Imports to Ireland from Great Britain slumped in March, as Brexit continued to impact business between the two countries, Bloomberg News reported. Goods imports from Great Britain, which does not include Northern Ireland, fell 31% in March compared to a year ago to 992 million euros ($1.2 billion), Ireland’s statistics office said in a statement, continuing a trend since the U.K. left the EU. Goods imports dropped 48% in the first three months of the year. Exports to Great Britain from Ireland increased 13% during March compared to a year ago.
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Resources Per Country
- Albania
- Austria
- Belarus
- Belgium
- Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Gibraltar
- Greece
- Guernsey
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Isle of Man
- Italy
- Jersey
- Kosovo
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Macedonia
- Malta
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Romania
- Russia
- San Marino
- Serbia
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- Vatican City
French retailer Carrefour SA recently began its first share buyback in a decade, spurred by strong cash flow and a belief that the economic recovery is under way. And it isn’t alone, the Wall Street Journal reported. This year has seen a slew of companies in Europe putting forward share repurchase programs, including luxury house LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE, personal care company L’Oréal SA and oil major Eni SpA.
The Council of the EU is questioning the demands of the U.S. on countries to roll back national "unilateral" tech taxes once a global levy on multinational companies is agreed on, according to a document obtained by POLITICO. The pushback comes in the form of an internal Council document that the Portuguese EU presidency has prepared for a technical meeting on Friday among tax officials.
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A consortium of Indian banks led by the State Bank of India (SBI) on Tuesday moved a step closer in their attempt to recover debt from loans paid out to Vijay Mallya's now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines after the High Court in London upheld an application to amend their bankruptcy petition, in favour of waiving their security over the embattled businessman's assets in India, the Tribune of India reported.
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The European Commission wants to propose in 2023 a more unified way of taxing companies in the European Union, hoping that such rules, which have failed to win support in the past, will stand a better chance if they follow global OECD solutions expected this year, Reuters reported. The Commission will present a plan on Tuesday including this proposal and other measures for adjusting the EU's business taxation to make it more up to date with the modern world, where cross-border business, often carried out via the Internet, is commonplace.
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Russia's largest standalone oil processing plant, the Antipinsky oil refinery, was sold on Tuesday for almost 111 billion roubles ($1.50 billion) as part of bankruptcy proceedings, an online sale platform showed, Reuters reported. The online platform showed that a company called Rusinvest completed the purchase of the plant located in West Siberia. Most of Russia's oil refineries are controlled by big oil companies, such as Rosneft and Lukoil.
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Britain's unemployment rate fell again to 4.8% between January and March, when the country was under a tight lockdown, and hiring rose further in April, according to data that showed employers gearing up for the easing of curbs, Reuters reported. Economists polled by Reuters had expected the rate to hold at 4.9%, and the reading added to signs that the labour market will escape the severe hit feared at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, thanks mostly to government jobs subsidies.
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Ireland will increase a tax on the bulk buying of homes, amid growing outrage over investment funds hoovering up real estate and squeezing out first-time buyers, Bloomberg News reported. The government will raise stamp duty to 10% on purchases of 10 or more residential houses, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said late on Tuesday in Dublin. The current levy is 1% on homes of below 1 million euros ($1.2 million) and 2% above that level. The increased tax will apply to bulk purchases as well as the acquisition of 10 or more units over a year, though not to apartment blocks.
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Lufthansa said on Tuesday that it was seeing a surge in demand for flights to the United States and to European destinations following a loosening of German travel restrictions as coronavirus case numbers decline, Reuters reported. Demand for summer flights to New York, Miami and Los Angeles has increased by up to 300%, the German airline group said, adding it would lay on extra flights from June and has restarted services to Orlando and Atlanta.
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While Norwegian Air is focusing on a massive restructuring process, attempts to raise new capital, and emerge from bankruptcy in Ireland and Norway, the airline’s employees in France, who were left jobless and uncompensated, are taking legal action to push the air carrier’s subsidiary Norwegian Air Resources France into liquidation, AeroTime reported.