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Countries Weigh Participation in EU Financial Tax
March 31, 2017
Bloomberg reports that the proposal for an EU financial transactions tax, which requires the agreement of nine countries to be implemented under the bloc's "enhanced cooperation" procedure, is facing its potential demise as Belgium, Slovenia, and Slovakia consult their parliaments on continued participation in the legislation.
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EU, NGOs Create New Plan for "Social Rights"
March 31, 2017
Academics Claire Kilpatrick, Elise Muir, and Sacha Garben outline how EU institutions are consulting with nongovernmental organizations to shape legislation called the European Pillar of Social Rights into "a vehicle for a wide range of proposals on resetting Social Europe" and call for the development of the Pillar to be based on the principle of "social justice."
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EU Committee Seeks Common Health Policy
March 30, 2017
EurActiv reports that the EU Committee of the Regions has called on EU institutions to address a "disparity" in the quality of national health systems by working toward the harmonization, and centralization, of European health policy in Brussels.
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EU Official Backs off Polish Sanction Threat
March 30, 2017
Faced with Polish resistance over the European Commission's demands under the EU Rule of Law Mechanism to resolve a conflict over the country's Constitutional Tribunal, Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans has signaled his body will not pursue sanctions under the Mechanism, as such a step would be "self-defeating."
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Poland Threatens Action over EU "Multi-Speed" Policy
March 30, 2017
Bloomberg reports that, prior to the recent EU summit celebrating the 60th anniversary of the bloc in Rome, Prime Minister of Poland Beata Szydlo pledged not to sign any multilateral document committing the EU to a "multi-speed" model permitting part of the bloc to federalize at a faster rate than others.