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EU Legislation, Initiatives, etc.
EU News: A new international portal was launched in Brussels recently, which will allow authorities across the world to exchange information about unsafe products that have been taken off the market. The ‘Global Recalls Portal’ is a project developed jointly by the EU & OECD countries including the US, Australia and Canada.
With an expected 3,000 product recall notices per year, consumers, businesses & authorities will have access to a remarkable pool of information on recalled products, enriched on a regular basis by the EU (through RAPEX, the EU rapid alert system for dangerous non-food products), US, Canadian and Australian authorities.
EU News: The deadline for submitting entries to become European Green Capital 2015 is now closed and Bristol (UK) is among those cities which have entered the competition.
An international Expert Panel will now perform a technical assessment of each entry on the basis of 12 indicators covering climate change & energy performance, sustainable local transport, air quality & noise levels, green urban areas & sustainable land use, promotion of nature & biodiversity, waste management, water consumption & waste water treatment, eco-innovation & sustainable employment, as well as the environmental management practice of the local authority.
EU News: The Council has adopted new rules aimed at equipping the EU budget with simpler financial rules while securing sound treatment of European taxpayers' money. In order to enter into force the new rules have to be published in the Official Journal of the EU. They will become applicable on 1 January 2013..
EU News: In his State of the Union address on 12 September, President Barroso set out an ambitious vision for the EU. The overarching task remains to return the EU to sustainable growth. This is the number one task, and it requires new thinking and targeted action in a limited number of key policy areas. The Commission Work Programme 2013 (CWP), which was adopted recently, sets out how the Commission will work to this end for the next year & beyond.
Defra: The Government has secured another major step towards fundamental reform of the broken Common Fisheries Policy following agreement on the future of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund. This agreement will allow funding to be used to support measures such as paying for more selective catching gear that will contribute to eliminating discards, or to fund innovative research projects to improve the economic and environmental sustainability of the fishing industry.
EU News: The European Commission has proposed fishing opportunities for 2013 for certain fish stocks in the Atlantic & the North Sea. This proposal sets levels of total allowable catch (TAC) and fishing effort for stocks managed exclusively by the EU. In line with scientific advice, the Commission proposes to increase or maintain the TACs for 16 stocks (including certain stocks of cod, Norway lobster, and sole), and reduce them for 47 stocks.
EU News: Recently, the European Commission decided to refer the United Kingdom to the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) for its regime concerning the taxation of transfers of assets abroad. UK legislation provides for a difference in treatment between domestic & cross-border transactions.
The Commission is of the opinion that this restriction is disproportionate, in the sense that it goes beyond what is reasonably necessary in order to prevent abuse or tax avoidance. The referral to the Court of Justice is the last step in the infringement procedure.
EU News: Recently, the European Commission decided to refer the United Kingdom to the EU Court of Justice (ECJ) for its tax regime concerning the attribution of gains to members of non-resident companies. Under UK legislation, a parent company in the UK is taxed for the capital gains of its subsidiaries in other Member States, while no similar taxation exists when subsidiaries are located in the UK.
The Commission is of the opinion that this restriction is disproportionate, in the sense that it goes beyond what is reasonably necessary in order to prevent abuse or tax avoidance. The referral to the Court of Justice is the last step in the infringement procedure.
WAG: Deputy Minister for European Programmes, Alun Davies, has officially launched an EU-backed initiative helping small businesses in Wales & Ireland to exploit social media to boost their growth and drive forward their competitiveness.
The ACT project (Advanced Communication Technologies) will assist SMEs across West Wales & South East Ireland to understand social media and take advantage of opportunities it can offer for online business growth.
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