Non-opposition to a notified concentration

(Case M.8985 — Boeing/KLX)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2018/C 401/01)

On 1 October 2018, the Commission decided not to oppose the above notified concentration and to declare it compatible with the internal market. This decision is based on Article 6(1)(b) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1). The full text of the decision is available only in English and will be made public after it is cleared of any business secrets it may contain. It will be available:

—	in the merger section of the Competition website of the Commission (http://ec.europa.eu/competition/mergers/cases/). This website provides various facilities to help locate individual merger decisions, including company, case number, date and sectoral indexes,

—	in electronic form on the EUR-Lex website (http://eur-lex.europa.eu/homepage.html?locale=en) under document number 32018M8985. EUR-Lex is the online access to European law.

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1.

Initiation of proceedings

(Case M.8713 — Tata Steel/thyssenkrupp/JV)

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2018/C 401/02)

On 30 October 2018, the Commission decided to initiate proceedings in the abovementioned case after finding that the notified concentration raises serious doubts as to its compatibility with the internal market. The initiation of proceedings opens a second phase investigation with regard to the notified concentration, and is without prejudice to the final decision on the case. The decision is based on Article 6(1)(c) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (1).

The Commission invites interested third parties to submit their observations on the proposed concentration to the Commission.

In order to be fully taken into account in the procedure, observations should reach the Commission not later than 15 days following the date of this publication. Observations can be sent to the Commission by fax (+32 22964301), by email to COMP-MERGER-REGISTRY@ec.europa.eu or by post, under reference M.8713 — Tata Steel/thyssenkrupp/JV, to the following address:

European Commission

Directorate-General for Competition

Merger Registry

1049 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

Notice for the attention of the persons subject to the restrictive measures provided for in Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/2074, as amended by Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1656, and in Regulation (EU) 2017/2063, as implemented by Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1653 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Venezuela

(2018/C 401/03)

The following information is brought to the attention of the persons that appear in Annex I to Council Decision (CFSP) 2017/2074 (1), as amended by Council Decision (CFSP) 2018/1656 (2), and in Annex IV to Regulation (EU) 2017/2063 (3), as implemented by Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1653 (4) concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Venezuela.

The Council of the European Union, after having reviewed the list of designated persons, has decided that the persons that appear in the abovementioned Annexes should continue to be included in the list of persons subject to the restrictive measures provided for in Decision (CFSP) 2017/2074 and Regulation (EU) 2017/2063 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Venezuela. The grounds for the listing of the persons concerned appear in the relevant entries in those Annexes.

The attention of the persons concerned is drawn to the possibility of making an application to the competent authorities of the relevant Member State(s) as indicated on the websites in Annex III to Regulation (EU) 2017/2063 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Venezuela, in order to obtain an authorisation to use frozen funds for basic needs or specific payments (cf. Article 9 of the Regulation).

The persons concerned may submit a request to the Council, together with supporting documentation, that the decision to include them on the abovementioned lists should be reconsidered, before 23 August 2019, to the following address:

Council of the European Union

General Secretariat

RELEX.1.C

Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175

1048 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

Email: sanctions@consilium.europa.eu

Any observations received will be taken into account for the purpose of the Council’s periodic review, in accordance with Article 13 of Decision (CFSP) 2017/2074 and Article 17(4) of Regulation (EU) 2017/2063.

The attention of the persons concerned is also drawn to the possibility of challenging the Council’s decision before the General Court of the European Union, in accordance with the conditions laid down in Article 275, second paragraph, and Article 263, fourth and sixth paragraphs, of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union.

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(1)  OJ L 295, 14.11.2017, p. 60.

(2)  OJ L 276, 7.11.2018, p. 10.

(3)  OJ L 295, 14.11.2017, p. 21.

(4)  OJ L 276, 7.11.2018, p. 1.

Notice for the attention of the data subjects to whom the restrictive measures provided for in Council Regulation (EU) 2017/2063 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Venezuela apply

(2018/C 401/04)

The attention of data subjects is drawn to the following information in accordance with Article 12 of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001 of the European Parliament and of the Council (1):

The legal basis for this processing operation is Council Regulation (EU) 2017/2063 (2), as implemented by Council Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1653 (3).

