Company tax harmonisation on EU agenda - EUbusiness Week no 395

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EUbusiness Week - Issue 395
11 April 2008
http://www.eubusiness.com
Your way through the EU information maze
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This Week's Top Stories
=======================
1. Living costs crunch prompts Europe-wide strike threats
2. Germany not fully complying on 'Volkswagen law': EU
3. EU unveils plans to allow mobile phone use on planes
4. European power companies paid for polluting: WWF
5. EU urged to ban food additives over child fears
6. .eu domain celebrates 2nd birthday in world top ten

Publisher's Note
================
Harmonisation of EU company tax will make a comeback onto
the European agenda when France takes over the EU's
rotating presidency in July. Speaking at the Brussels Tax
Forum on Monday, France's Economy Minister Christine
Lagarde voiced strong support for a Commission proposal
which is expected to harmonise the basis for setting
rates, rather than fixing a standard rate.

Taxation Commissioner Laszlo Kovacs says Member States need
to act together in certain tax policy areas "to increase
competitiveness in the EU". They will not face an easy ride,
however. The UK and Ireland in particular fear what they
see as another step towards more general tax harmonisation.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207594929.26

Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

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1. Living costs crunch prompts Europe-wide strike threats
---------------------------------------------------------
Inflation in Europe, far from being throttled as suggested
in some quarters only 18 months ago, is alive and kicking
hard at the middle classes as well as ordinary workers.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207801022.66
German exports hold up against euro rise
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207748822.82

2. Germany not fully complying on 'Volkswagen law': EU
------------------------------------------------------
Planned German changes to a law protecting automaker
Volkswagen from takeover bids are insufficient, a
spokeswoman for the Commission said on Thursday.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207819028.16

3. EU unveils plans to allow mobile phone use on planes
-------------------------------------------------------
European regulators have opened the way for air passengers
to use mobile phones to talk or text during fights
throughout EU airspace as easily as they can on trains.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207565223.51

4. European power companies paid for polluting: WWF
---------------------------------------------------
Power companies in just five EU nations could reap windfall
profits of up to EUR 71 billion over five years thanks to
Europe's emissions trading scheme, the green group WWF
claims.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207527423.33

5. EU urged to ban food additives over child fears
---------------------------------------------------
Europe's main consumer watchdog called on Thursday for an
EU-wide ban on six food colourings which a scientific
study has linked to hyperactivity in children.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207849623.37

6. .eu domain celebrates 2nd birthday in world top ten
------------------------------------------------------
The European .eu web domain has picked up 2.8 million
customers in its first two years of existence and ranks
in the global cyber top ten.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207319772.74

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Inside the EU Institutions
==========================

Council Watch
-------------
Lisbon Treaty: Slovakia ratified the Lisbon Treaty on
Thursday, while Poland awaited only a final signature from
the president to complete the victory by pro-EU
politicians over the sceptics.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207855922.07
Austrian parliament ratifies EU treaty
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207760521.99
EU applauds Montenegrin vote, stresses European future
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207646223.53
http://www.eubusiness.com/European_Council

Commission Watch
----------------
Turkey: Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso urged Turkey
on Thursday to speed up democratic reforms, saying it had
"a long way to go" to catch up with EU membership criteria.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207840624.51
EU unveils aid action plan as funding tapers off
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207746123.35
Brussels announces EUR 12m in fresh aid to Bangladesh
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207834325.0
McCanns call for Europe-wide missing children alert
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207824424.18
Brussels announces 'operation facelift' for EU quarter
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207837022.37
http://www.eubusiness.com/Commission

Euro-Parliament Watch
---------------------
Ireland referendum: Parliament's president warned on
Tuesday against lies and exaggerations ahead of Ireland's
referendum on the Lisbon treaty, saying decisions on
issues like abortion would stay in Irish hands.
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207662424.09

