All news & events

On 22 December 2021, the European Commission found a €88 million German support measure in favour of Deutsche Bahn AG to be in line with EU State aid rules. The measure, which will take the form of an equity injection, aims at compensating Deutsche Bahn for the damages suffered by its subsidiary DB Cargo due to the coronavirus outbreak between 16 March and 17 May 2020.

On 22 December 2021, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the proposed revision of the 2008 Guidelines on State aid for railway undertakings (the ‘Railway Guidelines'). Interested parties can respond to the consultation until 16 March 2022.

On 22 December 2021, the European Commission adopted a measure to support the EU rail sector amidst new restrictions to prevent and contain the spread of COVID-19.

The US Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) published on 28 December three policy statements which provide new guidance to shippers and others on bringing private party complaints at the FMC and to address barriers identified by the trade community as disincentives to filing legal actions. These guidelines are part of the Interim Recommendations made by commissioner Rebecca Dye in the framework of the Fact Finding 29 investigation on the impact of COVID-19 on maritime supply chains, which were published in July 2021.

On 20 December 2021, the OECD released its Pillar Two model rules, also referred to as the “Anti Global Base Erosion”. These rules seek to enforce a minimum 15% effective tax rate on profits earned by large multinational enterprises in each jurisdiction where they realise profits. The minimum tax will apply to multinational enterprises with revenue above EUR 750 million and is estimated to generate around USD 150 billion in additional global tax revenues annually.

The leaders of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and the Council of the European Union signed on 16 December 2021 a Joint Declaration on EU legislative priorities for 2022. The Joint Declaration sets out the institutions' shared vision for a transformed, more resilient Europe, and highlights key legislative proposals that are currently in the hands of the co-legislators or will be put forward by the European Commission by the autumn of 2022.

On 1st January, France took the reins of the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The Presidency’s motto “Recovery, Strength and a Sense of belonging” will drive the agenda of the French government at EU level for the next six months as also detailed in the Presidency’s work programme.

On 15 December, the EU committed to increase the role of trade in the fight against climate change and protecting the environment. It has signed up to three new initiatives to step up joint action in the World Trade Organization, pursuing a strong environmental agenda for trade.