Finance & Trade

EU Proposes Harmonized "Capital Markets Union"

February 19, 2015

The European Commission has launched a consultation on how to build a Capital Markets Union across the EU, easing investment barriers across national borders, and requiring harmonization of tax and insolvency regulations in EU member states.
EU Begins Talks on Monitoring Corporate Tax Policies

February 18, 2015

The European Commission has launched talks on a comprehensive Tax Transparency Package proposal, to be released in March, that will seek to require the automatic transfer of information on tax rulings among EU member states and to reduce tax avoidance by companies operating in Europe.
Proposal Grants EU Authority over Energy Agreements

February 18, 2015

EurActiv reports that a new European Commission proposal seeking to establish an EU "Energy Union" would give Commission officials the authority to scrutinize member states' energy deals with non-EU countries before they are signed.
Proposed Body Would Seek "Coherent" EU-U.S. Regulatory Approach

February 18, 2015

EurActiv reports that a "regulatory cooperation body" proposed in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership ("TTIP") negotiations between the U.S. and the EU would monitor new regulatory proposals relating to TTIP provisions and seek to "ensure a coherent approach to rule-making" in the U.S. and Europe.
IEA Considers Post-EU Britain

February 18, 2015

British think tank the Institute of Economic Affairs ("IEA") has published an article exploring potential outcomes of the U.K.'s possible exit from the EU, including the advantages and disadvantages associated with maintaining a free trade deal with the bloc and striking trade arrangements with outside countries.
EU Parliament Approves Tax Inquiry

February 13, 2015

After declining to vote on an inquiry on alleged corporate tax deals struck by Luxembourg while current Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was the country's Prime Minister, the European Parliament has approved a more general investigation of tax rulings across EU member states.
EU and Ministers Call for "Energy Union"

February 11, 2015

At a recent meeting in Riga, Latvia, energy ministers from EU member states pushed for an EU-wide energy union, as European Commission Vice President Maros Sefcovic called on countries to move away from "28 national policies" on energy.
EU Clamps Down on Parent-Subsidiary Tax Avoidance

February 11, 2015

The Council of the EU has adopted a directive amending previous EU legislation seeking to avoid double taxation of a European parent company and its subsidiary to exempt "artificial" situations in which authorities determine the parent-subsidiary arrangement was merely maintained for the tax advantage.
EU Parliament Declines Inquiry on Luxembourg Tax Breaks

February 11, 2015

Reuters reports that the European Parliament has declined to formally investigate Luxembourg's alleged corporate tax breaks when current EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was the country's Prime Minister, in favor of setting up a general committee to review "tax fairness" across the bloc.
EU Seeks Integration of Capital Markets

February 04, 2015

Reuters reports that a paper to be published by the European Commission in February 2015 will propose an integrated EU "capital markets union" that will be overseen by the bloc's financial bodies.