-purpose crops, better use of residues and food waste, and biowaste treatment. Consumers can also contribute to bioeconomy’s sustainability, for example, by eating less animal-based protein, preventing food waste and separating biowaste from other waste streams, the report says.

The report argues that biobased approaches should be tailored to the specific use context in order to maximise the benefits of biobased and biodegradable products. The technological innovation, covering product and infrastructure design, should be embedded in a wider system innovation that also tackles consumer behaviour, product use and waste management.

‘The circular economy and the bioeconomy — Partners in sustainability‘ is the third EEA report on the circular economy that aims to support the framing, implementation and evaluation of European circular economy policy from an environmental perspective. The two previous reports were:

The bioeconomy encompasses the production of renewable biological resources and their conversion into food, feed, bio-based products and bioenergy. It includes agriculture, forestry, fisheries, food, and pulp and paper production, as well as parts of the chemical, biotechnological and energy industries.

• EUR 500 million EIB loan will be used to accelerate research and development of 5G tech
• Loan backed under European Fund for Strategic Investments, part of successful Juncker Plan

Finnish multinational telecommunications, information technology, software and services company Nokia today signed a EUR 500 million loan transaction with the European Investment Bank (EIB), supported by the European Fund for Strategic Investments (EFSI), a key element of the Investment Plan for Europe, also known as the Juncker Plan. Nokia will use the loan to further accelerate its research and development of 5G technology, the next-generation mobile telecommunication standard.

The EFSI-supported loan from the EIB will support a key European technology provider that invests heavily in research, development and innovation (RDI) in an area which can produce enabling technologies for innovation and growth in Europe.

5G technology is expected to enable faster speeds, massive connectivity, decade-long battery life for sensors and super-responsive and reliable networks for customers. This could power on-demand virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) experiences, driverless vehicles, medical monitoring, advanced industrial automation services, and other applications – all requiring ubiquitous, low-latency connectivity.

Nokia’s end-to-end network proposition goes from the radio network to the internet protocol (IP) and optical networks for transmission, the packet core network, service platforms and all the software and services associated with the whole system. In essence, Nokia’s portfolio covers all the needs of a telecom operator that wishes to provide fully converged fixed-mobile communications services critical for the era of 5G.

EIB Vice-President Alexander Stubb, responsible for lending in Northern Europe, said: “5G is happening fast, faster than most people even expected. It’s anticipated that it will enable entirely new business cases, while dramatically enhancing existing wireless applications. I think bringing 5G to the market will definitely improve people’s lives, as the motto for the EIB’s 60^th anniversary states.”

Nokia CFO Kristian Pullola said: “We are pleased to land this financing commitment from the EIB, who shares our view of the revolutionary nature of 5G – and the realisation that this revolution is already underway. This financing bolsters our 5G research efforts and continues the broader momentum we have already seen this year in terms of customer wins and development firsts, supporting our relentless drive to be a true leader in 5G – end-to-end.”

European Commission Vice-President Jyrki Katainen, responsible for jobs, growth, investment and competitiveness, said: “Ensuring that Europe embraces and benefits from new technologies requires sustained investment. That is where the Investment Plan for Europe can play a crucial role. I am delighted that, with today’s agreement, the Plan is contributing to Nokia’s research and development activities across multiple European countries to advance the development of 5G technology.”

The loan, which extends Nokia’s debt maturity profile, has an average maturity of approximately five years after disbursement, which can take place at any time during the next 18 months.

Organised crime group dismantled

Eurojust/Europol joint press release

The Hague, 24 August 2018

On 22 August 2018, from a coordination centre at Eurojust, in the context of an investigation of the Public Prosecution Office Munich I, searches and arrests were synchronised in Romania and Poland against an organised crime group (OCG), involved in recruiting and trafficking men and women from India and Nepal into the European Union. The illegal immigrants participated in sham marriages in order to obtain residence permits. The Federal Police of Munich, cooperating with Europol and Eurojust, as well as with the Romanian and Polish national authorities, carried out 17 houses searches and executed five European arrest warrants.

Each migrant paid approximately EUR 12 000 to the smugglers for the full range of services, including the journey to Europe, entry to Germany, application for a residence permit, as well as the arrangement of the wedding ceremony.

During the action day, the national authorities of Germany, Romania and Poland, with the support of Eurojust and Europol, seized a significant amount of evidence, such as marriage certificates, business cards of wedding planners, unused wedding rings, electronic storage devices, and EUR 14 000 in cash. Europol, through its European Migrant Smuggling Centre, manned a mobile office to coordinate the police actions.

The investigations revealed so far at least 15 persons that had been smuggled for the purpose of entering into sham marriages. The total number of sham marriages conducted with the involvement of the OCG is allegedly much higher.

The investigations as well as the analysis of the secured evidence are ongoing.