An effective solution for taxation of businesses in the digitalised economy should be found at the global level, to prevent further unilateral action and to ensure sustainable growth, investment, tax certainty and fairness, international tax experts and civil society representatives stated at a hearing held by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) on 29 January.
In the event of a deal, the UK should stay aligned with EU laws; for chemicals, the REACH regulation is key. As for the aeronautics industry, agreements on reciprocity in the most important areas should be put in place. The planned transition period is too short, however, and should be extended to at least five years.
At its January plenary session, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted an opinion on the reinforcement of the role of Domestic Advisory Groups (DAGs) in monitoring the implementation of free trade agreements (FTAs) signed by the European Union. DAGs are already responsible for supervising the implementation of FTAs in the areas of sustainable development and labour standards, but the EESC wants to extend this monitoring role to include all aspects of the agreements, including the core trade provisions.
Building a sense of home was the central theme of the annual conference on Social Innovation for Refugee Inclusion (SI4RI), hosted by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in Brussels last week
A new VAT system for taxing trade between Member States must tap its full potential and limit any possible negative effects for the single market, says the European Economic and Social Committee in its recently adopted opinion on a proposal presented by the European Commission. Greater collaboration between national authorities and extensive communication by the Commission will be key to its successful implementation. Clarifications are needed on some proposed concepts and criteria and a common system for goods and services must follow as soon as possible.
Philanthropic activities in Europe have gained in importance and could be used to complement funding in many areas where public support is lacking, an EESC hearing reveals.
The European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) backs the Commission's initiative to create a European industrial, technology and research competence centre for cybersecurity and a network of national coordination centres. The objective is to help the Union develop cybersecurity technological and industrial capacities and increase the competitiveness of the Union's cybersecurity industry.
Participating in the workshop on Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Development at the Closing Conference of the European Year of Cultural Heritage 2018 #EuropeForCulture, organised under the outgoing Austrian presidency in December in Vienna, Tom Jones emphasised that the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) had fully supported the designation of the thematic year and the initiatives around it. He also recalled that public investment must be "rural-proofed", to maximise support to rural creative sectors and local groups working to enhance the infrastructure of our rural heritage.
At the January meeting of the Section for Transport, Energy, Infrastructure and the Information Society (TEN), the members of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) discussed how to tap into the potential of "neurodiversity", which could also help people within these so-called cognitive minorities to integrate socially.
