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Business news and information from the European Union

Brussels registers 'Stop TTIP' citizen initiative — 05 July 2017, 21:00 CET

A European Citizens' Initiative to stop the EU negotiating mandate for the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and the CETA trade deal with Canada was accepted Wednesday by the EU Commission.

MEPs back new tax disclosure rules for multinationals — 05 July 2017, 20:56 CET

Members of the European Parliament gave their backing Wednesday to new rules to force large firms to make information about the tax bills they pay on a country-by-country basis publicly available.

EU Parliament calls for longer lifetime for products — 04 July 2017, 23:45 CET

Europe's Parliament called on the Commission, Member States and producers Tuesday to take measures to ensure consumers can enjoy durable, high-quality products that can be repaired and upgraded.

Brussels launches social security information system — 04 July 2017, 17:02 CET

The EU Commission launched Monday a new IT platform that will connect electronically around 15,000 social security institutions of EU Member States plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

EU Court delivers another blow to Uber service — 04 July 2017, 16:42 CET

Uber, the taxi app for smartphones, again found itself on the wrong side of the EU's top Court Tuesday when its Advocate-General said France could ban it for "illegal exercise of transport activities".

Tiny Estonia takes over EU presidency — 03 July 2017, 23:59 CET

Estonia's first EU presidency began on 1 July with a focus on an innovative European economy, safety and security, digital Europe and free movement of data, and an inclusive and sustainable Europe.

Carcinogens at work: EU Council, Parliament reach agreement — 29 June 2017, 22:54 CET

The EU presidency and European Parliament reached a provisional agreement Wednesday on a new directive to help protect workers from exposure to carcinogens or mutagens in the workplace.

EU launches action to tackle antimicrobial resistance — 29 June 2017, 22:36 CET

The European Commission launched Thursday a new EU action plan to tackle antimicrobial resistance - a growing threat responsible for 25,000 deaths and a loss of EUR 1.5 billion in the EU every year.

Brussels announces portable EU pension plan — 29 June 2017, 18:23 CET

The EU Commission announced plans Thursday for a new class of pan-European pension products, allowing European consumers to benefit from more choice when saving for retirement.

Green light for new EU rules on organic farming — 29 June 2017, 00:05 CET

After 20 months of discussion, EU Parliament and Council negotiators reached an informal agreement Wednesday on an overhaul of existing EU rules on organic production and labelling of organic products.

European Union mulls future finance post-Brexit — 29 June 2017, 00:04 CET

In its fifth reflection paper on the future of the European Union, published Wednesday, the Commission looks at options for financing the EU budget following the departure of the United Kingdom.

EU extends sanctions on Russia for another six months — 28 June 2017, 22:53 CET

The EU Council agreed a formal extension of economic sanctions on Russia Wednesday, targeting specific sectors of the Russian economy Wednesday, until 31 January 2018.

Google fined EUR 2.4 bn for breaching EU antitrust rules — 28 June 2017, 18:13 CET

The European Commission fined Google EUR 2.42 billion Tuesday for giving an illegal advantage to the U.S. search giant's own comparison shopping service, thus breaching EU antitrust rules.

New EU insolvency rules enter in force — 27 June 2017, 22:21 CET

New rules on cross-border insolvency proceedings, first proposed in 2012 and adopted by EU legislators in 2015 to facilitate debt recovery, entered into force throughout the European Union on Monday.

Ministers make limited progress on energy efficiency — 27 June 2017, 16:58 CET

EU ministers agreed reduced energy efficiency targets Monday, of 30 per cent by 2030, as well as what has been termed an 'unambitious' revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive.

Trade barriers on the increase, says EU — 27 June 2017, 13:29 CET

The "scourge of protectionism" is on the rise, the European Commission warned on Monday as it released a report detailing a 10 per cent increase in obstacles currently hindering European exports.

Brussels adopts guidelines for disclosure of non-financial information — 26 June 2017, 23:49 CET

Guidelines on disclosure of environmental and social information were adopted Monday by the Commission to help firms disclose non-financial information in a consistent and comparable manner.

EU agrees revisions on hazardous substances in electrical equipment — 23 June 2017, 00:09 CET

The EU Council and Parliament reached provisional agreement Wednesday on a proposal for a revised directive on the use of certain hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment.

EU agrees deal to better protect consumers — 22 June 2017, 22:57 CET

The EU Council and Parliament reached preliminary agreement Wednesday to strengthen cooperation between EU national authorities responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection laws.

Security takes centre stage at EU summit — 22 June 2017, 22:37 CET

EU leaders in Brussels for a two-day summit Thursday agreed to cement European cooperation in defence, and called on social media companies to prevent the spread of terrorist material on the Internet.

Non-EU nationals entitled to social benefits: EU Court — 21 June 2017, 23:43 CET

A non-EU national holding a single work permit in a Member State enjoys, as a general rule, the social security benefits provided for that state's nationals, the EU's top Court ruled on Wednesday.

EU fines car lighting systems cartel EUR 27m — 21 June 2017, 23:11 CET

The European Commission fined Automotive Lighting and Hella a total of EUR 27 million Wednesday for participating in a cartel concerning the supply of vehicle lighting systems in the European Economic Area.

EU transparency rules target tax avoidance planners — 21 June 2017, 22:31 CET

The EU Commission proposed Wednesday tough new transparency rules for intermediaries - tax advisers, accountants, banks and lawyers - who design and promote tax planning schemes for their clients.

Europe still playing catch-up on innovation: report — 21 June 2017, 00:26 CET

The European Union is catching up with Canada and the US in terms of innovation performance, but the picture among Member States is more mixed, with innovation improving in 15 out of 28 states last year.

Counter-terrorism is EU's highest security priority — 20 June 2017, 18:30 CET

Counter-terrorism is the highest security priority for the EU, foreign affairs ministers declared at their Council meeting Monday, as they debated the EU response to the recent attacks in the EU and beyond.