The controller of this processing operation is the Council of the European Union represented by the Director-General of RELEX (Foreign Affairs, Enlargement, Civil Protection) of the General Secretariat of the Council and the department entrusted with the processing operation is RELEX.1.C that can be contacted at:

Council of the European Union

General Secretariat

RELEX.1.C

Rue de la Loi/Wetstraat 175

1048 Bruxelles/Brussel

BELGIQUE/BELGIË

Email: sanctions@consilium.europa.eu

The purpose of the processing operation is the establishment and updating of the list of persons subject to restrictive measures in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2017/2063, as implemented by Implementing Regulation (EU) 2018/1653.

The data subjects are the natural persons who fulfil the listing criteria as laid down in that Regulation.

The personal data collected includes data necessary for the correct identification of the person concerned, the statement of reasons and any other data related thereto.

The personal data collected may be shared as necessary with the European External Action Service and the Commission.

Without prejudice to restrictions provided for in Article 20(1)(a) and (d) of Regulation (EC) No 45/2001, requests for access, as well as requests for rectification or objection will be answered in accordance with Section 5 of Council Decision 2004/644/EC (4).

Personal data will be retained for 5 years from the moment the data subject has been removed from the list of persons subject to the asset freeze or the validity of the measure has expired, or for the duration of court proceedings in the event they had been started.

Data subjects may have recourse to the European Data Protection Supervisor in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 45/2001.

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(1)  OJ L 8, 12.1.2001, p. 1.

(2)  OJ L 295, 14.11.2017, p. 21.

(3)  OJ L 276, 7.11.2018, p. 1.

(4)  OJ L 296, 21.9.2004, p. 16.

Euro exchange rates (1)

6 November 2018

(2018/C 401/05)

1 euro =

	Currency	Exchange rate
USD	US dollar	1,1428
JPY	Japanese yen	129,31
DKK	Danish krone	7,4593
GBP	Pound sterling	0,87313
SEK	Swedish krona	10,3470
CHF	Swiss franc	1,1460
ISK	Iceland króna	137,90
NOK	Norwegian krone	9,5448
BGN	Bulgarian lev	1,9558
CZK	Czech koruna	25,833
HUF	Hungarian forint	322,06
PLN	Polish zloty	4,3088
RON	Romanian leu	4,6647
TRY	Turkish lira	6,1246
AUD	Australian dollar	1,5789
CAD	Canadian dollar	1,4996
HKD	Hong Kong dollar	8,9510
NZD	New Zealand dollar	1,7105
SGD	Singapore dollar	1,5693
KRW	South Korean won	1 280,90
ZAR	South African rand	16,2351
CNY	Chinese yuan renminbi	7,9015
HRK	Croatian kuna	7,4383
IDR	Indonesian rupiah	16 916,30
MYR	Malaysian ringgit	4,7604
PHP	Philippine peso	60,482
RUB	Russian rouble	75,3169
THB	Thai baht	37,644
BRL	Brazilian real	4,2833
MXN	Mexican peso	22,7736
INR	Indian rupee	83,3785

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(1)  Source: reference exchange rate published by the ECB.

New national side of euro coins intended for circulation

(2018/C 401/06)

National side of the new commemorative 2-euro coin intended for circulation and issued by Belgium

Euro coins intended for circulation have legal tender status throughout the euro area. For informing the public and all parties who handle the coins, the Commission publishes a description of the designs of all new coins (1). In accordance with the Council conclusions of 10 February 2009 (2), euro-area Member States and countries that have concluded a monetary agreement with the European Union providing for the issuance of euro coins are authorised to issue commemorative euro coins intended for circulation, provided that certain conditions are met, one of these being that only the 2-euro denomination is used. These coins have the same technical characteristics as other 2-euro coins, but their national face features a commemorative design that is highly symbolic in national or European terms.

Issuing country : Belgium

Subject of commemoration : The 50th anniversary of the ESRO 2B satellite

Description of the design : The design shows the ESRO 2B satellite, the first successful satellite of the European Space Research Organization and launched in May 1968, circling around planet Earth. The ESRO 2B, also renamed as ‘IRIS’ (International Radiation Investigation Satellite) once in orbit, was concentrated on solar X-rays, cosmic radiation and Earth’s radiation belts.

