Brussels briefing
The Danish government is under fire for cutting the beer tax by 15% to raise more taxes, add to growth and stop people shopping across the border in cheaper Germany.
But the European Alcohol Policy Alliance says they should increase tax as the consequences of more drinking is devastating where already 25% of male deaths between 15-29 years are due to alcohol.
They point out that when Finland cut its very high tax rate by a third in 2004, consumption increased by 10% and alcohol related deaths by 23% which was 207 lives lost.
Rather than competing on lower taxes, the EU needs to agree uniform rates and adjust the excise duty for inflation as the last time they were changed was 21 years ago and they have lost a third in value through inflation.
One of the few criticisms of the Irish presidency is that they failed to put equality on the agenda during their six month term.
Five years ago this month, the European Commission proposed a law to ensure equality irrespective of gender, sexual bias, disability, religion and age when it came to goods and services from education and housing to health.
EU legislation protects against discrimination in employment, but not in everyday living with some of the highest levels of discrimination in the private sector, in bars and shops, in renting accommodation or opening a bank account.
The European Network Against Racism says new rules are urgently needed with social protections being dismantled and growing intolerance against minorities and decline in human rights concerns.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the far right French National Front, had her parliamentary immunity lifted by the European Parliament during its Strasbourg session.
Le Pen, below, can now be prosecuted for allegations of “race hate” when she compared Muslims in France to the Nazi invasion during the Second World War during a speech she made in Lyon in December 2010.
SMALL VICTORY: MEPs had a small breakthrough that could hasten a real fiscal union within the eurozone with an expert group to explore the possibility of joint debt issuance through a redemption fund and eurobills.
The expert group of 11 announced by Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso, above, will be chaired by a former member of the executive board of the ECB, Ms Gertrude Tumpel-Gugerell, and they will consider the merits and risks, legal requirements and financial consequences of such a move.
At the moment Germany is still raising money at close to zero cost while other economies are paying dearly for borrowings. But if the eurozone economies went to the market as one, costs would come down — but Germany fears it may pay more under such an arrangement.
2013 European Year of Citizens was launched with great fanfare as an answer to accusations that the EU was remote from the people.
Member states, however, have ensured that the various programmes to link citizens across borders of the EU will be struggling for survival over the next seven years with their budget slashed by a quarter.
Nearly 100 European and national Non-Governmental Organisations joined forces to call for a properly funded Europe for Citizens’ programme, including civil society networks, citizens’ events, town twinning projects and remembrance initiatives.
Máiréad McGuinness had a starring role in the closing debate on Ireland’s presidency in the European Parliament addressed by Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
She noted to those present that she had moved from the back rows of the Parliament floor to the second front bench, thanks to her recent election as a vice-president of the largest political group, the European People’s Party.
The MEP was name-checked by both the Taoiseach and Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso for her advice that what was needed was slow, calm deliberate steps in turning around the EU’s economy.
Caravans and trailers will need their own number plate from 2016 under new legislation voted by the European Parliament, and some, together with motorbikes, will need to be tested regularly for safety features.
The new rules represent EU bureaucracy gone bonkers according to Fine Gael MEP Jim Higgins.
“This is a burden for ordinary people which will do very little to improve road safety. I want a proper study carried out before we implement these new laws,” he told the parliament.
However he was very happy that there will be a central digital database of all vehicles registered in the EU.
This will protect consumers who will be able to get a clearer idea of the history of any vehicle they may be using or buying, wherever they are in the EU.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
