Europe

Amazon Wins Case Before EU Court Against EU Commission Tax Decision
12May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Business, Europe, News

Amazon Wins Case Before EU Court Against EU Commission Tax Decision

The world's most prominent online merchant Amazon has not taken advantage of unauthorized tax breaks in Luxembourg. The General Court of the European Union ruled that on Wednesday.   In 2017, the European Commission wrongly instructed the Luxembourg government to claim 250 million euros in 'back pay' tax plus interest from Amazon, the judges said. Amazon and the Luxembourg government had taken the EU General Court against the decision of the day-to-day EU administration. In 2017, EU Commissioner Margrethe Vestager (Competition) ruled that Luxembourg had provided illegal state aid to Amazon. Based in the Grand Duchy of Denmark, the company enjoyed competitive advantages through a favourable tax deal ('ruling') from 2003, which was extended in 2011. As a result, Amazon didn't have t...
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EU Gets Another Envoy for Freedom of Religion
5May By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, News

EU Gets Another Envoy for Freedom of Religion

After years, the European Union will again receive a special envoy who stands up for freedom of religion. The former Cypriot European Commissioner Christos Stylianides has been entrusted with that task.   The Christian Democrat Stylianides will work on behalf of the EU to combat discrimination and counter-radicalization. He will also encourage conversation between different faith communities and help with reconciliation. The European Commission actually wanted to get rid of the envoy after the departure of special envoy Ján Figel in 2019. But the committee gave in to pressure from especially the Christian Democrats and the right-wing conservatives in the European Parliament. However, it was not possible to appoint a successor for Figel. The SGP is happy with the appointment. "We f...
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The French President Will Come With Easing Especially in June
29Apr By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, France, News

The French President Will Come With Easing Especially in June

The French cafes and restaurants can reopen the terraces on June 9, and at the end of that month, the curfew will be abolished entirely.   These are parts of a plan to phase out the corona measures that President Emmanuel Macron informed regional media on Thursday. However, the plan is already available on news channel Europe 1, among others. The strict curfew from 7 pm to 6 am will be abolished in two steps. On May 19, the country will close from 9 pm and June 9 from 11 pm. On June 9, healthy tourists can also come again, and they must have a "health document" with them. Under certain conditions, theatres, museums and other public spaces such as concert halls will open their doors again on May 19.
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CSU Sees A Rapid Rise in Membership After A Dispute Over Merkel’s Succession
23Apr By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, Germany, News

CSU Sees A Rapid Rise in Membership After A Dispute Over Merkel’s Succession

The recent power struggle within the German Christian Democrats seems to be working out favourably for the membership of the Bavarian CSU.   According to the party, new members are applying en masse via the internet. It involved 1,000 people on Thursday alone, and a senior party official told Bild newspaper. A large number of registrations is a boost for the CSU. The party had pushed leader Markus Söder forward to run as a conservative chancellor candidate in the next election because Angela Merkel does not want to continue as chancellor. However, the choice fell on Armin Laschet of the large sister party CDU. Since then, many sympathizers who want to become a member of the CSU have come forward. The party says it can barely keep up with the number of registrations. In many cases...
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Controversial German Corona Law Gets Parliamentary Approval
22Apr By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, Germany, News

Controversial German Corona Law Gets Parliamentary Approval

The German government's controversial law to directly impose corona measures, such as a curfew and further contact restrictions, has been given the green light by the German parliament.   After the approval of the Bundestag on Wednesday, the Bundesrat, the upper house, also agreed, German media report. The law will come into effect as soon as President Frank-Walter Steinmeier has signed it. Chancellor Angela Merkel and her government can then impose lockdowns and other measures themselves outside the federal states. Merkel considers federal say in the fight against the coronavirus necessary because the federal states regularly take less strict action than she believes essential. The government in Berlin can pull the "national emergency brake" and intervene in areas with relatively...
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EU is Not Yet Working on New Sanctions Against Russia
19Apr By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, News, Russia

EU is Not Yet Working on New Sanctions Against Russia

The countries of the European Union have no plans for the time being to expel Russian officials.   They are "unanimous" behind the Czech Republic, which on Saturday expelled 18 Russians because Russia allegedly had a hand in the sabotage of an ammunition depot. The Czech Republic has not asked other member states to take similar measures, says EU foreign chief Josep Borrell. For the time being, there will also be no new sanctions against Russia for the way Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny is being treated or for the contraction of 150,000 soldiers on the Ukrainian border. "Things can change, but the situation is now like this," said Borrell after discussions with EU foreign ministers. The situation in Ukraine is "clearly very worrisome". Never before have there been so many Russian...
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Von der Leyen Prefers Corona Vaccines With mRNA Base
14Apr By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, News

Von der Leyen Prefers Corona Vaccines With mRNA Base

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wants the EU to focus on vaccines based on so-called mRNA technologies, such as those from pharmaceuticals Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna, when purchasing corona vaccines. She says the EU may need new vaccines for extra protection against the coronavirus after people have already been vaccinated or to fight new variants of the virus. The German underlined that this does not mean that future contracts will not be signed with producers who do not use mRNA technology, such as AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson for the Janssen vaccine. Possible rare side effects with blood clots after vaccination with vaccines from these two manufacturers are currently under investigation.
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Merkel Scraps Strict Easter Lockdown After Stormy Criticism
24Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, Germany, News

Merkel Scraps Strict Easter Lockdown After Stormy Criticism

Chancellor Angela Merkel backs down with her very strict Easter lockdown. She scraps this plan a day after it was announced.   The plan sparked a storm of criticism. The Easter lockdown would be the toughest lockdown Germany has had in the corona crisis. But Merkel conferred unannounced with state prime ministers on Wednesday and decided not to paralyze the country in the first five days of April. Early on Tuesday, Merkel had agreed with state prime ministers to tighten and extend corona measures and virtually paralyze the country over Easter.
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The Daily Number of New German Corona Infections Decreased Again
22Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, Germany, News

The Daily Number of New German Corona Infections Decreased Again

In Germany, the number of new corona infections has fallen again in one day. In the last 24 hours, 7709 new cases were registered. That is more than 6,500 fewer than the 13,733 on Sunday, says the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German counterpart of the RIVM.   On Saturday, the RKI reported 16,033 new infections. In total, more than 2.65 million infections have now been registered in Germany. The death toll from Covid-19 has risen to 74,714, with 50 deaths. It is still too early to relax measures against the coronavirus in Germany, says Chancellor Angela Merkel. In previous consultations with state leaders, the lockdown was extended to March 28, with the prospect of easing if the number of infections fell. New deliberations will follow on Monday afternoon, with Merkel's commitme...
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France: AstraZeneca Vaccine is for People Over 55 Only
19Mar By Alan LorenzNo Comments
Europe, France, News

France: AstraZeneca Vaccine is for People Over 55 Only

French health authorities recommend that the AstraZeneca vaccine be given to the elderly over 55 years old. This was decided because of the reports of a combination of clot formation and a reduced number of platelets in vaccinees.   Several dozen cases of vaccinees with these rare conditions are known in Europe. Most of these people are under the age of 55. Although it has not been proven to be side effects of the AstraZeneca vaccine, France will only administer the drug to older people as a precaution. The possible side effects resulted in several European countries, including France, temporarily suspending the vaccine's use. The vaccinations with AstraZeneca were resumed in France after a few days on Friday after positive advice from the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which spo...
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