DAILY NEWS
Brussels, 20 August 2026
Commission clears creation of joint venture by ACS AIID, Telefónica, Banco Santander and SETT
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the creation of a joint venture by AI Infrastructure Development, S.L. (‘ACS AIID'), Telefónica S.A. (‘Telefónica'), Banco Santander, S.A. and Entidad Pública Empresarial Sociedad Española para la Transformación Tecnológica, E.P.E. (‘SETT'), all of Spain.
The transaction relates primarily to third-party data centre colocation services in Spain and contributes to the EU's tech sovereignty strategy of strengthening and expanding sovereign cloud and AI infrastructure in Europe, as part of the EU's AI Gigafactories Initiative.
The Commission concluded that the notified transaction would not raise competition concerns, given the companies' limited market positions resulting from the proposed transaction. The notified 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.12498.
(For more information: Ricardo Cardoso – Tel.: +32 2 298 01 00; Paula Clara Ritter-Moschütz – Tel.: +32 2 296 40 83)
Commissioner Brunner visits Croatia to discuss security and migration
Today, Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Magnus Brunner, will travel to Croatia to discuss migration and security, including the successful roll-out of the Entry-Exit System (EES) in Croatia. The EES is an advanced technological system that digitally records the entries and exits of non-EU nationals travelling to 29 European countries for short stays, with more than 160 million entries and exits registered since it became operational in October 2025. The system brings a significant added-value to the security of the Schengen Area. So far, more than 50,000 entries have been refused, including more than 1,500 individuals who posed a serious security risk to the Schengen Area.
The Commissioner will visit Split's airport, where he will receive a presentation on the work of Croatian police and hold a press conference with Davor Božinović, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior, on the EES. The focus will be on good practices and lessons learned from Croatia's experience in implementing the new system.
On the second day, the Commissioner will hold a bilateral meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister Božinović. Discussions will centre on issues regarding internal security and migration, including measures to ensure effective border management while safeguarding security and facilitating legitimate travel.
The press conference will start at 14:00 CEST and will be available on EBS+.
(For more information: Markus Lammert – Tel.: +32 2 296 75 33; Fiorella Boigner - Tel.: +32 2 299 37 34)
Tentative agendas for forthcoming Commission meetings
Note that these items can be subject to changes.
Upcoming events of the European Commission
Eurostat press releases
Calendar items of the President and Commissioners
Individual calendars of the President and Commissioners