Finance & Trade

ECB Bond-Buying Sparks New German Lawsuit

May 16, 2016

German law professors and business representatives have filed a lawsuit in the German Constitutional Court challenging the authority of the European Central Bank to make extensive purchases of government bonds and to begin buying corporate bonds, arguing that the challenged program risks the funds of German taxpayers at the country's central bank.
Food Name Dispute Could Torpedo TTIP

May 12, 2016

As Brexit proponents argue that it would be easier for the UK to negotiate trade deals after leaving the EU, an article in Politico highlights an agricultural disagreement on the naming of special food and beverage products that might sink the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership under negotiation between US and EU officials.
EU Finance Tax Faces Fresh Opposition

May 06, 2016

Bloomberg reports that EU member states seeking to implement a tax on financial transactions in the bloc are facing new problems as Belgian Finance Minister Johan Van Overtveldt has signaled that his country may pull out of the agreement.
EU Threatens Legal Action over UK Truck Tax

April 29, 2016

The Daily Mail reports that the European Commission has threatened to file a complaint against the British Government in EU court claiming that it had engaged in impermissible "state aid" by lowering road taxes for UK truck drivers as compared to foreign drivers.
UK Faces Fines for Misspent EU Funds

April 27, 2016

A report from the UK House of Commons Public Accounts Committee states that, over the last decade, the European Commission has forced the UK to pay back at least £650 million in EU funds it alleged were misspent by British government agencies.
EU Leaders Seek Clampdown on Aviation, Shipping Emissions

April 22, 2016

The rotating EU Presidency, currently held by the Netherlands, recently held a meeting of the Transport and Environment Council in Amsterdam where ministers of EU member states discussed strategies to work collectively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the aviation and shipping industries in line with the UN climate deal agreed in December.
EU Charges Google with Antitrust Violations

April 20, 2016

Politico reports that, in the latest legal feud between the EU and an American tech giant, the European Commission has announced that it has charged Google with antitrust violations stemming from the apps the Commission says Google requires manufacturers to install on the company's Android operating system.
MEPs Call for EU Tax "Crackdown"

April 20, 2016

In a recent debate, Members of the European Parliament ("MEPs") called on the European Commission to clamp down on "tax and secrecy havens" in light of the revelations from the so-called Panama Papers that European individuals and businesses have been using such havens to store large amounts of wealth.
Italian PM Proposes EU Migration Bonds

April 18, 2016

Prime Minister of Italy Matteo Renzi has proposed the issuance of common bonds by the EU to fund the bloc's response to waves of migration from the Middle East and North Africa.
Dutch Petition Seeks Vote on TTIP

April 15, 2016

EurActiv reports that, following a recent referendum in which a majority of Dutch participants voted against an association agreement with Ukraine, a new Dutch petition for a referendum on the EU-US Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership ("TTIP") deal, which is under negotiation, has garnered a third of the necessary signatures to trigger a vote.