TTIP: what is the problem? – EUbusiness Week newsletter 682

Publisher’s Note

This week, Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem looked to revive transatlantic trade talks to create a huge free trade area removing trade barriers and making it easier to buy and sell goods and services between the EU and the US. The talks have been in danger of stalling due to concerns such as over ISDS, the so-called investor-state dispute settlement.

ISDS allows firms to sue governments if they feel local laws, such as health and safety regulations, violate the deal and threaten investments. British PM Cameron has brushed off the fears, saying ISDS has been part of every trade deal the UK has signed, and “we haven’t lost a single case”. Is there not then a case for dropping it?
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

1. EU sanctions separatists as Ukraine crisis deepens

The EU agreed to blacklist more Ukrainian separatists Monday but stopped short of fresh sanctions against Russia, saying there was hope of restarting dialogue with Moscow to end the worst stand-off since the Cold War.
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Moscow hopes EU ties have not crossed ‘point of no return’

2. Budget talks drag on past deadline

Cost-conscious EU governments and a more generous-minded European Parliament have failed to reach an eleventh hour agreement for the bloc’s 2015 budget, forcing officials to draw up a new proposal.
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3. ECJ rejects Britain bonus cap challenge

The top EU court’s advisor on Thursday rejected Britain’s legal challenges to a cap on banking bonuses, forcing Prime Minister Cameron’s government into an embarrassing U-turn.
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4. Commission to use ‘LuxLeaks’ documents in tax probe

The EU said Thursday it will use the so-called “LuxLeaks” documents to decide whether to widen its probe into Luxembourg’s tax deals, in a row that has embroiled new Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker.
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5. EU accuses Netherlands on Starbucks tax deal

EU regulators have publicly accused the Netherlands of awarding coffee-shop giant Starbucks unfair tax breaks, laying out their case at a time when such practices have fueled an uproar.
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6. European urbanites breathing highly polluted air

As many as nine in 10 European city dwellers breathe air high in pollutants, blamed for 400,000 premature deaths every year, says the European Environment Agency.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Pollution: Britain must take action in as “short as possible” a time to cut air pollution in line with European standards, the EU’s top court ruled on Wednesday.
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Euro police arrest Vietnamese people ‘smuggling gang’
Latest news from the European Court of Justice
EU Law Firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Tax: Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel said he was firmly opposed to harmonising tax policies in the EU, a report said Wednesday, hitting back after an investigation exposed his tiny country as a global tax haven.
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Britain’s UKIP set for landmark poll win
Migrant surge across Med continues as Italy rescues 900
Council …

Commission Watch

Lobbying: the Commission has announced plans to make top officials publicly declare meetings with lobbyists as part of plans by under-fire new EC chief Jean-Claude Juncker to boost transparency.
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Juncker to unveil giant investment plan Wednesday
EU praises Dutch, UK avian flu response
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Parliament Watch

Juncker: Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker faces a confidence vote in the European Parliament next week after eurosceptics filed a motion about Luxembourg’s tax breaks for global firms, but he is almost certain to survive.
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In committee this week, the EP’s industry committee discussed the COSME programme to help SMEs access finance and markets and improve competitiveness; and the budgets committee recommended EU job-search aid for former workers at a Finnish shipyard and a French abattoir. The European Globalisation Adjustment Fund aid has still to be approved by Parliament as a whole and the Council of Ministers.
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EU diary

24-27 Nov: International Women’s Entrepreneurship Laboratory
24-27 Nov: European Parliament Plenary Session
25 Nov: Education, Youth, Culture & Sport Council
25-26 Nov: Medium-Term Market Outlook for EU Candidate Countries
27-28 Nov: European Rail Freight Days
27 Nov: Transport, Telecommunications & Energy Council
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

IMF approves EUR 1 bn stand-by loan for Serbia 20-Nov
Truck makers probed by EU for pricing cartel 20-Nov
Eurozone growth at 16-month slow point 29-Nov
Pakistani flag carrier cleared for EU cargo flights 19-Nov
In new recovery sign, EU car sales surge 18-Nov
EU to aid countries bordering Ebola epicentre 18-Nov
EU approves Etihad, Alitalia alliance 15-Nov

EUbusiness Community

Press

A business-friendly environment for construction SMEs XXX
European banks call on policy makers to show commitment XXX
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Jobs

Policy Advisor, Union of the Electricity Industry
Senior expert / team leader – Energy Performance of buildings, Buildings Performance Institute Europe
Two junior consultants, Community Public Affairs
Head of Communications, Fairtrade International
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Guides

EUR 28m package for Baltic Milk Producers
Avian Influenza in The Netherlands and the UK
Global trade increasingly obstructed: EU Report
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Events

26 Nov, Finland: First International Conference on 5G for Ubiquitous Connectivity
27 Nov, London: Big Data in Retail Financial Services
18 Dec, Stuttgart: Women4Energy International Conference 2014
1 Jun, Vienna: European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
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Publications

Europe’s Crisis, Europe’s Future (Kindle Edition)
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Links

Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

EU residential electricity prices increasing faster than prices in United States

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