The mintmark of Utrecht (the Mercury’s wand) is located on the bottom together with the Belgian mint master mark, the coat of arms of the municipality Herzele, the country code BE and the initials LL referring to the designer of the coin, Mr Luc Luycx.

The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Number of coins to be issued : 260 000 coins

Date of issue : October 2018

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(1)  See OJ C 373, 28.12.2001, p. 1 for the national faces of all the coins issued in 2002.

(2)  See the conclusions of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 10 February 2009 and the Commission Recommendation of 19 December 2008 on common guidelines for the national sides and the issuance of euro coins intended for circulation (OJ L 9, 14.1.2009, p. 52).

New national side of euro coins intended for circulation

(2018/C 401/07)

National side of the new commemorative 2-euro coin intended for circulation and issued by Malta

Euro coins intended for circulation have legal tender status throughout the euro area. For the purpose of informing the public and all parties who handle the coins, the Commission publishes a description of the designs of all new coins (1). In accordance with the Council conclusions of 10 February 2009 (2), euro-area Member States and countries that have concluded a monetary agreement with the European Union providing for the issuing of euro coins are allowed to issue commemorative euro coins intended for circulation, provided that certain conditions are met, particularly that only the 2-euro denomination is used. These coins have the same technical characteristics as other 2-euro coins, but their national face features a commemorative design that is highly symbolic in national or European terms.

Issuing country : Malta

Subject of commemoration : Cultural Heritage

Description of the design : The design was created by a school student and depicts a variety of themes intrinsic to Maltese heritage including: an allusion to the prehistoric temples, which are the world’s oldest free-standing structures, a church dome and spire, which is a characteristic feature of the Maltese town and village skyline and a representation of a traditional Maltese boat carrying a Maltese flag. The name of the issuing country ‘Malta’ is at the top of the inner circle of the coin and the year ‘2018’ at the bottom.

The coin’s outer ring depicts the 12 stars of the European flag.

Number of coins to be issued :

320 000

Date of issue : November 2018

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(1)  See OJ C 373, 28.12.2001, p. 1 for the national faces of all the coins issued in 2002.

(2)  See the conclusions of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council of 10 February 2009 and the Commission Recommendation of 19 December 2008 on common guidelines for the national sides and the issuance of euro coins intended for circulation (OJ L 9, 14.1.2009, p. 52).

Electronic identification schemes notified pursuant to Article 9(1) of Regulation (EU) No 910/2014 of the European Parliament and of the Council on electronic identification and trust services for electronic transactions in the internal market (1)

(2018/C 401/08)

Title of the scheme	eID means under the notified scheme	Notifying Member State	Level of assurance	Authority responsible for the scheme	Date of publication in the Official Journal
German eID based on Extended Access Control	National Identity Card Electronic Residence Permit	Germany	High	Federal Ministry of the Interior Alt-Moabit 140 10557 Berlin GERMANY DGI2@bmi.bund.de +49 30186810	26.9.2017
SPID – Public System of Digital Identity	SPID eID means provided by: — Aruba PEC S.p.A. — Namirial S.p.A. — InfoCert S.p.A. — In.Te.S.A. S.p.A. — Poste Italiane S.p.A — Register.it S.p.A. — Sielte S.p.A. — Telecom Italia — Trust Technologies S.r.l.	Italy	High Substantial Low	AgID - Agency for Digital Italy Viale Liszt, 21 00144 Roma ITALY eidas-spid@agid.gov.it +39 0685264407	10.9.2018
National Identification and Authentication System (NIAS)	Personal Identity Card (eOI)	Croatia	High	Ministry of Public Administration, Republic of Croatia Maksimirska 63 10000 Zagreb CROATIA e-gradjani@uprava.hr	7.11.2018
Estonian eID scheme: ID card Estonian eID scheme: RP card Estonian eID scheme: Digi-ID Estonian eID scheme: e-Residency Digi-ID Estonian eID scheme: Mobiil-ID Estonian eID scheme: diplomatic identity card	— ID card — RP card — Digi-ID — e-Residency Digi-ID — Mobiil-ID — Diplomatic identity card	Estonia	High	Police and Border Guard Board Pärnu mnt 139 15060 Tallinn ESTONIA eid@politsei.ee +372 6123000	7.11.2018
Documento Nacional de Identidad electrónico (DNIe)	Spanish ID card (DNIe)	Spain	High	Ministry of Interior - Kingdom of Spain C/ Julián González Segador, s/n 28043 MADRID SPAIN divisiondedocumentacion@policia.es	7.11.2018
Luxembourg national identity card (eID card)	Luxembourg eID card	Luxembourg	High	Ministry for Home Affairs BP 10 L-2010 Luxembourg LUXEMBOURG minint@mi.etat.lu secretariat@ctie.etat.lu +352 24784600	7.11.2018

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(1)  OJ L 257, 28.8.2014, p. 73.

