EUbusiness Week 700 top stories: EU eager to finalise probe into Google ‘market abuse’; EU, Russia, Ukraine to resume trade pact talks; EU plots future energy security; Lobbying exposes EU to corruption risk says watchdog; Brussels urged to label Israeli West bank produce; EU moves closer to counting calories in alcoholic drinks
Publisher’s Note
Internet giant Google again came under EU fire this week when the Commission charged it with abusing the dominance of its search engine, and also launched a sensitive probe into its omnipresent Android mobile phone operating system.
Maybe the main problem is that Google search is a free service. Consumers cannot be too surprised if free services also want to make money. But if the probe confirms EC concerns, Google will have to face legal consequences and change the way it does business in Europe. Under EU anti-trust rules, a company faces a fine of up to 10 per cent of its annual sales – in Google’s case, $66 billion in 2014.
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Regards,
Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness
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1. EU eager to finalise probe into Google ‘market abuse’
The European Union said Thursday it had filed anti-trust charges against Google to speedily resolve allegations that the tech titan abuses its search engine’s market dominance.
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EU action on Google marks divergence with Washington
Buying a Paris to Berlin ticket: what Google really offers
2. EU, Russia, Ukraine to resume trade pact talks
The EU, Russia and Ukraine will resume talks in Brussels next week on Moscow’s concerns about the Union’s free trade pact with Kiev, EU officials said on Tuesday.
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Warplanes pose increased risk to civilian jets over Europe
3. EU plots future energy security
The Union is drawing up contingency plans to guarantee energy security for the bloc under all circumstances, Commissioner Canete said at an informal meeting of energy ministers on Thursday.
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EU clears massive German wind farms investment
4. Lobbying exposes EU to corruption risk says watchdog
EU governments and institutions must adopt robust rules for powerful lobbies seeking to shape laws and policy or face the risk of corruption, warns anti-graft watchdog Transparency International.
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5. Brussels urged to label Israeli West bank produce
Sixteen out of the 28 Member States want the EU to label products from Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, say diplomatic sources, confirming a Haaretz report.
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6. EU moves closer to counting calories in alcoholic drinks
Health conscious tipplers may be closer to finding out just how many calories they are imbibing as consumer advocates push for EU nutritional labelling on alcoholic drinks in the face of strong industry resistance.
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EUROPEAN LAW
Facebook: an Austrian law graduate spearheading a class action case against Facebook for alleged privacy breaches has officially filed the suit in a Vienna court.
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Latest news from the European Court of Justice
EU law firms
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Inside the EU Institutions
Council Watch
Greece: facing tough negotiations with the EU over a crucial debt financing deal, Greece’s hard-left government revealed Thursday it will seek millions in savings through spending cuts to ministerial budgets.
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Under EU pressure, France unveils billions in savings
EU beneficiaries speak out in Britain ahead of election
Italy pleads for aid to cope with migrant influx
Council …
Commission Watch
Kosovo: the EU has published a report saying its justice mission in Kosovo poorly handled allegations of corruption by opening a belated internal probe that only fuelled suspicions of a cover-up.
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EU not laying ground for Greek exit: Moscovici
EU urges more Mediterranean cooperation to tackle terrorism
Profile: Margrethe Vestager, nemesis of Google
Commission …
Parliament Watch
Turkey: Parliament has urged Turkey to use the centenary of Ottoman-era massacres to “recognise the Armenian genocide” and help promote reconciliation between the two peoples.
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In committee this week, Legal Affairs MEPs backed plans to facilitate recovery of small debts; while in plenary, Parliament agreed to changes to ceilings in the Multiannual Financial Framework for 2014-2020, to help fund 300 state-managed programmes that started too late to qualify for EU funding in 2014.
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EU diary
20 Apr: Agriculture and Fisheries Council
20 Apr: European Parliament Committee Meetings
20 Apr: Foreign Affairs Council
20 Apr: Forum on future of gender equality
23 Apr: European Parliament Committee Meetings
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary
RESOURCES
EU Law Firms
Summaries of EU Legislation
EU Decision-Making
Treaties of the European Union
Key EU Legal Terms
Other news on EUbusiness this week
Eurozone growth, inflation outlook brighter: ECB 16-Apr
Operations to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean 16-Apr
Cheap oil, weak euro powering German recovery 16-Apr
New round of Iran nuclear talks April 22-23 in Vienna 16-Apr
Protester rushes ECB’s Draghi at news conference 15-Apr
EU life insurers ‘in danger’ from low interest rates 15-Apr
EUbusiness Community
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Press
Business leaders back UK to remain part of EU
Google’s unfair practices – Consumers should be misled no longer
Entrepreneurs discuss Capital Markets Union with Commissioner Hill
CO2 emissions from cars continue on downward trend
European alternative finance markets surging
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Jobs
Lawyer (Course Director) in European Public Law, Academy of European Law
Legal Administrator, European Space Agency
Media Relations Manager, European Chemical Industry Council
Regional Manager, International Diabetes Federation
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Guides
Investigation into Google comparison shopping service
Investigation into Android mobile operating system
Commission approval for German offshore wind farms
Research in Global Food & Nutrition Security: consultation
EU Employment and Social Situation Quarterly Review
New EU vine planting rules
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Events
14 May, Bucharest: Perspectives on Gender in a Global World
20 May, London: Wind Farm Development: European Offshore
3 Jun, Cambridge: Horizon 2020 workshop – Developing Winning Proposals
23 Jun, Budapest: European Funding Academy
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Publications
The future of the transport industry
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Links
ECB Survey of Professional Forecasters