Brussels Brief - March 21, 2008
March 21, 2008
Full Printable Version in PDF Format
(Adobe Acrobat Reader required, available for free download here)
Please note that due to the closure of the Commission and other European institutions over the Easter period, the next Brussels Brief will be sent on Friday 4 April.
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Competition: Joint EU-US Research Project on Airline Alliances
Yannis Virvilis
Following the conclusion of the EU-US Air Transport Agreement in 2007, the European Commission and the US Department of Transportation have launched a joint research project on airline alliances. The project will explore many aspects of the air transport industry including the growth of airline alliances, their effect on competition in the market and possible changes in the role of alliances following the EU-US Air Transport Agreement. To conduct the research, the two parties will interview stakeholders such as airlines, consumer groups and travel agents and will also perform a quantitative analysis of traffic data.
VAT: Commission Proposes New Measures to Fight VAT Fraud
Andrea Hamilton
The European Commission has adopted proposals to amend the VAT Directive and the VAT Administrative Cooperation Regulation in order to fight so-called “carousel fraud.” Carousel fraud occurs when, in a sequence of transactions between Member States, a trader goes “missing” and does not account for VAT on the final sale to the consumer. The Commission’s proposals aim to reduce this type of fraud by requiring faster information gathering and reporting. Among other things, the proposals require that intra-Community transactions be reported to the
Telecommunications:
Elena Kostadinova
The European Commission has added the Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld (DVB-H) standard to the EU list of standards. This list serves as a basis for harmonising the provision of telecommunication services throughout the European Union. The DVB-H, which would enable consumers to watch television on their mobile telephones or devices anywhere in the European Union, is currently being launched commercially in 16 EU Member States. The adoption of this standard is part of the European Union’s strategy on mobile broadcasting. The next steps include the adoption of guidelines on best practice for Mobile TV authorisation, and the promotion of rights management systems based on open standards, as with DVB-H.
Agriculture: Council Approves 2 Per Cent Increase in Milk Quotas
Niamh O’Reilly
EU agriculture ministers have approved the European Commission's proposal for a 2 per cent increase in milk quotas beginning on
State Aid: Commission Approves Aid to Rolls-Royce Deutschland
Juan Gutiérrez
The European Commission has authorised the granting of financial support by
Internal Market: Recommendation on New EU Retail Product for Real Estate Funds
Bróna Heenan
The European Commission has published an industry report that analyses the EU market for open-ended real estate funds. These funds provide investors with access to professionally managed investments in commercial and other types of property. In many Member States, open-ended real estate funds are already well established, nationally regulated products, but it is practically impossible to offer these products to foreign investors on a cross border basis. The report analyses current national regulations and recommends the adoption of EU harmonising legislation to overcome market access barriers. To take account of the views of interested parties, there will be a public debate on the report in
Fisheries: Plan To Prevent Overfishing of Mediterranean Bluefin Tuna
Patricia Armesto
On
NEXT WEEK’S EVENTS
Monday 24 March –
COUNCIL MEETINGS
No Council meetings scheduled for next week.
COURT OF JUSTICE
Judicial vacation of the Court of Justice from 17 March to
COURT OF FIRST INSTANCE
Judicial vacation of the Court of First Instance from 17 March to
