132 members of one of the most prominent criminal networks in the world were apprehended during an action day that was carried out by ten nations. Authorities from Belgium, Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Romania, Brazil, and Panama conducted raids at several sites and confiscated a number of businesses early on May 3. On-the-ground […]
European Commission launches AggregateEU mechanism for joint gas purchases by European companies
The Commission launched an innovative process for European companies to register their gas procurement needs through the AggregateEU mechanism, in preparation for aggregated gas procurement at EU level. This is an important milestone for the EU, allowing it to prepare for the coming winter by coordinating a timely replenishment of gas stocks and using its […]
The European Commission will investigate the proposed creation of a company by Orange and MásMóvil
The European Commission has opened an in-depth investigation under the EU Merger Regulation to assess the proposed creation of a joint venture between Orange and Más Móvil. The Commission has concerns that this venture could reduce competition in the retail marketing of mobile and fixed broadband services and in the offer of multiple service packages […]
Commission clears creation of joint venture by Repsol and Telefónica
The European Commission has approved, under the EU Merger Regulation, the creation of a joint venture by Repsol Customer Centric, S.L. (‘Repsol’) and Telefónica de España, S.A.U., (‘Telefónica’), both of Spain. The joint venture will be active in the implementation of photovoltaic projects in Spain, mainly consisting in the acquisition, installation and maintenance of ground-level […]
New European Union program for Latin American companies: AL-INVEST Verde
AL-INVEST Verde aims to promote sustainable development and job creation in the region through the implementation of sustainable practices. Component 1 of the programme is driven by a consortium of institutions, made up of Latin American and European private sector business organisations, led by sequa, a German non-profit development organisation. The programme announced its first […]
New green policies for companies and banks
Firms and banks to be severely affected if climate change issues not addressed Orderly and swift transition to minimise costs and maximise benefits outweighs short-term cost of transition to zero-carbon economy over medium to longer term Investment in sectors and regions heavily exposed to climate risk set to suffer most The European Central Bank (ECB) […]
The company and the gender imbalance created by COVID-19
COVID-19 has significantly sped up the move towards flexible working. To adapt to the ‘new normal’, many employers are making long-term changes to their workplace strategies. However, it is important that they also consider how their future workplace model will affect gender equality. According to a recent report by the Joint Research Centre, women doing […]
Tax transparency: MEPs deplore Council’s lack of action on multinationals
MEPs urged EU countries to agree on draft rules making multinational companies publicly disclose their profit and tax paid in each country. In 2016 the European Commission produced a proposal on country-by-country reporting of tax-related information by large businesses, which needs to be approved by both Parliament and the Council before it can enter into […]
State aid: Commission open investigations into individual “excess profit” tax rulings granted by Belgium to 39 multinational companies
The European Commission has opened in-depth investigations to assess whether tax rulings on “excessive profits” handed down by Belgium to 39 multinational companies gave these companies an unfair advantage over their competitors, in breach of EU state aid rules. The decisions to open this investigation follow the annulment by the General Court in February 2019 […]