Member News

InterExchange wins GoAbroad innovation award for sustainability program in Costa Rica

By Mark Overmann, Vice President of External Affairs | InterExchange Last week in Washington, DC, our new program, Sustainable Action Costa Rica, was named GoAbroad’s best New Program for Study Abroad Innovation! Sustainable Action Costa Rica is an exploration of 21st century development concerns in a local context. Participants learn through visits with local NGOs and group activities, with outdoor adventures along the way. My colleague Tanya Burovtseva and I were thrilled to be on hand at the 2019 NAFSA Conference to proudly...

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Chapter News, News

European Semester 2019 Spring Package: Commission issues recommendations for Member States to advance sustainable and inclusive economic growth

Press Release - June 5, 2019 The European Commission presents today the 2019 country-specific recommendations (CSRs), giving economic policy guidance to all EU Member States for the next 12 to 18 months. The Commission also recommends closing the Excessive Deficit Procedure for Spain and adopts a number of documents under the Stability and Growth Pact.  The European economy is growing for the seventh consecutive year and is set to continue expanding in 2020, with all Member States' economies growing despite less...

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Member News

White House Announces Tariffs Of 5% – 25% On Imports From Mexico

On May 30, 2019, President Trump announced that effective June 10, 2019, all goods imported into the U.S. from Mexico will be subject to an additional duty of 5% ad valorem. This is in addition to the regular duties which are normally applicable to the goods. The President invoked his authority under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act to impose the tariff, stating that the measure was necessary to address the “illegal migration crisis” at the U.S. southern border....

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Member News

EY Europe Attractiveness Survey 2019

By Andy Baldwin, Hanne Jesca Bax & Marc Lhermitte | EY The EY Europe Attractiveness Survey 2019 examines the region’s attractiveness as a foreign direct investment (FDI) destination, bringing priorities for Europe into sharp focus. Our report analyzes the level of foreign investment into Europe and gathers the views of over 500 international business leaders on the most important factors that will improve Europe’s attractiveness for investment prospects. Our findings reveal that, relative to other regions around the world, Western...

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Member News

Toy Association Opposes Administration’s Threat to Impose Tariffs on Goods Imported from Mexico

The Toy Association opposes President Trump’s plan to impose escalating tariffs, starting at 5 percent, on all U.S. imports from Mexico as a retaliation against the country’s immigration enforcement actions. “While Congress and the administration together must act to fix our broken immigration system, a further misuse of tariffs now focused on Mexico is the wrong approach,” said Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of The Toy Association. “As with China Section 301 tariffs, this amounts to nothing more than a tax with...

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Brexit News, Member News

EY UK Attractiveness Survey 2019

By Mark Gregory | Chief Economist, UK | EY   The UK remained the number one destination for foreign direct investment (FDI) in Europe in 2018, ahead of Germany and France, with 1,054 projects, its third-highest number of FDI projects in 20 years. However, this was a 13% drop in FDI projects compared to 2017 (1,205 projects) and according to our survey perceptions of the UK as an FDI destination have weakened. The latest EY UK Attractiveness Survey, which launches today, shows that...

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Chapter News, News, Uncategorized

Minimum wages have increased across Europe, but will low-wage workers feel the difference?

Publication by Eurofound, June 4, 2019 There have been wage increases for minimum and low-wage earners in most EU Member States, with rises in statutory minimum wages in almost all countries since January 2018; including significant increases in Lithuania, Spain, Greece and low-wage newer Member States. While these increases are welcomed as good news for minimum wage workers, Eurofound’s research shows workers may not automatically feel the positive impacts of these changes in terms of income and reductions in wage...

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Chapter News, News

Eurostat: Euro area annual inflation down to 1.2%, unemployment at 7.6%

June 4, 2019 Euro area (EA19) annual inflation is expected to be 1.2% in May 2019, down from 1.7% in April according to a flash estimate from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. Looking at the main components of euro area inflation, energy is expected to have the highest annual rate in May (3.8%, compared with 5.3% in April), followed by food, alcohol & tobacco (1.6%, compared with 1.5% in April), services (1.1%, compared with 1.9% in April) and...

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Member News

First Belgian GDPR fine

By Stephanie De Smedt | Loyens & Loeff On 28 May 2019, the Data Protection Authority (DPA) imposed its first administrative fine under the GDPR . A mayor was fined 2,000 EUR for misusing personal data for electoral campaign purposes. The DPA noted that while the fine is modest, the message is not: all data controllers must take their responsibility, most certainly those who hold a public mandate. The case: sending of personalized e-mail by a government representative The DPA received a...

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Chapter News, News

OECD: International community agrees on a road map for resolving the tax challenges arising from digitalisation of the economy

May, 31, 2019 The international community has agreed on a road map for resolving the tax challenges arising from the digitalisation of the economy, and committed to continue working toward a consensus-based long-term solution by the end of 2020, the OECD announced today. The 129 members of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) adopted a Programme of Work laying out a process for reaching a new global agreement for taxing multinational enterprises. The document, which calls for...

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