The European Commission named and shamed seven EU Member States for facilitating tax avoidance on Wednesday. The European Semester country reports published on Wednesday signaled Belgium, Cyprus, Hungary, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta and the Netherlands. Country reports underscored so-called “tax planning schemes,” that is, a byword for tax-avoidance. The European Commission also released a study that clearly delineates the criteria for the evaluation of member state tax policies. Source: New Europe
China is proposing that it could buy an additional $30 billion a year of U.S. agricultural products including soybeans, corn and wheat as part of a possible trade deal being negotiated by the two countries, according to people with knowledge of the plan. Source: Bloomberg
The EU has announced an additional €30 million in humanitarian assistance. Another €20 million in development funding will contribute to the reconstruction of the country’s cultural heritage. Source: European Commission
Spain’s Socialist government announced a 47 billion euro ($53 billion) public investment plan on Wednesday to tackle climate change over 10 years, which would be partly financed by issuing green bonds. Source: Reuters
