Finance & Trade

Irish PM Warns of Impact of EU Investment Rules

June 15, 2016

Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny has sent a letter to European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warning that a new classification by EU authorities of public-private investment projects as state spending poses a major threat to Irish infrastructure investment.
Moore: UK Should Leave EU's "Single Regulatory Regime"

June 14, 2016

Journalist Charles Moore writes that Britain should extricate its government and economy from the "single regulatory regime" of the EU, often referred to as the "single market," and maintain access to the markets of other EU countries, as it does with markets elsewhere in the world, for the buying and selling of UK goods and services.
CEO Calls for Independent EU Carbon Regulator

June 09, 2016

In testimony before a French Senate commission, the CEO of the energy company Total, Patrick Pouyanne, called for the replacement of the current EU carbon taxing system with an independent regulator that would increase the price of carbon emissions for businesses across the bloc.
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 Court Ruling Sparks Drop in Business Carbon Permits

May 05, 2016

Bloomberg reports that carbon emissions permits for businesses operating in the EU have dropped precipitously since the Court of Justice of the EU ("ECJ") issued a decision finding that the European Commission had issued too many permits since an expansion of the carbon program in 2013 and requiring it to correct errors in its calculation of free allowances.
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.