COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION:Conclusions on tackling bottlenecks to investment identified under

6/12/2016

Conclusions on tackling bottlenecks to investment identified under the Third Pillar of the Investment Plan

The Council adopted conclusions taking stock of work aimed at removing barriers to investment.

The Economic Policy Committee has held thematic discussions on the subject, and the conclusions address a number of bottlenecks that have been identified.

The Council called for action at both EU and member state levels. It asked the EPC to undertake further work, drawing on the experience of the European Investment Bank.

In particular, it called on the Commission to take account of investment bottlenecks in its recommendations under the European Semester, the EU's annual policy monitoring process.

It called on the member states to fully implement the investment-related aspects of the 2016 country-specific recommendations.

The EPC's discussions have covered seven themes:
public investment in transport infrastructure;
insolvency frameworks;
best practices with public-private partnerships;
investment in network industries;
price regulations and environmentally harmful subsidies on energy markets;
residential investment in energy efficiency and renewable energies;
investment in digital services.

The work is closely linked to the EU's plan to develop a capital markets union by the end of 2019.

The member states will be responsible for following up information that has been gathered.

6/12/2016 Conclusions on building a fair, competitive and stable corporate tax system for the EU The Council adopted conclusions setting out how it intends to respond to a October 2016 Commission communication on corporate taxation. The communication, on "building a fair, competitive and stable corporate tax system for the EU", accompanied a package of proposals aimed at reforming the manner in which companies are taxed. The Council endorsed the two-step approach proposed by the Commission for a common corporate tax base proposal (CCTB) and the consolidation of taxable corporate income (CCCTB). It supported the view that tax consolidation should be considered without delay once discussion on the elements of a common tax base has been concluded. To enhance tax certainty for businesses, the Council acknowledged the need to review mechanisms for resolving double taxation disputes. The other element of the package concerns 'hybrid mismatches' (disparities) with the tax systems of third countries.

October 2016 corporate tax reform proposals 6/12/2016 | MEETING Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, 08/12/2016 Background brief - Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, 8 December 2016  Συμβούλιο «Γενικές Υποθέσεις», 13/12/2016 Κύρια σημεία της ημερήσιας διάταξης Οι υπουργοί θα περατώσουν τις προετοιμασίες για το Ευρωπαϊκό Συμβούλιο της 15ης Δεκεμβρίου 2016 με τη συζήτηση του σχεδίου συμπερασμάτων. Ευρωπαϊκό Συμβούλιο, 15 Δεκεμβρίου 2016 Το Συμβούλιο θα συζητήσει για τη δέσμη διεύρυνσης του 2016 που υπέβαλε η Επιτροπή τον Νοέμβριο. Θα κληθεί να εγκρίνει συμπεράσματα για τη διεύρυνση και τη Διαδικασία Σταθεροποίησης και Σύνδεσης. Δέσμη μέτρων του 2016 για τη διεύρυνση (Ευρωπαϊκή Επιτροπή) Η σλοβακική Προεδρία θα ενημερώσει τα κράτη μέλη για την πορεία της ενδιάμεσης επανεξέτασης του πολυετούς δημοσιονομικού πλαισίου 2014-2020. Διαμόρφωση των δαπανών της ΕΕ: πολυετές δημοσιονομικό πλαίσιο Οι υπουργοί θα ασχοληθούν με κοινή δήλωση του Συμβουλίου, του Ευρωπαϊκού Κοινοβουλίου και της Επιτροπής για τον διοργανικό προγραμματισμό όπου ορίζονται οι κύριες προτεραιότητες των τριών οργάνων για το 2017. Τέλος, η Επιτροπή θα ενημερώσει το Συμβούλιο για τη δέσμη της ετήσιας επισκόπησης της ανάπτυξης για το 2017, με την οποία αρχίζει το Ευρωπαϊκό Εξάμηνο, ο ετήσιος κύκλος οικονομικής διακυβέρνησης της ΕΕ. Περιέχει δε τις γενικές οικονομικές και κοινωνικές προτεραιότητες της ΕΕ και δίνει στα κράτη μέλη κατευθύνσεις πολιτικής για τα επόμενα έτη. 6/12/2016 Investment plan for Europe: EFSI extension agreed by Council On 6 December 2016, the Council agreed its stance on a proposal to extend the lifespan of the European fund for strategic investments (EFSI), the EU's flagship initiative under its 'investment plan for Europe'. The agreed compromise involves extending the EFSI in terms of both duration and financial capacity, mobilising at least half a trillion euros of investments by 2020. It also introduces a number of operational improvements to take account of lessons learned from the first year of implementation. "Europe is facing many challenges today and the need to boost investment is one of them. We need to play our part”, said Peter Kažimír, Slovak minister for finance and president of the Council. "Today's agreement means that we are delivering on one of our top priorities, in line with the Bratislava roadmap agreed in September. It is also a crucialstep in the right direction", he said. "I am confident that a bigger, smarter and more effective EFSI supported by a well-functioning capital markets union is aright path to take." Talks will start with the European Parliament once the Parliament has agreed its negotiating stance.