
Airbnb too 'different' to pay EU tax
US home rental firm said its “model is unique” because most of the money stays in pockets of local people, as France and Germany prepare EU tax crackdown.
Friday
25th Aug 2017

US home rental firm said its “model is unique” because most of the money stays in pockets of local people, as France and Germany prepare EU tax crackdown.

The European Commission welcomed the German carmakers' pledge to update software in diesel cars, but is waiting for details on how emissions will be reduced.

[Updated] The US president signed the bill adopted by Congress, despite saying it was “significantly flawed”. The EU will react if European interests are hit.
Banks will need up to $50 billion in extra capital and see higher costs of $1 billion to diversify out of the UK after Brexit, a top consultancy has said.
Britain has only just started on the path towards a post-Brexit trade deal with the US, but you can already see the same all-too-familiar disagreements.
US senators have backed extra Russia sanctions, which could see US fines imposed on EU investors in Russian energy projects and put at risk a new gas pipeline.

Health ministers' meeting called to discuss improvements to EU alert systems, but Danish and French authorities said pesticide levels in eggs too low to harm people.

EU firms are betting that a non-binding “consultation” process on new US sanctions will stop their investment in a Russian gas pipeline from turning into a fiasco.

France nationalised a shipbuilding company to prevent an Italian takeover, just days after Rome had criticised a meeting between French and Libyan leaders in Paris.

Fico convinced the EU commission chief to take action in the perceived problem of discriminatory food practices, even though the evidence for the phenomenon is anecdotal.
The UK government has announced it will commission a study to determine the role of EU migrants in the economy. The report is expected for September 2018. Opposition MPs criticised the timing.
Threat of US fines against German and other EU firms involved in Russia's Nord Stream II gas pipeline could prompt angry European response.
Some eastern EU member states worry they are being sold inferior food. The Slovak prime minister will speak to commission chief Juncker about it.
The EU commission confirms it has received "information" about a possible cartel that is “currently being assessed", but refused to provide any further comments.
Greece could issue 3-year bonds as early as this week, for the first time in three years, amid mixed signs from its creditors and rating agencies.
"It seems we have not yet reached the bottom of the emission scandal", said the European commissioner for industry, Elzbieta Bienkowska, in a confidential letter.
Two years into its third bailout, Greece needs to combine the necessary fiscal targets with a new vision. This can be done in the context of the ongoing industrial revolution.
The trade agreement with Canada will begin to apply on 21 September. But there is still a potential conflict on the right to data protection vs. the right to access information.
The informal group of national officials that is in charge of checking EU countries' tax laws is now working on the first EU blacklist of tax havens, amid critiques over its lack of transparency and accountability.

The EU agencies that will leave London after Brexit are likely have a financial windfall of several million euros a year, because of the way EU salaries are calculated.

A long-standing conflict between the US and EU on growth hormones for cattle is back, and could put European standards at risk.
Finance ministers at a Eurogroup meeting endorsed Italy's rescue of some of its banks, but said that European rules on banking resolution should be strengthened.
The ESM, the eurozone emergency fund, agreed on Friday to unblock a new tranche of aid as part of the bailout programme agreed upon in 2015.

EU and Japanese leaders hailed their agreement on free trade as a rejection of protectionist trends. The two sides still need to agree on investment courts for the deal to be concluded.

Japanese prime minister and EU leaders to endorse major trade deal on Thursday in anti-protectionist message to Trump.
[Updated] The EU and Japan edge closer to securing a free trade deal on Thursday, ahead of the G20 summit at the end of the week where US protectionism will be an issue.
Estonia's e-residency programme is attracting attention from Ukraine and Russia, and provides an option for British businesses who want to remain active in the EU post-Brexit.

Finding a suitable successor is a problem for many ageing European farmers, but according to the European Court of Auditors it is unclear how EU funds help to address the problem.

EU seeks novel ways to plug a Brexit-based budget hole of up to €11 billion, but income from fines, such as the one on Google, cannot be relied on.
The prime minister of Luxembourg, Xavier Bettel, maintains that his country had broken no rules and committed no crime when issuing rulings that slashed global tax bills for the big firms.
Ahead of negotiations for the 2021-2027 EU budget, the question of linking funds to EU policies and values has come to the forefront.