Tax dodgers under fire – EUbusiness Week newsletter 804 – EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 804 top stories: EU Parliament warns Poland on rule of law; More progress needed on Romania, Bulgaria reform; Green light for new EU anti-dumping rules; New era for European defence cooperation; Brussels mulls action to protect public from fake news; EU bolsters protection against online fraudsters

Publisher’s Note

Luxleaks, the Panama Papers, and now the Paradise Papers. Enough tax dodging to build quite a few hospitals, schools and other infrastructure. Yet the speed and enthusiasm with which EU governments have rushed to tackle tax evasion and avoidance underwhelmed MEPs in an urgent debate this week.

The Council should not hide behind unanimity rules in the battle against tax avoidance, they said. A telling question from German MEP Bernd Lucke: “How come we need investigative journalists to reveal all this? What are national tax authorities up to?”
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. EU Parliament warns Poland on rule of law

Poland is at “clear risk of a serious breach” of European values, including the rule of law, enshrined in the EU Treaty, MEPs said on Wednesday, warning of possible suspension of Poland’s EU voting rights.
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2. More progress needed on Romania, Bulgaria reform

Romania and Bulgaria have still more progress to make in judicial reform and the fight against corruption, according to the latest Cooperation and Verification Mechanism Reports on the countries.
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3. Green light for new EU anti-dumping rules

New EU rules will require trade partners outside the EU to meet international social and environmental standards, following a vote by Euro-MPs Wednesday to fight dumped and subsidised imports.
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4. New era for European defence cooperation

23 EU Member States – though not the UK – signed an historic pact Monday to cooperate more closely in future on security and defence in the wake of Brexit and Russian aggression.
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5. Brussels mulls action to protect public from fake news

The Commission has launched a consultation on fake news and online disinformation, setting up an expert group representing academics, online platforms, news media and civil society groups.
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6. EU bolsters protection against online fraudsters

MEPs approved Tuesday EU-wide rules to protect consumers against scams and detect and stop rogue traders more swiftly, with a view to increasing consumers’ trust in cross-border e-commerce.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Facebook: Austrian privacy activist Maximilian Schrems can sue Facebook Ireland before the Austrian Courts with respect to the private use of his Facebook account, but is not entitled to pursue a class action, an EU Court advisor said on Wednesday.
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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

COP23 UN Climate Change Conference – EU-Serbia Stabilisation and Association Council meeting – EU resettlement framework – Banking: Creditor hierarchy – EU-Albania Stabilisation and Association Council meeting – Synergies and simplification for cohesion policy post-2020 – European Economic Area Council conclusions – ASEAN-EU commemorative summit – Security and defence cooperation
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Council …

Commission Watch

Air Quality Index and Atlas – Social Summit for Fair Jobs and Growth – EU-China dialogue on State aid control – Eurostat figures: inflation, residence permits for non-EU citizens, international trade in goods, GDP, industrial production, personal transfers in the EU – European Agenda on Migration progress – Evaluation of Ukrainian reforms – European Antibiotic Awareness Day – Romania, Bulgaria progress – Aid for Trade – Towards a European Education Area by 2025 – EU and Chile Association Agreement – fake news
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Parliament Watch

New impetus for development in Africa needed – Human rights: Sudan, Somalia and Madagascar – Italy: EUR 3.35m to help 1,610 former call centre workers find new jobs – EP ready to start talks with EU governments on overhaul of Dublin system – Plenary endorses six members of the Court of Auditors, rejects one – Malta’s rule of law needs close monitoring – MEPs want to reward reforms made by Eastern partners – ‘Sami Blood’ wins 2017 LUX Film Prize
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EU diary

20-21 Nov: Annual colloquium on fundamental rights
20-21 Nov: Energy and Managing Authorities Network meeting
20-22 Nov: Startup Nations Summit
20-23 Nov: European Parliament Committee Meetings
20-21 Nov: Broadband days 2017
20-21: Technical training on cybersecurity in aviation
20-24: Invest Week
21 Nov: Financing home renovation in Europe
21 Nov: Sustainable healthcare/Fit for Work EU forum
22 Nov: EIOPA annual conference
22 Nov: SME envoys’ meeting
23-24 Nov: Workshop on smart grids
23-24 Nov: EU Strategy for the Alpine region forum
24 Nov: Public hearing on European corporate bond markets
24 Nov: Re-evaluation of food additives workshop
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary