⊂ EUROPE ⊃
Belgium to recover unpaid taxes from companies: About 35 multinationals will be required to pay 700 million euros in additional taxes in Belgium after EU regulators ruled they had benefited from an illegal tax break. The EU Commission concluded Monday that a Belgian tax-discount plan for multinationals amounted to a distortion of competition within the EU’s single market, and ordered Belgium to recover the unpaid taxes. EU antitrust chief Margethe Vestager said the scheme had given “carte blanche to double non-taxation” of certain multinationals in Belgium. Vestager declined to name the companies affected, but she stressed that they were primarily European.
wsj.com
Germany sends refugees back to Austria: Germany has been refusing an increasing number of migrants at its southern border, according to Austrian authorities. Since January 1st, hundreds of rejected migrants have been sent back to Austria. A police spokeswoman in Munich confirmed Germany has been sending back up to 100 or so migrants, but she did not confirm an increase in the rejections. Some believe the increased numbers of rejected refugees is due to increasingly tighter EU border controls. Turkey plans to offer Syrian refugees work permits to discourage them from crossing illegally into the EU.
dw.com, reuters.com
No EU procedure against Poland: EU officials are seeking to calm an escalating fight with Poland after its new government made moves some of its partners fear will lead to tighter political control over the Polish media and judiciary. On Wednesday, the EU Commission will look at possible sanctions against Poland, but it will steer clear from any formal steps, said three officials familiar with the talks. Meanwhile, Polish weekly “Wprost”, on the cover of its new edition, showed a picture of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and EU Parliament President Martin Schulz in Nazi uniforms with the slogan: “They want to supervise Poland once again.”
wsj.com, euobserver.com
Study warns of downfall of EU agriculture: A new study has concluded that TTIP threatens to completely change the way small and medium sized farms operate, through the use of more genetic engineering and more hormone-treated meat. No one can produce products like cereal as cheaply as the USA, said the study carried out by UnternehmensGrün, an association formed around green economy interests. Currently, the trade in agricultural product and foodstuff exports to the USA total around 15 billion euros, with imports around the eight billion euro mark. But, according to the study, this could all change if and when TTIP is finally negotiated and duties and non-tariff barriers are removed, with US companies gaining near-unlimited access to the European market.
euractiv.com
Putin sees invisible walls in Europe: Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with the German tabloid “Bild” that Western sanctions are hurting Russia and its economy. Putin called the sanctions a “theatre of the absurd” and described Russia’s seizure of Crimea as a morally and legally justified response to what he called a coup d’etat in Kiev. Putin criticised western governments for seeking to “reign” over Europe, blaming Nato’s post-Cold War expansion for the crisis in relations between Russia, the United States, and Europe. 25 years ago the Berlin Wall fell, “but Europe’s division was not overcome, invisible walls simply moved to the East”, Putin said.
telegraph.co.uk
Agriculture: MEPs promote healthy eating europarl.europa.eu
Refugee crisis: EU conference in Amsterdam will deal with people smuggling english.eu2016.nl
Syria: Activists accuse Russia of bombing a school n-tv.de
International Space Station: Russia cuts spending on servicing ISS n-tv.de
⊂ QUOTES ⊃
„These are actions by people who think they have to take the law into their own hands.“
Michael Temme, head of Cologne police Direktion Gefahrenabwehr/ Einsatz (uniformed police missions), observes a trend towards vigilante justice in hooligans, right-wing extremists and “concerned citizens”.
reuters.com
„We will expell the invaders from Catalonia.“
The new President of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, leaves no doubt that he is serious about independence.
economist.com
⊂ COUNTRIES ⊃
Where are you now? – David Bowie is dead: David Bowie, the rock and roll visionary whose career spanned six decades, died Sunday after a long battle with cancer at age 69. Bowie had just released his 25th studio album, „Blackstar,“ to strong reviews on Friday. British Prime Minister David Cameron was one of the first to pay tribute to Bowie, recalling an upbringing soundtracked by the star. Comic Ricky Gervais, who hosted the Golden Globe awards, tweeted: “I just lost a hero”.
telegraph.co.uk, nbcnews.com
Accusations, apologies, and political malice: After the attacks against women in Cologne on New Year’s Eve, refugees in Germany are beginning to come forward to apologize and distance themselves from the attacks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel faced growing pressure to harden her line on refugees on Monday as the first extensive police report on New Year’s Eve violence in Cologne documented rampant sexual assaults on women by gangs of young migrant men. Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere condemned those attacks and warned against a broader backlash against refugees following the events in Cologne.
reuters.com
Divided Poland: It will never be entirely clear how many people protested against the Polish government over the weekend, just as it has always been unclear how many people have taken to the streets since Kaczynski started assuming power over institutions, from the constitutional court to public broadcasting. Estimates were far apart regarding the biggest demonstration so far on December 12th. Poland is divided. Although the ruling PiS has the absolute majority in parliament, it only won the majority with 38 percent of the votes. With a voter turnout of 51 percent, that is about 19 percent of people eligible to vote.
faz.net
Catalonia wants to be independent by 2017: On Sunday, the two secessionist parties in the parliament in the Spanish region of Catalonia managed to agree on a new prime minister and, just two hours before hitting the midnight deadline that would have forced new elections, formed a government. The new government wants to achieve independence for Catalonia by 2017. “Next stop, Independence!” is the motto, said Oriol Junqueras, the leader of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Catalan Left) party, which forms part of JxSi.
fortune.com
Spain: King of Spain’s sister appears in court to face tax evasion charges theguardian.com
Belgium: Doubt about security of nuclear reactors welt.de
Italy: Anti-corruption party accused of being in the mafia independent.co.uk
Greece: Kyriakos Mitsotakis elected to lead Greece’s conservatives wsj.com
⊂ DATA ⊃
466 arrest warrants against 372 offenders from the right-wing extremist spectrum in Germany did not lead to any arrests. It is unclear in how many cases the police knows the whereabouts of the perpetrators.
derstandard.at
⊂ JOB-BOARD ⊃
politjobs.eu: 350.org seeks campaigner *** Steltemeier & Rawe seeks Senior Associate (m/f) *** 1&1 sucht EU Public Affairs Manager VKU sucht Referentin/en *** Afore Consulting seeks Junior Consultants in European Public Affairs
politjobs.eu, politjobs.eu/submit (Inserat schalten)
⊂ MALFUNCTION ⊃
Putin, Merkel, and the dog: Russian President Vladimir Putin says he didn’t intend to scare German Chancellor Angela Merkel when he brought his black Labrador Konni to one of their first ever meetings. Merkel, who is famously terrified of dogs, kept quiet over the 2007 incident but it was widely believed that Putin had been attempting to intimidate and embarrass the German leader. In an interview, Putin said that he had wanted to do something nice for Merkel and that he apologized when he found out that she doesn’t like dogs.
independent.co.uk