Dear friends, dear interested, Recent press reports suggest that the European Chemical Strategy for Sustainability might be substantially weakened by the Commission’s Directorate-General for industry matters (DG GROW). Together with my colleagues Maria Arena (Social Democrats) and Frédérique Ries (Liberals) I have written letters to the Commission on this issue. Our letters addressed Commissioners Sinkevičius […]
Our letter to the Presidency: Ending the German blockade of tax transparency
Dear friends, dear interested We can no longer afford tax dumping in the interest of large companies in Europe. Public funds are and will remain heavily strained through the corona crisis. It would be easy to wash billions of fair taxes into the coffers of EU member states with the help of binding public tax […]
SAVE THE DATE: European chemical industry: Transformation for people and planet
Online event – 1 September 2020 – 10:00am to 12:30pm Register here. Dear friends, dear interested, As part of the European Green Deal, the European Commission will present its Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability. Ahead of the publication, we would like to discuss with high-level policy-makers and stakeholders, how the European industry can start the ecological […]
EU tax day: Defeat in Apple state aid case must be wakeup call for German Council presidency
Today, the General Court of the European Union annulled the Commission’s 2016 state aid decision concerning Apple in Ireland. The European Commission had previously concluded that tax breaks approved by Apple in Ireland and Apple’s European corporate structure had led to illegal state aid. The Commission decided that Apple should repay €13 billion plus interest […]
The crazy labyrinth of European bank aid rules
Dear friends, dear interested, This chart is a must for everyone professional or interested in financial markets! When states in Europe rescue banks, there is no fixed template. Instead, there are countless ways to reach the questionable goal in the messy maze of European rules. In technical jargon, the various methods of bank rescue are […]
Croatia and Bulgaria join the euro: Do not repeat past mistakes
Yesterday, July 10th, European finance ministers discussed Croatia’s and Bulgaria’s accession to monetary union as part of ECOFIN (Economic and Financial Affairs Council). It was decided that both countries meet the criteria to join Exchange Rate Mechanism II and the common banking supervision. Croatia and Bulgaria have been trying to join the euro area for […]