Finance & Trade

EU Plans to Tax its Way out of €800 Billion Recovery Debt

December 21, 2021

As the European Union faces paying for the debt accrued by the €800 billion pandemic recovery fund, instead of cutting back on existing EU programs, politicians are looking to increased taxation with a package called “own resources,” to be adopted on December 22, that will include revenues from a levy on the world’s 100 biggest companies, the EU’s planned carbon border tax, and from a proposed extension of the bloc’s cap-and-trade carbon market.
Politico: The New EU Rulebooks on Big Tech

December 01, 2021

Politico breaks down the two new EU rulebooks that gained approval this week to rein in Big Tech and tackle illegal content online, addressing years of what ministers describe as excess and harmful practices on online platforms.
Politico: Brexit Battle Continues over Fishing Industry

November 10, 2021

The Brexit battle continues as Britain and France debate the division of the fishing industry in the English Channel, potentially triggering a trade war.
Gazprom's Nord Stream May Challenge EU Rules

October 13, 2021

An advisor to the EU’s top court has determined that Gazprom's Swiss unit can challenge an EU gas rule that requires gas producers to be separate companies from those that control the pipeline, which
may help the Russian company in its long-running fight with the bloc.
New Report Recommends more UK Engagement with Three Seas Initiative

September 08, 2021

A recent report commissioned by Conservative MP Daniel Kawczynski concerning the Three Seas Initiative (3SI), an economic project in Central and Eastern Europe currently involving 12 countries, offers post-Brexit Britain a great opportunity to engage with EU partners.
The Atlantic Council: How to Make the Best of Nord Stream 2

August 17, 2021

The Atlantic Council has published an article outlining possibilities for holding Russia more accountable and protecting Europe’s energy security as the Nord Stream 2 project continues towards completion despite opposition in Washington and across Europe.
Politico: Merkel and Nord Stream 2

July 27, 2021

Matthew Karnitschnig writing in Politico analyses why Angela Merkel is ignoring protests from Eastern Europe, to strike a deal on Nord Stream 2, a gas pipeline under the Baltic that will strengthen the influence of Russia over Europe’s energy security.
Ukraine Responds to Biden Administration’s Pressure over Nord Stream 2

July 27, 2021

Ukraine has responded to recent pressure given by the Biden administration to go along with the Nord Stream 2 pipeline between Russia and Germany with Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to the chief of the Ukrainian presidential administration repeating Ukraine’s fierce criticism of the Nord Stream 2 project and insistence that Washington prevent its completion.
EU Adopts New SCCs For Transfers of Personal Data

July 14, 2021

The European Commission adopted a new set of standard contractual clauses (SCCs) for transfers of personal data from the EU to the U.S. or other countries that are not deemed to ensure adequate protection for personal data taking into consideration the July 2020 judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Schrems II that declared the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework for data transfers invalid.
First News: Polish PM hails potential of Three Seas Initiative

July 05, 2021

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki has praised the Three Seas Initiative, a project to enhance infrastructure between the countries lying between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas, noting the importance is due not only the shared common history of the 12 countries in the region but also their geopolitical location.