EUbusiness Week 686 top stories: EU leaders baulk at money for Juncker investment plan; EU agrees tougher money-laundering law; EU agrees fish quotas seen as lax by environmentalists; End of quotas: a butter future for EU dairy farmers?; EU food labels to help allergy sufferers; Court of Justice says obesity can be disability
Publisher’s Note
As Europe’s new decision-makers sat down for their first formal meeting since their appointment, today’s summit was an opportunity to gauge the direction they hope to pursue.
The 2015 work programme of the Juncker Commission reflects themes of prioritisation and self-restraint, with a focus on investment, the digital single market and energy union. While expectations are not high for the summit, a Commission with momentum and clearer direction will present a good challenge for the Council’s new president Donald Tusk.
The next newswire goes out in January. I wish you the Season’s Greetings and best wishes for a happy, healthy and peaceful New Year.
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Regards,
Nick Prag
Publisher, EUbusiness
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1. EU leaders baulk at money for Juncker investment plan
EU leaders approved an ambitious investment plan on Thursday but without putting up the “hard cash” demanded by Commission head Jean-Claude Juncker.
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EU leaders press Russia, urge new investment
2. EU agrees tougher money-laundering law
Owners of secretive companies in Europe will have a harder time keeping out of the public eye, EU negotiators agreed on Wednesday, in another blow against opaque business practices after the LuxLeaks scandal.
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3. EU agrees fish quotas seen as lax by environmentalists
Member States have introduced fish catch limits for next year for the Atlantic and North Sea that environmentalists say fail to protect some overfished stocks like cod & sole.
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4. End of quotas: a butter future for EU dairy farmers?
Thirty years after introducing quotas to combat the butter mountain caused by overproduction, the EU is on the cusp of freeing up the dairy sector amid growing global demand for milk products.
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5. EU food labels to help allergy sufferers
New EU labelling rules that took effect 13 December require restaurants and other businesses to tell customers if their food could trigger allergies or raise other health concerns.
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6. Court of Justice says obesity can be disability
The Union’s highest court ruled Thursday that obesity can be considered a “disability” if it hinders an overweight person’s performance at work.
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EUROPEAN LAW
Stem cell patenting: a human egg used to produce stem cells but unable to develop into a viable embryo can be patented, the European Court of Justice ruled on Thursday.
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EU can’t sign up to key rights convention, court rules
Top EU court rejects British visa rule
Latest news from the European Court of Justice
EU Law Firms
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Inside the EU Institutions
Council Watch
Turkey: ministers agreed to take a harder line on Turkey’s bid for membership Tuesday, saying recent police raids on media outlets were incompatible with EU democratic values.
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EU could de-escalate sanctions if Russia shifts on Ukraine
EU welcomes US-Cuba accord as ‘historical turning point’
Council …
Commission Watch
Hamas: the EU scrambled to set the record straight on Hamas Wednesday after an EU court ordered the removal of the Palestinian Islamist group from its terror blacklist, infuriating Israel.
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Juncker cuts new laws to slash red-tape
EU says working to keep Greece ‘firmly’ in the eurozone
Lima outcome ‘a step forward’ on way to Paris climate deal
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Parliament Watch
2015 budget: the EU on Wednesday adopted a budget for next year that contains seed money to launch the new Commission’s investment plan to revive the EU economy.
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EP backs recognition of Palestinian state ‘in principle’
Euro-MPs slam Venezuela opposition ‘persecution
This week in plenary MEPs approved the EU-Georgia association deal; secured a deal to cap the fees that banks charge retailers to process shoppers’ payments; urged the EU to step up efforts to help the steel industry out of the crisis; and awarded the Lux Prize to Polish-Danish film Ida, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski.
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EU diary
18-19 Dec: European Council
1 Jan: Lithuania becomes 19th Member State to adopt euro
5-8 Jan: European Parliament Committee Meetings
9 Jan: Countdown to European Year for Development – 2015
The Week Ahead
Long-term diary
RESOURCES
EU Law Firms
Summaries of EU Legislation
EU Decision-Making
Treaties of the European Union
Key EU Legal Terms
Other news on EUbusiness this week
Daimler makes EUR 600m provision for antitrust probe 18-Dec
Oil price, euro fall spur German business confidence 18-Dec
Uber fights French ban at EU 17-Dec
Bulgaria seeks to fix weak judiciary 17-Dec
WTO to set up panel on Brazil import taxes 17-Dec
EU wasted EUR 38m on ‘ghost airports’ 17-Dec
New car sales slow in Europe in November 16-Dec
EU probes Master Blenders, Mondelez tie-up 15-Dec
EU approves Lafarge-Holcim cement merger 16-Dec
EUbusiness Community
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Press
Banks question impact of new regulation on interchange fees
2015 Commission Work Programme: nice packaging, content still to be discovered
Downward trend in bank robberies continues
EU fisheries ministers fail to end overfishing: Greenpeace
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Jobs
Policy Officer, European Environmental Bureau
Director Language Service, European Patent Office
Communications Assistant, European Centre for Development Policy Management
Experts in EU Energy Policy, COWI Belgium
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Guides
2015 Work Programme
Implementing Act on Equivalence under Regulation (EU) No 575/2013 (CRR)
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Events
14 Jan, Copenhagen: EU-U.S. Innovation Conference
22 Jan, Poland: The Energy Forum
12 May, Copenhagen: European Climate Change Adaptation Conference
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Publications
Pocket guide to EU’s new fish and aquaculture consumer labels
Transatlantic Relations: a European perspective
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Links
Commission Annual Working and Legislative Programme