CALL FOR PROPOSALS — EACEA 37/2018

under the Erasmus+ Programme

KA3 — Support for Policy Reform

Networks and partnerships of Vocational Education and Training (VET) providers

(2018/C 401/09)

1.   Objective

The aim of this call is to support projects for the creation of transnational and national networks and partnerships of VET providers in initial and continuing VET with a view to supporting policy reflection at a European level, as well as promoting awareness and implementation of European VET policies at national and regional levels.

The overall objective of the call is to invite the submission of proposals for bottom up partnerships which should encourage the creation of transnational and national VET providers' networks and partnerships to work together at national and European level.

These projects should improve the quality and efficiency of VET, enhance its impact and relevance for learners and employers, and build cross-border cooperation for VET quality and attractiveness.

The proposals financed under this call should also foster communication, dissemination and support for implementation of the VET policy agenda at EU and national level, to exchange knowledge, feedback and experience of policy implementation and sharing of best practices on VET excellence.

Proposals should be submitted under one of the following two Lots:

—   Lot 1: National, regional or sectoral VET provider organisations

Projects supported under Lot 1 will establish or strengthen networks and partnerships among VET providers at a national, regional or sectoral level. These will be achieved through transnational projects aimed at capacity building and sharing of best experiences among these VET provider organisations, in particular for countries that have limited representation arrangements among VET providers.

—   Lot 2: European umbrella VET provider organisations

Projects supported under Lot 2 will foster cooperation among European umbrella organisations of VET providers, while supporting policy reflection at European level as well as outreach capacity to their national members or affiliates. The European umbrella organisations will also play a key role in raising awareness and supporting the implementation of European VET policies through the national, regional and sectoral VET provider organisations.

2.   Eligible partnerships

—   Lot 1: National, regional or sectoral VET provider organisations

The partnership shall include at least two national, regional or sectoral networks or associations of VET providers, from at least two different Erasmus+ Programme countries (at least one of which must be a Member State of the European Union). One of the partners above will be the coordinating organisation, applying for the Erasmus+ grant on behalf of the partnership.

In case of a network/association not yet legally established, the application can be submitted by a VET provider representing it.

Further composition of the partnership should reflect the specific activities of the call.

—   Lot 2: European umbrella VET provider organisations

The partnership shall include at least two European umbrella organisations of VET providers, each of them having members or affiliates in at least five Erasmus+ Programme countries (at least one of which must be a Member State of the European Union). One of the European umbrella organisations will be the coordinating organisation, applying for the Erasmus+ grant on behalf of the partnership.

Further composition of the partnership should reflect the specific activities of the call.

The Erasmus+ Programme countries are the following:

—   The 28 Member States of the European Union: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom (1);

—   The non EU Programme countries: Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey, Serbia (2).

3.   Activities

Activities must start between 1 September 2019 and 1 November 2019.

The duration of the projects is 24 months.

The main goal of the activities is to support the establishment and/or reinforcement of VET providers' networks and partnerships, aimed at building capacity at grass root level for the effective implementation of European programmes, initiatives and priorities in the field of VET, including those agreed within the context of the Copenhagen process.

For both lots, the beneficiaries should undertake the following activity:

Strengthen cooperation among VET providers by engaging in mutual learning, peer counselling, and capacity building, aimed at raising the quality and attractiveness of VET provision. The networks and partnerships should also promote and foster the effective use of EU funding instruments, as well as support the implementation and dissemination of relevant EU tools and initiatives in the field of VET, whenever possible in national language(s). Projects should also aim at involving and reaching out to VET providers that do not yet contribute or benefit from European cooperation.

