Chapter News

Malmström and Froman discussed TTIP progress, next round

Today, EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström met with US Trade Representative Michael Froman in Brussels to take stock of the ongoing negotiations on a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP). After the meeting, Malmström and Froman made the following statement: "We had a good meeting where we reviewed the substantial progress being made and discussed next steps for moving forward. We have directed our teams to make as much progress as possible during the next round, scheduled for the week of...

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Member News

Tax Alert – Dutch Government presents the 2017 Budget

On 20 September 2016, the Dutch government presented the 2017 Budget.  As part thereof legislative proposals were submitted to Dutch Parliament on the amendment of certain tax laws in the Netherlands. Below, we will summarize some of the rules which are relevant for internationally oriented corporate taxpayers, that will apply as from 1 January 2017. Please note that the summary is based on the current version of the legislative proposal which is still subject to parliamentary approval.   In addition to...

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Member News

OECD: Belgium Has Third Best Education System

Education in Belgium ranks third-best among the 35 OECD countries, well above the EU and world averages, with the highest level of pre-school participation, good teachers and a broad and flexible higher education system. The ranking is based on a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Belgium is one of only six countries in the EU to meet the benchmark level performance on at least seven out of 10 targets set by the OECD and measured...

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Member News

2016 State CIO Survey: The Adaptable State CIO

NASCIO, Grant Thornton LLP and CompTIA have collaborated for a seventh consecutive year to survey state government IT leaders on current issues, trends and perspectives. New service delivery models, innovative technology solutions, and rising customer expectations all require state CIOs to adapt continually to changing circumstances. We asked state CIOs to share their perspective on a number of topics, with a particular focus on the continued evolution of the CIO as a broker of shared services, on the IT workforce...

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Member News

This is progress by Barack Obama

Over the past eight years, we've made incredible progress in our economic recovery. Our businesses have created more than 15 million new jobs since early 2010. Twenty million people now have the security of health coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act. Together, we've turned around an economy in freefall and put it on a stronger, more durable course. And last week, we got even more great news: the policies we've put in place since the recession have started to pay...

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Chapter News

At Forum, Ban stresses key role of business in securing way forward on Global Goals

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today underscored the crucial role businesses play in the realization of Global Goals, or Sustainable Development Goals, adopted a year ago by 193 countries. “Solutions will involve everything from regulation to disruptive innovation – and everyone from world leaders and chief executives, to educators, activists and citizens,” Mr. Ban told the UN Private Sector Forum, which was held on the margins of the high-level segment of the General Assembly’s 71st session, which kicked off today. The...

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Chapter News

Speech by Federica Mogherini at the Roundtable 5 on Global Compact at the United Nations

Speech by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini at the Roundtable 5 on Global compact for safe, regular and orderly migration - towards realizing the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development and achieving full respect for the human rights of migrants at the UN Migration Summit Check against delivery! There is one word that we have abused, in Europe, when talking about migration and refugees: the word is “crisis”. Yes, it is true that we have faced the greatest flow of refugees since World...

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Member News

Business Starts Opening up to Open Data

The drive to make data open—free to use, reuse, and redistribute—is not new, but it’s changing by finding new potential business applications as data technology evolves. Companies are finding that making their data open enables complementary businesses to develop around that information. That openness to other businesses can enhance companies’ own businesses and increase overall transparency. Recent growth in the power of data manipulation, visualization, and storage technologies continues to transform the whole concept of open data, spurring business...

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Chapter News

A new way of communicating statistics – A digital publication to shed light on energy in the European Union

Lighting, heating, moving, producing: energy is essential for our day-to-day life. Turning on our computers or starting our cars are actions that we take for granted, yet they represent the final stage of a complex process, from extraction to final consumption. For example crude oil is transformed into motor gasoline, while fossil, nuclear and renewable energy are transformed into electricity. Full text available on EUROSTAT website Compliments of the European Commission

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Chapter News

On this day 40 years ago: signing of the act to make direct European elections possible

Over the course of its existence, the European Parliament has transformed itself from an assembly with limited powers to a decision-making body directly shaping EU policies. It has been a long road, but one of the milestones was 20 September 1976, when ministers signed rules allowing direct European elections. The elections, held about three years later, gave new democratic legitimacy to the Parliament and allowed MEPs to seek more powers in shaping European policies. The act concerning the election of...

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