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Trade Deficit Narrows In Year-On-Year Comparison
Malta's largest registered increase in imports came from the UK, while its largest increase in exports was directed towards the USA.
A trade deficit of €234.2 million for international trade in goods was registered according to provisional figures released by Malta's National Statistics Office (NSO) for April 2019. A trade deficit for the same period last year, April 2018, stood at €268.9 million.
Karins: Latvia has taken an important step in the fight against money laundering
Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš welcomes the adoption by the Saeima of a package of laws for the "capital repairs" of financial sector supervision, pointing out that Latvia has taken an important step in the fight against money laundering.
Data Protection Regulation one year on: 73% of Europeans have heard of at least one of their rights
Today, at the occasion of a stock-taking event to mark the first year of application of the EU General Data Protection Regulation, the European Commission is publishing the results of a special Eurobarometer survey on data protection.
‘No-deal' Brexit: European Commission takes stock of preparations ahead of the June European Council (Article 50)
Ahead of the June European Council (Article 50), the European Commission has today taken stock – in its fifth Brexit Preparedness Communication – of the European Union's Brexit preparedness and contingency measures, particularly in light of the decision taken on 11 April by the European Council (Article 50), at the request of and in agreement with the United Kingdom, t
Banking Union: Non-performing loans in the EU continue to decline
Efforts to reduce risks in the EU banking sector are bearing fruit, according to new figures released by the European Commission today.
Deepening Europe's Economic and Monetary Union: Commission takes stock of progress
Ahead of the Euro Summit on 21 June 2019, the European Commission today takes stock of the progress made to deepen Europe's Economic and Monetary Union since the Five Presidents' Report and calls on Member States to take further concrete steps.
EU reporting on sustainability and UN Sustainable Development Goals still lacking, warn Auditors
Despite the EU’s commitment to sustainability and the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the European Commission does not report on or monitor how the EU budget and policies contribute to sustainable development and achieving the SDGs, according to a new review by the European Court of Auditors. The building blocks for meaningful sustainability reporting at EU level are largely not yet in place, say the auditors.
Eurojust supports 18 restrictive measures against tax fraud
Eurojust helped the Italian national authorities to crack down on an organised crime group involved in large-scale tax fraud and other financial crimes. 17 people were placed under restrictive measures in Italy and 1 was arrested in the UK through the execution of a European Arrest Warrant. The estimated damage, caused by tax evasion and other criminal activities, amounts to over €80 million.
New rules and guarantees in criminal proceedings now apply across the EU
Today, the directive on special safeguards for children starts to apply. It is the last in a set of six EU directives guaranteeing procedural rights for people across the EU, completing the full set of rights.
So far in 2019, applications for asylum in the EU+ are 15 % higher than last year, especially for Turkish and Venezuelan nationals
Fewer applications in April for the 10 main citizenships of origin, except for Turkish nationals.
Mergers: Commission prohibits proposed merger between Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp
The European Commission has prohibited the creation of a joint venture by Tata Steel and ThyssenKrupp under the EU Merger Regulation. The merger would have reduced competition and increased prices for different types of steel. The parties did not offer adequate remedies to address these concerns.
Migration policy: Council agrees partial negotiating position on return directive
The EU is working to make the rules for returning irregular migrants more effective. Today the Council agreed on a partial negotiating position on the revised return directive. This position covers all aspects of the proposed revision apart from the provisions on the border procedure for returns. This is because the scope of this procedure is defined by the Asylum Procedure Regulation, which is currently under discussion.
EIOPA re-consults on new amendments to technical standards on the mapping of ECAIs
In October 2018 the Joint Committee of the three European Supervisory Authorities (EBA, EIOPA and ESMA - ESAs) launched a public consultation to amend the Implementing Regulations on the mapping of credit assessments of External Credit Assessment Institutions (ECAIs) for credit risk.
ESAs urge the European Commission to clarify the scope of the PRIIPs Regulation
the application of the scope of the Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products Regulation 1286/2014 (PRIIPs Regulation).
Over 85% of European bathing sites rated as excellent for water quality
Just over 85% of bathing water sites across Europe monitored last year met the European Union's highest ‘excellent' and most stringent quality standards for water cleanliness, according to the latest annual European bathing water quality report. The results published today give a good indication of where the best quality bathing waters are likely to be found this summer.
Taxation: Commission refers Austria to the Court for its failure to align with EU VAT rules for travel agents
The Commission decided today to refer Austria to the Court of Justice of the EU for not applying special VAT rules for travel agents correctly.
The special VAT scheme for travel agents means that VAT should be applied only on the margins made from sales of travel services to consumers. In return, however, travel agents cannot deduct VAT they pay while buying services from other businesses.
Taxation: Commission refers Spain to the Court for imposing disproportionate sanctions for failure to report assets held abroad
The Commission decided today to refer SPAIN to the Court of Justice of the EU for imposing disproportionate penalties on Spanish taxpayers for the failure to report assets held in other EU and EEA States ("Modelo 720").
LIQUIGAS MALTA JOINS #LPGDAY
Liquigas Malta CEO Dr Roberto Capelluto stressed that AutoLiquigas is a safer fuel alternative with less emissions than traditional fuels.
Liquigas Malta is celebrating this day by promoting and encouraging car conversions from petrol to LPG through an offer of €200 worth of LPG fuel vouchers for all cars installing a certified LPG conversion kit by 31st October 2019. This is beyond the Government incentive scheme of €200 for each conversion.
Great question of our survival is whether we are planning a Hungarian future for our children or not
The question of our survival is not what kind of border stones will be hurled in our way, but whether we are planning a Hungarian future for our children as well, Minister of State for Nation Policy Árpád János Potápi said at the commemoration held at Kossuth tér in Budapest on the occasion of the Day of National Cohesion.
DiscoverEU: 20,000 more young people get the chance to explore Europe
Almost 95,000 young people applied in the third round of this new EU initiative for youth. Around 20,000 18-year-old Europeans have now been selected to receive a DiscoverEU travel pass. They will be able to travel between 1 August 2019 and 31 January 2020 for up to 30 days.
Producing energy from renewable sources is cheaper
The Minister of the Environment and Energy Transition, Matos Fernandes, presided over the presentation of an EDP project to invest 3.5 million euros in a floating photovoltaic power plant on the waters of the Alqueva reservoir. The project was presented in Penacova.
2019 U-Multirank university ranking: European universities performing well
The sixth and largest-ever edition of the U-Multirank university ranking, scoring more than 1,700 universities from 96 countries, has been published today. Every year, U-Multirank compares higher education institutions' performance in areas that matter most to students. A mapshowing the universities with top overall performance is a new feature U-Multirank has added in this year's edition.
Collector Bank to lend SEK 1 billion to Swedish SMEs with Juncker Plan support
The European Investment Fund has signed a guarantee agreement worth SEK 1 billion (around €94 million) under the EU's COSME programme with Collector Bank to support its lending to SMEs in Sweden. The deal is backed by the European Fund for Strategic Investments, the heart of the Juncker Plan. The agreement allows Collector Bank to offer loans to start-ups and small businesses at favourable terms, for example, without collateral requirements.
Super week of international startup events in Helsinki in June
Helsinki is at the core of innovative European startup entrepreneurship on 3–6 June, when four large investor and startup events are arranged in the City: EBAN Helsinki 2019, Cleantech Venture Day, Arctic15 and Helsinki Startup Day. The events strengthen Helsinki’s position in the global startup ecosystem and bring together thousands of startup company actors, more than 600 international investors and plenty of representatives of the media in the City.