The European Commission has adopted a number of measures to further simplify its merger review procedures under the EU Merger Regulation. The package of measures includes: (i) a revised version of the Merger Implementing Regulation (“Implementing Regulation”), (ii) a Notice on simplified procedure (“Procedural Notice”), and (iii) a Notice on the transmission of documents (“Notice […]
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European Parliament approves Europe’s first ever rules on crypto-assets
Parliament endorsed the first EU rules to trace crypto-asset transfers, prevent money laundering, as well as common rules on supervision and customer protection. On Thursday, MEPs approved with 529 votes in favour to 29 against and 14 abstentions, the first piece of EU legislation for tracing transfers of crypto-assets like bitcoins and electronic money tokens. The text […]
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European Commission launches unannounced inspections at premises of fashion companies
On 18 April 2023, the European Commission has started unannounced inspections at the premises of companies active in the fashion industry in several Member States. In parallel, the Commission has sent out formal requests for information to companies active in the same sector. The Commission has concerns that the companies concerned may have violated EU […]
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The European Commission adopted a proposal to adjust and further strengthen the current crisis management framework for banks
On 18 April, the European Commission adopted a proposal to adapt and further strengthen the existing EU system of bank crisis management and deposit insurance, with a special focus on small and medium-sized banks. The EU banking sector, which has a strong crisis management system, has become more resilient in recent years. EU financial institutions […]
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The Council and the European Parliament agree to boost the European chip industry
The Council and the European Parliament have reached a provisional political agreement on the regulation to strengthen Europe’s semiconductor ecosystem, better known as the ‘Chips Act’. The deal is expected to create the conditions for the development of an industrial base that can double the EU’s global market share in semiconductors from 10% to at […]
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303 workers made redundant from Alu Ibérica in Galicia receive 1.2 million euros in aid
303 former employees of aluminium producer Alu Ibérica in the Galicia region in Spain should receive €1.2 million in EU aid after the company declared bankruptcy. On Monday, the Committee on Budgets approved Spain’s request for support from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund for Displaced Workers (EGF). MEPs acknowledged that “the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russian war […]
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EU wins WTO case on India’s tariffs on ICT-related products
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) ruled in favour of the EU in a landmark case challenging India’s tariffs on key information and communications technology (ICT) products. In a panel decision, the WTO upheld all of the EU’s claims against India and found that India’s tariffs of up to 20 percent on certain ICT products, such […]
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Council approves €1 billion in ammunition aid for Ukraine
On 13th April, The Council adopted an assistance measure worth €1 billion under the European Peace Facility (EPF) to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This measure will allow the EU to reimburse member states for ammunition donated to Ukraine from existing stocks or from the reprioritisation of existing orders during the period 9 February to 31 May 2023. […]
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Andalusia was the third region in the EU in terms of the number of accommodations booked through online platforms.
During the fourth quarter of 2022 (Q4 2022), guests spent around 97 million nights in short-term rental accommodation in the EU, booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia Group or TripAdvisor. This corresponds to around +25% compared with the same period in 2021. With this value, platform tourism exceeded the levels (+10%) recorded in the pre-pandemic Q4 2019, when platforms reported around […]
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