EU patent deal in sight – EUbusiness Week newsletter 554 – EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 554 top stories: Difficult opening for crunch EU debt summit; Croatia set to end long journey towards EU; EU to cut aid to 19 emerging countries; EU opens antitrust probe into Apple’s e-book deals; EU launches new EUR 6.5bn fund to slash over-fishing; Hungary tells EU it will not abolish telecoms tax

This Week’s Top Stories

1. Difficult opening for crunch EU debt summit
2. Croatia set to end long journey towards EU
3. EU to cut aid to 19 emerging countries
4. EU opens antitrust probe into Apple’s e-book deals
5. EU launches new EUR 6.5bn fund to slash over-fishing
6. Hungary tells EU it will not abolish telecoms tax

Publisher’s Note

A year ago, the stumbling block to a deal on a single European patent was the issue of languages. This week the 25 Member States committed to its launch could not agree on where the court that will arbitrate differences is to be located.

The Competitiveness Council did make progress however, and a final signing on the patent – which would make it up to 80 per cent cheaper and significantly increase access to patents for SMEs – is pencilled in for 22 December.

With efforts to launch the EU patent ongoing for some 30 years now, this would be a fine feather in the cap for Poland’s fraught EU presidency. But then so would a positive result to the summit to save the euro.
More …

Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

EUROFFICE

Euroffice, the UK’s largest supplier of stationery and office supplies online, selling to the UK and Italy – have sold to over 220,000 small businesses and will not be beaten on price.
More …

1. Difficult opening for crunch EU debt summit

EU leaders opened a crunch summit on the debt crisis Thursday mired in divisions over a treaty change demanded by Germany, and undermined by an ECB warning there will be no big boost in rescue funding.
More …
ECB cuts rates
S&P warns European Union of possible downgrade

2. Croatia set to end long journey towards EU

Croatia was to sign an EU accession treaty Friday, a move paving the way for the former Yugoslav republic to join the bloc in mid-2013, after long and difficult negotiations.
More …

3. EU to cut aid to 19 emerging countries

The European Commission has decided to cut aid from 2014 to 19 emerging economies including China, India and Brazil.
More …

4. EU opens antitrust probe into Apple’s e-book deals

European antitrust officials have launched a probe to determine whether iPad maker Apple and five international publishers struck illegal deals to fix the price of e-books in Europe.
More …

5. EU launches new EUR 6.5bn fund to slash over-fishing

The Commission has unveiled a new 6.5-billion-euro fund to help fishermen move towards sustainable fishing as part of an effort to save fish stocks.
More …

6. Hungary tells EU it will not abolish telecoms tax

Hungary has formally informed the Commission that it will not scrap a special telecoms tax that Brussels said violated EU regulations.
More …

EUROPEAN CASE LAW

Corruption: Romania’s supreme court said on Wednesday it was postponing its verdict in a graft case against former prime minister Adrian Nastase until next week.
More …
Latest Court of Justice judgements
EU Law Firms
EU Law …

Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

New treaty: European states gave a mixed response to France and Germany’s demand for a new EU treaty with tougher budgetary rules to deal with the eurozone debt crisis.
More …
Britain vows to exact price in return for euro support
Why is EU treaty change needed to stabilise euro?
Germany ‘unquestioned’ master of Europe: analysts
Council …

Commission Watch

Summit: EU institutions must emerge stronger from treaty changes to address the eurozone crisis, Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said ahead of the key EU summit.
More …
Commission surprised by timing of ratings warning
EU welcomes dismantling of north Kosovo barricades
Commission …

Euro-Parliament Watch

New rules to give farmers fairer prices for raw milk have been agreed by MEPs and Council negotiators. These need to be confirmed by Parliament as a whole and the Council. Also this week, the Internal Market Committee gave the thumbs up to new rules to make motorbikes safer and more environmentally friendly.
More …

EU diary

8-9 Dec, European Council
12-15 Dec, European Parliament plenary session
12-13 Dec, Transport Council
13-14 Dec, Justice and Home Affairs Council
14 Dec, Foreign Affairs Council (trade issues)
15-16 Dec, Agriculture and Fisheries Council
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary