The country is in the top ten for variables like bandwidth speed and use of robots in education and R&D. Spain has climbed three places in the World Digital Competitiveness Ranking 2024, the global digital competitiveness ranking compiled by the World Competitiveness Centre (WCC) at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD), based in Switzerland. It thus regained the 28th position it occupied in 2022 out of a total of 67 countries, and obtained a score of 70.86 out of 100. The...

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European Parliament approves von der Leyen’s College of Commissioners On Wednesday, 27 November, MEPs gathered for the European Parliament Plenary on the new College of Commissioners and its programme, to vote on the approval of the new college. The session began with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s speech thanking the outgoing College and sharing an outline of the plan for the new College. Von der Leyen announced her plan for a Competitive Compass, built on the three pillars of...

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Executive Summary In 2020, TABS conducted its DVITUS (Dutch Ventures in the United States) research, examining the experiences and challenges of Dutch companies expanding to the U.S. This study concluded that while success in the U.S. could be achieved relatively quickly, investment and preparation are crucial due to increasing complexities in international business. TABS performed another research study. This time broadening the scope to include companies from Belgium and Luxembourg. This was done in collaboration with Belcham and Luxembourg Trade and...

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Key Takeaways from the Executive Vice-President Hearings The second, and final round of confirmation hearings for the next College of Commissioners took place on Tuesday (12 November). The six Executive Vice-President Hearings are as follows: Kaja Kallas, Executive Vice-President for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy: Kallas pledged to work on strengthening the EU’s position in the world and safeguarding its geopolitical and economic security. Kallas has called on the EU to respond to outside threats “without losing who we are”. Raffaele Fitto, Executive Vice-President...

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With the festive season upon us, UK retailers are preparing to hold their ground over the Christmas period. The legacy of inflation still lingers, with the impact of previous price spikes continuing to strain consumer confidence despite inflation rates returning to more stable levels this year.  Last month's Budget compounded these challenges, announcing larger-than-expected increases to the National Living Wage and National Insurance Contributions, bringing particularly difficult news for retail, a sector relying heavily on part-time and lower-income workers.   AlixPartners’ UK Retail...

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More than three years after the first transaction of our NextGenerationEU (NGEU) Green Bonds, the EU has issued more than €65 billion of NGEU Green Bonds, setting the EU on track to becoming the largest issuer of Green Bonds in the world. In line with the announcement of President von der Leyen in her State of the Union address of 2020, the European Commission will continue to work towards issuing 30% of the NextGenerationEU financing through Green Bonds. NGEU Green Bonds are...

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What is green finance, why is it needed and what are the challenges? There is no single definition of green finance in the UK. Instead, it describes financing which relates to, or benefits, the environment in some way. Typically, it is used in broadly two ways. Firstly, it can refer to financing that pays for goods or services that improve environmental outcomes. For example, financing an electric vehicle or solar panels on a house. Secondly, it can be financing where the financing...

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By Joseph Leocata | The IRS recently launched a new unit committed to enforcing U.S. tax laws among pass-through entities, such as S corporations, partnerships and trusts, whose income passes from the business to its owner’s individual tax returns where taxes are due at the owners’ marginal income tax rates. The move is part of the agency’s broader focus on expanding tax compliance among big businesses, complex partnerships and high-net-worth individuals with more than $400,000 in annual income. With...

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