European Union

Due to pollution, the majority of European rivers, lakes and estuaries fall below the minimum environmental standards, a report by the European Environment Agency reveals.

As the rapporteur for the European Parliament on an EU regulation on resettlement, my colleagues and I have outlined an effective plan based on solidarity and humanitarian principles.

The British prime minister escaped defeat again in parliament, as EU governments question her ability to ratify any Brexit deal by Westminster.

The EU began screening the readiness of Macedonia and Albania to start negotiations by next June on joining the bloc. EU ministers last month decided to wait a year for the official launch of membership talks because France and the Netherlands wanted more reforms. EU enlargement commissioner Johannes Hahn in Skopje told reporters the screening would allow the EU to measure the countries' preparedness in alignment with EU rules.

Among alternative fuel vehicles, electric cars are the best positioned to overcome refuelling infrastructure challenges, writes Ian McClenny. The difficulty lies in having sufficient vehicle charging availability to reduce consumer’s range anxiety.

Google is bracing for what is expected to be the EU's largest antitrust fine handed down on Wednesday over a probe into Android apps. The fine could be between €4bn and €5bn after an investigation launched in 2015 into Google, requiring handset makers to have its own apps, shopping and search services as pre-installed default options. Google argued the commission's approach would mean less innovation and less competition.

European consumer protection authorities have called on German carmaker Volkswagen to guarantee that repairs after the Dieselgate scandal would not affect the cars' performance, Reuters reported. The European Commission said VW should improve consumer information and wants VW to do more to compensate European car owners after it admitted to US regulators in 2015 that it had cheated on emissions tests using software installed in cars on sale in Europe.

Written by Tambiama Madiega (1st edition),

© Tierney / Fotolia

The Commission adopted a proposal for a regulation on promoting fairness and transparency for business users of online intermediation services on 26 May 2018. Providers of online intermediation services (e.g. Amazon and eBay) and online search engines (e.g. Google search) are required to implement a set of measures to ensure transparency and fairness in the contractual relations they have with online businesses (e.g. online retailers, hotels and restaurants businesses, app stores) which use such online platforms to sell and provide their services to customers in the EU.

The proposal is still at an early stage in consideration in the European Parliament, where it has been assigned to the IMCO committee.

Versions

• July 2018: ‘Fairness and transparency for business users of online services‘ (1st edition)

Proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council on promoting fairness and transparency for business users of online intermediation services Committee responsible: Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) COM(2018) 238
26.4.2018 Rapporteur: Christel Schaldemose (S&D, Denmark) 2018/0112(COD) Shadow rapporteurs:

  Philippe Juvin (EPP, France)
Daniel Dalton (ECR, United Kingdom)
Dita Charanzová (ALDE, Czech Republic) Ordinary legislative procedure (COD) (Parliament and Council on equal footing – formerly ‘co-decision’) Next steps expected: Publication of draft report

One of Bulgaria’s cornerstone coal mines has been forced to shut down, raising questions over the future of energy production and employment in the region, as well as coal’s future in the country, write Violeta Keremdchieva and Ellen Baker.

The European Union began screening the readiness of Balkan neighbours Macedonia and Albania yesterday (17 July) to start negotiations by June next year on joining the EU.

Belgium is being offered a possible role in future European combat jet developments if it picks the Eurofighter Typhoon over the US-built F-35, in a fierce contest to rearm the country's air force, a senior official with Britain's BAE Systems said.

Answering a journalistic question, President Donald Trump yesterday (17 July) appeared to put in doubt the United States' obligation to defend all NATO allies.

European copyright law is stuck somewhere around 2000, in the era of satellite and cable broadcasting, not the internet age. That is why a copyright reform is needed, says Pavel Svoboda, the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs.

Declaration by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union on the occasion of the fourth anniversary of the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker will meet with US President Donald Trump at the White House on 25 July in an attempt to repair the strained relations between the transatlantic allies.

Written by Marcin Szczepański (1st edition),

© momius / Fotolia

There is a consensus that the digital economy is relatively undertaxed when compared with traditional businesses. Certain inherent characteristics such as reliance on cross-border provision of services without physical presence, easy transfers of intangible assets, and novel ways to create value make it particularly easy for enterprises to limit their tax liabilities.

In order to provide a solution to this problem, in March 2018 the Commission adopted the ‘fair taxation of the digital economy’ package, comprised of two proposals. One concerns a permanent reform of corporate tax regime while the second is a proposal for a directive on the common system of a digital services tax on revenues resulting from the provision of certain digital services, which would apply as an interim measure until the permanent reform has been implemented.

The tax is to cover businesses above two thresholds: total annual worldwide revenues exceeding €750 million and annual revenues in the EU exceeding €50 million. The proposed single rate is at 3 %, levied on gross revenues resulting from the provision of certain digital services where user value creation is essential. The stakeholders and the Member States seem to be divided on the issue.

Versions

• July 2018: ‘Interim digital services tax on revenues from certain digital services‘ (1st edition)

Proposal for a Council directive on the common system of a digital services tax on revenues resulting from the provision of certain digital services Committee responsible: Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) COM(2018) 148
21.3.2018 Rapporteur: Juan Fernando López Aguilar (S&D, Spain) 2018/0073(CNS) Shadow rapporteurs:

 

  Paul Tang (S&D, the Netherlands)
Gabriel Mato (EPP, Spain)
Ashley Fox (ECR, UK)
Petr Ježek (ALDE, Czech Republic)
Martin Schirdewan (GUE/NGL, Germany)
Barbara Kappel (ENF, Austria) Consultation procedure – parliament adopts only a non-binding opinion Next steps expected: Publication of draft report

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EU HR Mogherini participates in the Somalia Partnership Forum, taking place on 17 July 2018, in Brussels.

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"We will continue to call on the Russian Federation to accept its responsibility and to fully cooperate with all efforts to establish accountability," EU diplomacy chief Federica Mogherini said on Tuesday, the fourth anniversary of the downing of flight MH17 over Ukraine. She said that the weapon used to shoot down the plane, killing 298 people, "belonged beyond doubt" to Russian armed forces.

EU leaders and Japanese prime minister signed a series of agreements, including the EU's biggest trade deal ever, designed as an answer to the disruption of the world order by the US president.

Israeli disinformation campaign targeted Brussels news magazine to silence Palestinian NGO group.