Category: eu

The European Union’s top court has fined Ireland for delays and incomplete application of the EU’s rules against money laundering and terrorist financing, it said in a statement. The EU Court of Justice ordered Ireland to pay to the European Commission a lumpsum of €2 million, while Romania was fined €3m. “Both member states failed […]

The European Union has reopened its borders to visitors from 15 countries, but excluded the United States where deaths are rising again and a top health official warned the country was heading in the “wrong direction”. The final list of nations safe enough to allow residents to enter the EU did not include Russia, Brazil or […]

France said a US decision to quit global talks on how to tax big digital firms such as Google, Amazon and Facebook was a “provocation”. This comes as the European Union said it could impose taxes even if no deal was reached by the end of the year.  The latest trade row was ignited after the […]

The European Commission has proposed a recovery fund of €750 billion, which it says is designed to repair the economic damage caused by the coronavirus pandemic. According to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the money would be disbursed via grants and loans, with the commission using the EU budget as leverage to raise […]

The European Commission is recommending that Ireland takes all necessary measures to effectively address the Covid-19 pandemic, sustain the economy and support the recovery that follows. It also says the tax base here should be broadened over this year and next. “The challenges facing Ireland in regard to poverty and employment quality and support, including […]

The European Commission (EC) will encourage member states to co-ordinate border closures amid fears that unilateral closures by individual countries could inhibit the flow of goods and critically needed people. More and more member states have announced restrictions on people entering their territory as the coronavirus continues to spread throughout Europe. Spain said it was considering closing […]

Social media platforms and artificial intelligence developers will face new regulations under a European Union plan published today. The European Commission says its digital strategy is designed to make technology more people-focused, while also ensuring its digital industry is not reliant on other countries in the future. It includes changes to the way data is […]

EU countries including Ireland can restrict or ban high-risk 5G vendors from core parts of their telecoms networks, according to new EU guidelines published today. The move is likely to hurt China’s Huawei but unlikely to appease the United States. The non-binding recommendations, agreed by the bloc’s 28 countries, seek to tackle cyber-security risks at […]

A group of European Union countries is calling for the bloc to cast a wider net when listing tax havens and to consider imposing stricter sanctions for countries facilitating tax avoidance, according to an EU document and an EU official. The move is likely to spark some fear in Government circles. The document, prepared by the Danish […]

The European Commission has approved the Government’s National Broadband Plan, saying it complies with EU state aid rules. The decision means one of the final hurdles preventing the State from signing the contract with the preferred bidder, National Broadband Ireland, has been overcome. The Commission said the €2.6bn of public support will result in high-speed […]