In their mini-plenary in Brussels this week, Euro-MPs called
for a study on the economics of adapting to climate change;
approved funding from the globalisation fund for Portugal
and Malta; called for an EU cancer task force to be set up;
approved the EUR 400 million EUROSTARS programme for
research-driven SMEs; backed new guidelines for the Research
Fund for Coal and Steel; called for a sharper focus on jobs
and the growth potential of cultural industries; assessed
Croatia's progress towards the EU; and urged a joint EU
stance on China's Olympic Games opening ceremony.
http://www.eubusiness.com/Europarl

EU diary
--------
11-13 Apr, Environment Ministers informal
14 Apr, Agriculture and Fisheries Council
14-16 Apr, Ministers for Competitiveness informal
17-18 Apr, Ministers for Health informal
17-18 Apr, Justice and Home Affairs Council

The Week Ahead: http://www.eubusiness.com/events/EUcalendar
Long-term diary: http://www.eubusiness.com/events/eu-diary

EUbusiness Community
====================

Comment
-------
Commenting on our piece "Belgium up checks on Italian
mozzarella in dioxin scare", Karel Hruska writes:

"If the garbage crisis and illegal burning of industrial
waste was a reason of buffalo mozzarella contamination with
dioxin, the same risk of contamination must be supposed for
other dairy products from the same region. Are results of
analysis of other dairy commodities available? Only
buffalo farms were quarantined."
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1206648232.96
Discussion: http://www.eubusiness.com/discussion

EUevents
--------
14 May, Slovenia: Responding to Environmental Change
http://www.eubusiness.com/events/bridgingthegap.08

21 Jul, Greece: Euro-Conference on Artificial Intelligence
http://www.eubusiness.com/events/ecai.08
More events: http://www.eubusiness.com/events

EUpress
-------
Greenpeace: threat to dodgy EU deal on car emissions
http://www.eubusiness.com/Environ/greenpeace.08-04-10

Cultural industries: BEUC rejects 'Graduated Response'
http://www.eubusiness.com/Consumer/beuc-press.08-04-10

UEAPME: taxation rules key barrier to cross-border trade
http://www.eubusiness.com/SMEs/ueapme.2008-04-08

Reach Europe's decision-makers! Publish your organisation's
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EUguides
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Mobile Communication Services on Aircraft
http://www.eubusiness.com/Telecoms/mobile-phone-air

.eu web domains
http://www.eubusiness.com/Internet/.eu-web-domains-guide

EU strategy on the rights of the child - update
http://www.eubusiness.com/Social/rights-of-the-child
More guides: http://www.eubusiness.com/guides

EUjobs
------
Director of Cooperation, European Chemicals Agency
http://www.eubusiness.com/Jobs/echa-job.08-04-09

Lawyer for project and structured financing, EIB
http://www.eubusiness.com/Jobs/eib-job.08-04-09
More jobs: http://www.eubusiness.com/jobs

EUlinks
-------
Credit agreements for consumers
http://www.eubusiness.com/Consumer/credit-consumers-pdf
More links: http://www.eubusiness.com/links

EUbooks
-------
Banana Wars: The Price of Free Trade
http://www.eubusiness.com/Books/banana-wars.22

Doing Business in Europe
http://www.eubusiness.com/Books/doing-business-in-europe
More books: http://www.eubusiness.com/EUbooks

Other news on EUbusiness this week
----------------------------------
EU panned over list of items banned on planes 10-Apr
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207841543.24
Two-stripe imitations could infringe Adidas logo 10-Apr
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207827123.07
Sweden has right to tax wine more than beer: Court 10-Apr
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207669622.42
Italy not doing enough to clean up rubbish: EU court 10-Apr
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207849645.49
EU court raps Italy over helicopter contracts 10-Apr
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207646259.32
Galileo Masters competition enters new round 10-Apr
http://www.eubusiness.com/Rd/galileo-masters.01
Soaring inflation empties wallets in EU Baltic states 9-Apr
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207715523.06
New EU project to boost online security 8-Apr
http://www.eubusiness.com/Internet/wombat.01
Lufthansa, Air Berlin dubious about mobile phone plan 8-Mar
http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/1207651627.26

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