European Union

Lung cancer killed a quarter of a million people (273,000) in the EU in 2015, according to Eurostat figures published on Thursday, the World No Tobacco day. The share of lung cancer among all fatal cancers was highest in Hungary (27%), followed by Greece, Denmark, Poland and the Netherlands (all 24%). The lowest shares were recorded in Portugal and Latvia (both 15%). Men were twice as affected as women.

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to double the budget of the Erasmus student exchange programme to €30bn for the period 2021-2027. The program will provide opportunities for 12m students to study or gain work experience in a different European country while completing a degree. The scheme also aims to "foster knowledge and awareness of the EU" and to "strengthen European identity".

US president Donald Trump plans to announce steel and aluminum tariffs on the European Union on Thursday, according to the Wall Street Journal. China was hit by a 25 percent tariff on steel and 10 percent one on aluminum in March, while an exemption for EU products, to allow further talks, expires on Friday. The EU has threatened to impose tariffs on American products in return.

Written by Cécile Remeur (1st edition),

© Art_Photo / Fotolia

Value added tax (VAT) is a consumption tax borne by the final consumers and collected by businesses as taxable persons. Businesses have VAT administrative obligations and act as VAT collectors. This generates compliance costs that are higher for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) than for bigger businesses, in spite of the small business exemption, especially in the case of cross-border activities.

The proposal for a revision of the VAT Directive relating to the common system of value added tax as regards the special scheme for small enterprises simplifies the rules, so as to reduce VAT compliance costs for SMEs by introducing simpler measures regarding invoicing, VAT registration, accounting and returns for SMEs, whether they operate in wholly domestic markets only or also across borders in the EU.

The legislative proposal falls under the consultation procedure.

Interactive PDF

• VAT for small enterprises

Proposal for a Council directive amending directive 2006/112/EC on the common system of value added tax as regards the special scheme for small enterprises Committee responsible: Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) COM(2018) 21 of 18.1.2018

procedure ref.: 2018/0006(CNS)

Consultation Procedure Rapporteur: Tom Vandenkendelaere (EPP, Belgium) Shadow rapporteurs:

  Alfred Sant (S&D, Malta)
Stanisław Ożóg (ECR, Poland)
Caroline Nagtegaal (ALDE, the Netherlands)
Paloma López Bermejo (GUE/NGL, Spain)
Molly Scott Cato (Greens/EFA, United Kingdom) Next steps expected: Discussion of the draft report

EU ambassador to Turkey said member states may consider reopening accession talks with Ankara if Erdogan put an end to the post-coup state of emergency.

Swiss bank UBS has hired the UK's former European Commissioner, Jonathan Hill, to advise corporate customers about Brexit, it was revealed on Tuesday (29 May), prompting 'revolving door' concerns once again.

Populist forces in Italy are “playing with fire” and exposing the country to market pressure, vice-president of the Socialist Group in the European Parliament Maria João Rodrigues warned in an interview.

The EU is in a desperate search for a sustainable circular economy. But critics warn that the imminent adoption of waste recycling targets for 2035 is only a compromise between the very different realities of the 28 countries. EURACTIV Germany reports.

Reaching a common EU response to the long-running migration crisis has been painfully slow. Ministers remain deadlocked on plans to reform the so-called Dublin Regulation that sets out the EU’s common migration and asylum rules.

French President Emmanuel Macron called Wednesday (30 May) for talks on overhauling the World Trade Organisation, as European companies braced for the prospect of punishing US tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, which could come as early as Thursday (31 May).

The food and drink industry builds long-term partnerships with Europe’s farmers to secure a local agricultural supply, creates value and develops market opportunities for agricultural products and connects farmers and consumers in the food chain.

The European Union is treading cautiously as the political crisis in Italy fuels fear of a renewed threat to the long-term credibility of the eurozone.

The European Commission’s recent outline of an artificial intelligence strategy does not give in to European Parliament calls to grant personhood for AI. The Commission is right in this, though not for the reasons mentioned in a recent open letter published by experts, writes Thomas Burri.

Romania’s Constitutional Court decided on Wednesday (30 May) that President Klaus Iohannis must dismiss the chief prosecutor of the Anticorruption Directorate (DNA), who has been praised by Brussels and Washington for tackling corruption.

The EU has an opportunity to take forward-looking action and shape exactly what kind of market we want when it comes to flexible electricity consumption offers, argues Angeliki Malizou.

The EU executive wants to support civil groups promoting European values and democracy in the next budget. However, critics say it does little to save NGOs from autocratic regimes.

By opening his "foul mouth" on the Italian political situation, the budget commissioner did not shy away from a necessary public debate.

With European elections coming up in May 2019, you probably want to know how the European Union impacts your daily life, before you think about voting. In the latest in a series of posts on what Europe does for you, your family, your business and your wellbeing, we look at what Europe does for non-smokers.

Do you suffer from having to breathe second-hand smoke from someone else’s cigarette? Even if protection for passive smokers has improved considerably in the EU, one in five citizens is still exposed to second-hand smoke.

Smoking is the largest preventable cause of death in Europe, responsible for about 90 % of lung cancers, and causes other forms of cancer, including of the mouth and throat. It raises the risk of cardiovascular diseases and can lead to lung conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Inhaling second-hand smoke raises non-smokers’ risk of developing the same health issues as smokers. Babies and children are particularly vulnerable.

© vchalup / Fotolia

In the EU one in every four citizens aged 15 or over is a smoker. True to the saying ‘the best way to quit is never to start’, the EU aims to deter people, especially the young, from taking it up. Measures to protect Europeans against the harmful effects of smoking range from laws on packaging, labelling and the ingredients in tobacco products; restrictions on tobacco advertising; tax measures and combating illicit trade; to anti-tobacco campaigns (‘Ex-Smokers are Unstoppable’ targeted EU smokers aged 25-34, with over 480 000 benefitting from the iCoach tool).

Laws on smoke-free environments, such as indoor workplaces, public transport, and restaurants and bars, are the responsibility of national governments; the EU’s simply coordinates. All EU countries have national rules in place, even though they vary in scope. Overall results show the positive, and immediate, health effects of indoor smoking bans.

Further information

• European Commission’s Directorate General for Health and Food Safety website, https://ec.europa.eu/health/tobacco/policy_en
• European Commission’s Eurostat website, http://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php/Tobacco_consumption_statistics
• EPRS publication on ‘Technological innovation strategies in substance use disorders’, http://www.europarl.europa.eu/thinktank/en/document.html?reference=EPRS_STU(2017)581942

European Parliament debates with EU leaders have become a repetitive series of monologues that forget to ask what citizens want from the EU.

Diplomats reached a compromise on new cybersecurity rules more quickly and with less controversy than many observers close to the file had expected.