Digitising public procurement - EUbusiness Week newsletter 624 - EUbusiness.com

EUbusiness Week 624 top stories: EU leaders eye ‘drastic’ action to tackle jobs crisis; Commissioner hails ‘fairer’ farm subsidy reform; EU-Turkey talks to resume but delayed by crackdown; Competitors slam Google proposals as ‘self-advertising’; Ministers back ban on menthol cigarettes; Europe roaming fees cut in time for summer hols

This Week’s Top Stories

1. EU leaders eye ‘drastic’ action to tackle jobs crisis
2. Commissioner hails ‘fairer’ farm subsidy reform
3. EU-Turkey talks to resume but delayed by crackdown
4. Competitors slam Google proposals as ‘self-advertising’
5. Ministers back ban on menthol cigarettes
6. Europe roaming fees cut in time for summer hols

Publisher’s Note

No less than the full ‘digitisation of the public procurement process’ was the vision of the Commission as it proposed a draft directive on e-invoicing in public procurement.

E-invoicing in EU public procurement could generate savings of up to EUR 2.3 billion, according to estimates. It also makes life easier for both governments and the thousands of businesses active in the single market.

With public expenditure on goods, works and services representing 19 per cent of the EU’s GDP, the public sector can play a leading role in stimulating its uptake.
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Regards,

Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness

1. EU leaders eye ‘drastic’ action to tackle jobs crisis

European leaders on Thursday tried to come up with new measures to tackle the crisis-hit continent’s soaring jobs crisis, but the head of the European Parliament warned that the plans were “a drop in the ocean”.
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2. Commissioner hails ‘fairer’ farm subsidy reform

A reform of EU farm subsidies agreed this week will favour young farmers and smallholders over big business as well as more eco-friendly farming, said Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos after three months of talks.
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3. EU-Turkey talks to resume but delayed by crackdown

After a three-year break, the European Union has agreed to reopen EU membership talks with Turkey but delayed them several months due to concerns notably from Germany over Ankara’s tough crackdown on anti-government protests.
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4. Competitors slam Google proposals as ‘self-advertising’

Google’s competitors are warning the Commission that a set of proposals put forward by the US Internet giant to meet EU antitrust rules constituted “self-advertising” and would do nothing to create a level playing field for searches.
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5. Ministers back ban on menthol cigarettes

Health ministers have approved plans to ban menthol and other flavoured cigarettes as part of a crackdown on youth smoking.
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6. Europe roaming fees cut in time for summer hols

Tourists within Europe can use their smartphones without fear of an outrageous bill waiting at home starting from this year’s summer holidays, as the Union is cutting maximum mobile data roaming rates by 36 per cent next week.
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EUROPEAN LAW

Google: a top Court of Justice lawyer says Google is not responsible for data carried by websites appearing on its search engine and EU citizens have no “right to be forgotten” in the digital world.
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Court fines Euro Disney for illegal criminal record checks
US-EU fraud crackdown seizes 328 websites
Latest Court of Justice judgements
EU Law Firms
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Inside the EU Institutions

Council Watch

Bank rescues: finance ministers on Thursday agreed a deal on new rules to shift the burden for future bank rescues from taxpayers to the financial sector in a bid to quell public anger over massive bailouts in recent years.
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Tackling youth unemployment in Europe
Croatia gears up for EU entry amid economic worries
Council …

Commission Watch

Spying: the Commission wrote to British Foreign Secretary William Hague demanding answers by the end of the week on leaked reports that Britain’s spy services are tapping cables that carry the world’s phone calls and Internet traffic.
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EU staff strike against cuts during unemployment summit
Serbia wins EU support to begin membership talks
Kosovo welcomes EU support for talks as ‘milestone’
Commission …

Parliament Watch

Youth job fund: the EUR 6 bn that EU leaders have earmarked to combat record high youth unemployment represents a mere “drop in the ocean,” EP chief Martin Schulz said on Thursday.
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EU Socialists to push for more youth jobs, industry
This week, MEPs agreed a deal on the Erasmus+ programme – the EU’s next programme for education, training, youth and sport; as well as informal deals on EU funding for infrastructure projects – the “Connecting Europe Facility”; and a package of laws to establish the EU’s next research and innovation programme, “Horizon 2020”.
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EU diary

27-28 Jun, European Council
1-4 Jul, European Parliament plenary session
1 Jul, Croatia joins the EU
4-5 Jul, Lithuanian Pre-Presidency Conference
5 Jul, Lithuanian Presidency opening ceremony
9 Jul, Economic and Financial Affairs Council
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary