On the weekend, G7 members negotiated and settled on an agreement that will allow the introduction of a global minimum corporate tax rate. In essence, the agreement has two pillars: taxation in the country where the company operates, and the minimum baseline. These new rules will hit any company with a profit margin of more […]
Europe’s Climate Continental Divide
The decision by the United States to rejoin the Paris Climate Accords has the rest of the world thinking globally ahead of the Glasgow Climate Change Conference (COP26) scheduled for November. Attending countries will discuss the ongoing process of reduction targets on global carbon dioxide emissions. But a look at the EU shows that in […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP26: ETS shenanigans, Prepared pandemic, and Ag Wars (w/ Benjamin Franke)
ConsEUmer is back with new episodes! This week: 📝 The EU wants to reform the Emissions Trading System (ETS) 🦠 Maria Chaplia presents the Pandemic Preparedness Index 2021 💨 Michael Landl explains how World Vape Day went this year 🚜 More on the Farm to Fork strategy (w/ Benjamin Franke) You can follow the MEP […]
Camera on
My latest article was published on Journal. It can be found HERE. Body cams, dash cams, recorded trials and interrogations – while standard practice in other countries, do not exist in Luxembourg. A few pushes have been made to introduce visual and audio recording to the law enforcement and justice system, but progress has been slow. […]
Sustainability: the European word-battle
The Farm to Fork Strategy of the European Union attempts to foster sustainability in the agricultural sector. While sustainability is a laudable goal in a general sense, it has a wide range of possible meanings and applications. EU institutions have adequately defined the word. It is necessary to establish a clear and precise definition of […]
Who will really pay the “own revenues”?
Ever since the recovery package of the European Union was sent on its way through the institutions in Brussels, everyone knew that the joint debt obligations that the EU took up until 2058 need to be paid back somehow. This is particularly true because now that we’ve opened the slippery slope of taking up EU […]
Parenting, not paternalism, defeats bad diets
The European Union regulates so-called “junk food” advertising, in order to protect children from exposure to harmful content. Its rules target food that are high in energy, saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, sugar and salt. This really translates as a massive distrust in parenting. It undoubtedly sounds terrible when we read the words “advertisements targeting children”. […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP25: Fake smokes, Amazon win, and the Nanny State Index (w/ Chris Snowdon)
The last episode of ConsEUmer before a two-week break. In this week’s episode: 🚬 Fake cigarettes are a threat 📦 Amazon wins appeal in tax case 👶 Chris Snowdon presents the Nanny State Index 2021 You can follow Chris Snowdon @cjsnowdon. May 14, 2021 Follow ConsEUmer wherever you get your podcasts: Apple: https://apple.co/2HR4TLTSpotify: https://spoti.fi/3l3GZdxGoogle podcasts: https://bit.ly/3fyyzto
The case against the EU vaccine passport
In Brussels, the European Commission and Member States have been ironing out the details for the so-called EU “digital green certificate”, a stylish new name for what is essentially an EU vaccine passport. In essence, the scheme is supposed to replace COVID-19 testing whereby travelers are now required to present a negative test upon arrival or […]
ConsEUmer podcast / EP24: Papers please, Fighting obesity, E-scooter Revolution (w/ Yaniv Rivlin)
This week: 💉 How the EU COVID pass will work 🍔 Maria Chaplia talks about her new paper on junk food ad restrictions 🍷 Ireland introduces minimum alcohol pricing 🛴 E-scooters are taking over (w/ Yaniv Rivlin)