Eleven states to move on single EU patent

EUobserver.com reports that France, Germany, the UK and eight other countries will go ahead and implement a single EU patent aimed at lowering costs across the bloc to protect inventions, after talks with Italy and Spain over translation rights foundered.
Hailing it as "the cherry on top of the Belgian EU presidency cake," Vincent Van Quickenborne, Belgian acting minister for entrepreneurship and simplification said the move was "an important step for EU integration."

Not integrated in the deal, however, are Spain and Italy, who pressed to have their own languages recognised as well, not just English, French and German as the current decision entails.

Read more here: http://euobserver.com/9/31479/?rk=1

Turkey to sue US diplomats over Wikileaks claims

Euractiv.com repoprts that contrary to other European leaders who downplayed the importance of sometimes unflattering reports about them in the US diplomatic cables revealed by Wikileaks, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said he was working on legal action against claims that he owned eight secret Swiss bank accounts.

Read the full article here: http://www.euractiv.com/en/pa/turkey-sue-us-diplomats-over-wikileaks-claims-news-500211

EU scraps bank secrecy to catch cross-border tax evaders

EUobserver.com reports that EU finance ministers on Tuesday (7 December) agreed to remove bank secrecy as a reason for blocking cross-border tax fraud investigations, in a bid to find fresh resources for cash-strapped state coffers.


"Tax evaders can no longer exploit bank secrecy as an excuse," EU taxation commissioner Algirdas Semeta said after the meeting.

Targeted is all "income from employment, directors' fees, dividends, capital gains, royalties, certain life insurance products, pensions, and ownership of and income from immovable property." The new rules will apply from 1 January next year, but they will not be retroactive.


Read the full article here: http://euobserver.com/9/31455/?rk=1