European Union News - Internal Market

The European Commission presented on 7 October its Communication on Taxation of the Financial Sector, outlining the measures to be implemented and the contribution the financial sector should make towards public finances and the stability of public resources. Although at a global level Commission considers that a Financial Transactions Tax (FTT) would be appropriate, at EU level it considers that a Financial Activities Tax (FAT) would be a better option to tax financial sector.

The European Commission has published on the 5th october 2010 a prior notification of a concentration between Shell/Topaz/JV. The European Commission ask for observations for third parties interesed.

The Informal Ecofin meeting held in Brussels on 30 September and 1 October gave EU finance ministers the opportunity to discuss over the proposals put forward by the European Commission on economic governance and structural reforms. Although perspectives on economic recovery are improving, EU finance ministers acknowledged that uncertainty still remains and further efforts must still be done.

The Eurogroup, the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB) have welcomed the consolidation measures adopted by the Portuguese government by the end of September as well as the commitment of the Irish authorities to correct the excessive deficit by 2014. They also take note on the announcement made by Irish authorities to reinforce banking sector.

The European Commission has decided to request France and Spain to abolish specific charges on the turnover of telecoms operators introduced when the Member States concerned decided to end paid advertising on public TV channels. In both cases, the Commission considers these "telecoms taxes" to be incompatible with EU telecoms rules, which require specific charges on telecoms operators to be specifically and directly related to covering the costs of regulating the telecoms sector.

The European Commission has launched a public consultation on the revision of the Tobacco Products Directive (2001/37/EC), in order to find out possible measures to improve awareness of the dangers of tobacco use, increase motivation to quit and discourage initiation of smoking. Interested parties can submit their opinions and comments to the Commission by 19 November 2010.

The European Commission has adopted a legislative package containing the most comprehensive reinforcement of economic governance in the EU and the Euro area since the launch of the Economic and Monetary Union. These measure aim to enhance surveillance of fiscal policies as well as macroeconomic policies and structural reforms.

Ministers meeting at the Council of Agriculture and Fisheries held in Brussels on 28 September raised a series of questions relating Commission's communication on the freedom for Member States to decide on the cultivation of genetically modified crops and its compliance with internal market and WTO rules. Among other questions, Ministers also discussed over a proposal for a regulation on distribution of food products for the most deprived persons and specific measures for agriculture in the outermost regions of the Union.

Since the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty on 1 December 2009, the European Union has the new role to promote the competitiveness of its tourism sector, its sustainable and quality-based development and the visibility of Europe as an outstanding tourist destination. These objectives, as highlighted by the Commission at the European Tourism Day, have key elements to be achieved by the promotion of “Cultural routes”.

European consumers purchasing an Appel iPhone will no longer face difficulties when needing repair services for their iPhone purchased in a Member State other than their country of residence. Appel's announcement to relax restrictions both to these services and for the development tools for iPhone apps, has driven the Commission to announce its intention to close investigations over Apple for those cases.

The European Parliament has called for a strategy adapted to the special needs of islands and mountainous regions in Europe, in order to meet the Lisbon Treaty mandate and help them to overcome their inherent disadvantages and exploit their resources better. Although sparsely populated these regions represent around 10% of the population of the European Union.