By Roger Fingas Wednesday, March 06, 2019, 08:10 am PT (11:10 am ET) The European Union appears to be abandoning plans for a tax on digital services, which at one point would have impacted Apple's sales along with the likes of Amazon, Google, and Facebook. "A number of delegations continue to have fundamental objections," the E.U. presidency explained in a document seen by Reuters. The last chance to reach a deal was seen as a March 12 finance ministers' meeting. In 2018 in the European Commission proposed a tax affecting data sales, online marketplaces, and targeted ads. That idea was blocked by several E.U. member states — among them Ireland, where Apple bases its European operations and funnels much of its international revenue for tax purposes. Apple would likely have had to pay taxes on App Store, iTunes, Apple Music, and Apple.com transactions. France and Germany attempted to rescue the tax in December by scaling it back to advertising. That continued to generate … [Read more...] about European Union digital tax on Apple, Google, Amazon unlikely to be enacted
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European Union to Fund Turkish Railway With $314 Million Grant
ISTANBUL (AP) – A top European Union official says the EU will help finance the construction of a railway line connecting Istanbul to the Bulgarian border with a 275-million-euro ($314 million) grant. EU Commission Vice President Jyrki Katainen spoke Thursday at a news conference with Turkey’s economy minister at an annual meeting aiming to increase economic cooperation between Turkey and the EU despite their fraught relationship.Turkey began EU membership negotiations in 2005 but the talks have since stalled. The EU says Turkey has been drifting further away from European democratic values. Several EU journalists whose press accreditations have not been renewed by Turkey’s government couldn’t attend Thursday’s conference. Katainen said he “regretted this deeply.” He said the EU was working with Turkish authorities to ensure “freedom of the press is respected.” … [Read more...] about European Union to Fund Turkish Railway With $314 Million Grant
Merkel Offers European Union Support in Dispute Against Populist Hungary
BERLIN (AP) – German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday that the head of the European Union’s executive branch has her full support in the face of a new Hungarian government campaign alleging that EU headquarters has purposely weakened the bloc’s external borders to let in more migrants. The campaign by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government, launched ahead of European Parliament elections in May, has added to long-running tensions between Budapest and Brussels.Government posters featuring EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and Hungarian-American financier George Soros have recently started appearing in Hungary and in the country’s newspapers and magazines. They claim that EU leaders, who Orban says are carrying out instructions from Soros, “are launching experimental immigration projects with African countries; want to introduce mandatory settlement quotas; want to reduce financial assistance for countries opposed to … [Read more...] about Merkel Offers European Union Support in Dispute Against Populist Hungary
The European Union’s subversion of democracy contributed to the recession in Italy
Jim Edwards, provided by Published 1:58 am PST, Saturday, February 2, 2019 Italy has gone into recession. The EU forced Italy's elected government to reduce its spending plans, roiling its bond market. Austerity budgeting does not work, according to two recent studies. The subversion of Italian democracy by the unelected European Commission hurt economic growth in Italy. The Dutch prime minister should keep his nose out of this fight. To the surprise of no one, Italy has gone into a recession — two consecutive quarters of declining GDP growth. Europe's fourth-largest economy contracted by 0.2% in Q4 2018 after a 0.1% drop in Q3, according to the Italian National Institute of Statistics (Istat). Italian GDP growth goes into recession: Q3 2018 GDP growth: -0.1% Q4 2018 GDP growth: -0.2% The question this prompts is, did the subversion of Italian democracy by the European Union play a role? For the last six months, the new Italian … [Read more...] about The European Union’s subversion of democracy contributed to the recession in Italy
European Union presidency to back Macedonia accession talks
Updated 8:39 am CST, Monday, January 28, 2019 Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European Affairs Bujar Osmani, left, gestures next to Romania's Minister Delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba during a joint press conference in Bucharest, Romania, Monday, Jan. 28, 2019. Osmani said his country's impending name change is a compromise that will bring stability and prosperity to the Balkans. less Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European Affairs Bujar Osmani, left, gestures next to Romania's Minister Delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba during a joint press conference in Bucharest, ... more Photo: Vadim Ghirda, AP Photo: Vadim Ghirda, AP Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Image 1 of 5 Macedonia's Deputy Prime Minister in charge of European Affairs … [Read more...] about European Union presidency to back Macedonia accession talks