In addition, beneficiaries should undertake at least three of the following activities:

1.	Contribute to the European Vocational Skills Week, by organising coordinated innovative events and activities at country level, aimed at raising the attractiveness of VET, while reaching out to a wide audience, including parents, learners, teachers, companies, and in particular SMEs.

2.	Support the development of an internationalisation strategy at providers' level, fostering the mobility of leaders, staff and VET learners, as well as the establishment of cooperation partnerships.

3.

Increase the quality in VET through feedback loops to adapt VET provision, in line with the Recommendation on tracking of graduates and the Recommendation on the European Quality Assurance Reference Framework for Vocational Education and Training (EQAVET). Where relevant, develop graduate tracking systems by inter alia combining national or regional statistics with data collected by the VET providers or make use of data of graduate tracking systems for improving VET provision.

4.

Support for micro companies and SMEs in developing human capital, through upskilling and reskilling of employees. This could include identification of their skills needs and/or skills assessment, and/or validation and recognition of skills and/or tailored training offer, where relevant taking account of the conclusions of the 2016-2018 ET2020 Working Group on Adult Learning.

5.	Foster innovative learning of key competences in VET (for example, allow flexibility and adaptability to meet individual learning needs) by adapting programme design and assessment.

6.	Promote tools and opportunities for professional development of teachers, trainers, mentors and/or VET leaders to better equip them for future challenges (e.g. digitalisation), in line with the conclusions of the 2016-2018 ET2020 Working Group on VET.

4.   Award criteria

Eligible applications will be assessed on the basis of the following criteria:

1.	Relevance of the project (Maximum 30 points – Threshold: minimum 16 points);

2.	Quality of the project design and implementation (Maximum 20 points – Threshold: minimum 11 points);

3.	Quality of the project consortium and cooperation arrangements (Maximum 30 points – Threshold: minimum 16 points);

4.	Impact and dissemination (Maximum 20 points – Threshold: minimum 11 points).

To be considered for funding, applications must score at least 60 points (out of 100 points in total), also taking into account the necessary minimum threshold for each of the four award criteria.

5.   Budget

The total budget earmarked for the co-financing of projects is estimated at a maximum of EUR 6 million with an indicative distribution of EUR 4 million for Lot 1 and EUR 2 million for Lot 2. The maximum EU co-financing rate will be 80 %.

Each grant will amount to between EUR 300 000 and EUR 500 000 for Lot 1 and between EUR 600 000 and EUR 800 000 for Lot 2.

The Agency reserves the right not to distribute all funds available.

6.   Deadline for submission of applications

Applications must comply with the following requirements:

—	They must be submitted no later than 31 January 2019, 12:00 noon (Brussels time).

—	They must be submitted online using the correct official application form (eForm);

—	They must be submitted in one of the official EU languages;

—	A detailed description of the project, a declaration of honour and a balanced estimated budget, presented on the official forms, must be annexed to the applications.

Failure to comply with those requirements will lead to the rejection of the application.

7.   Full details

The Applicants' Guidelines together with the application eForm are available at the following Internet address:

https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-plus/funding/ka3-networks-and-partnerships-of-VET-providers_en

Applications must comply with all terms of the Guidelines.

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(1)  For British applicants: Please be aware that eligibility criteria must be complied with for the entire duration of the grant. If the United Kingdom withdraws from the EU during the grant period without concluding an agreement with the EU ensuring in particular that British applicants continue to be eligible, you will cease to receive EU funding (while continuing, where possible, to participate) or be required to leave the project on the basis of the relevant provisions of the grant agreement on termination.

(2)  The recognition of Serbia as an Erasmus+ Programme Country is subject to the following conditions:

i)	The availability of the appropriations provided for in the 2019 draft budget after adoption of the 2019 budget for Serbia;

ii)	An amendment to the Agreement between European Union and Serbia on the participation of Serbia in Erasmus+: the Union programme for education, training, youth and sport.

Prior notification of a concentration

(Case M.9160 — Centerbridge/Hospital Topco)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2018/C 401/10)

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.

Prior notification of a concentration

(Case M.9131 — Blackstone/Telereal Trillium/Real Estate JV)

Candidate case for simplified procedure

(Text with EEA relevance)

(2018/C 401/11)

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(1)  OJ L 24, 29.1.2004, p. 1 (the ‘Merger Regulation’).

(2)  OJ C 366, 14.12.2013, p. 5.