Latest blog articles

  • After the initial relief that followed upon reaching a Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the European Union and the United Kingdom on Christmas Eve, we slowly see how this treaty is going to affect the tax domain. In this blog I will briefly focus on the area of fiscal state aid, i.e. the...

  • brexit_LBM

    Getting serious

    The dreaded “No Deal” is becoming ever-more plausible

    With the summer holidays about to end, Brexit negotiations between the European Union and United Kingdom will resume in earnest. The question on everyone’s mind is simple: Will there be a deal or will the United Kingdom leave the European Union...

  • The increased flow of asylum applicants and migrants to the EU in recent years has not only put considerable pressure on the reception systems of Member States, but at the same time raises challenges regarding the integration of newcomers at the national and local level.

  • As you may remember: in April 2016 the majority of the voters voted 'no' against the ratification act of this association agreement. According to the referendum a legislative proposal is needed as soon as possible in which the effects of the referendum will be arranged. (Dutch only)

  • The Maastricht Treaty marked the first step towards the establishment of the European Union (EU) as we know it today, after the Lisbon Treaty.

  • It was even featured on Dutch television: the State of the Union by Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Commission on 14 September 2016... This blog is only available in Dutch. 

  • The CETA trade agreement between the EU and Canada is, according to the initial judgment by the Commission, a treaty that fits within the exclusive jurisdiction of the EU (trade!) and can be made by the EU after approval from the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers... This blog is only...

  • The EU is negotiating trade agreements in secret because orthodoxy, mysticism and a wishful thinking-based approach to policymaking have returned to power in Europe.

  • In a short memo, published on 22 March, the Dutch Liberal Party (VVD) expressed its view on how to handle the increasing number of asylum claims in the Netherlands, and more broadly in the EU, as well as the continuously tragic events concerning refugees that occur at the external borders of the EU...

  • On March 9, the European Commission has presented the 2015 Justice Scoreboard, an information tool that monitors national justice systems developed and managed by DG Justice. This year marked the third edition of the Scoreboard, which was created in 2013 with the aim to assist EU institutions and...