Ahead of Brexit Vote: EU Commission To Challenge UK Truck Toll

Published on Spiegel Online International, by Peter Müller in Brussels, April 25, 2016.

The European Commission (its President Jean-Claude Juncker) had hoped not to provide fresh anti-EU ammunition to pro-Brexit voters ahead of Britain’s upcoming referendum. But SPIEGEL has learned that Brussels is planning to launch legal proceedings against the UK over its truck toll.

With just weeks to go before the referendum on whether Great Britain will remain a member of the European Union, the European Commission has threatened legal action against the British government for breaching EU equal treatment laws. Two years ago, the country imposed a toll for large trucks as it simultaneously lowered the vehicle excise duty for British trucks, effectively penalizing foreign trucks driving on Britain’s roads … //

… Commission Rejects German Allegations:

The letter outlines the Commission’s concerns that companies from other EU member states are being discriminated against. During the course of the last year, the letter states, the Commission informed the United Kingdom that it had not provided sufficient proof to allay these concerns and that the Commission was planning to launch legal proceedings after failing to produce results in recent talks with the responsibile British authorities … //

… (full text).

(My question: will UK-voters be impressed by Jean-Claude Juncker’s EU? – Heidi).

Links:

US losing out to Russian wheat exports, on RT, April 25, 2016;

Tax, welfare … and rhetoric, on Herald Scotland, April 24, 2016;

Libéralisme 2017: les électeurs devraient se préparer à la stratégie Macron? dans Soutnik News.fr, le 23 avril 2016;

Cessez de considérer que les Français sont animés de mauvaises intentions, Interview with Marine Le Pen, on Médias PPresse Info, by EMILIE DEFRESNE, 22 AVRIL 2016;

Washington’s Dog-Whistle Diplomacy Supports Attempted Coup in Brazil, on The World Post/Huff Post, by Mark Weisbrot, April 22, 2016;

Uganda: In Seeking Tax Exemptions, MPs Are Adding Insult to Injured Taxpayers, on allAfrica, by Daniel K. Kalinaki, April 21, 2016;

Mitsubishi a aussi manipulé des tests d’émission, dans Le Matin.ch, le 20 avril 2016: AUTOMOBILE — Environ 625’000 véhicules de la marque japonaise seraient touchés par ce nouveau scandale;

Suisse: la démocratie directe que le monde nous envie, dans Mödiapart.fr, par Schindma37, le 20 avril 2016: la démocratie directe suisse fascine les Français, mais elle n’est pas si exemplaire;

Staatsaffäre Böhmermann, diktiert Erdogan Merkels Kurs? HD, 69.47 min, uploaded by MediathekHD, … bei Maischberger vom 20. April 2016 in der ARD;

Ideas for Australia: Welfare reform needs to be about improving well-being, not punishing the poor, on The Conversation, April 20, 2016;

Oil-rich sovereign wealth funds love NYC real estate – but are they running out of cash? on The Real Deal, by Konrad Putzier, April 20, 2016;

Quand la lutte contre Ebola aide celle contre Zika [VIDEO], dans La Tribune de Genève, le 19 avril 2016;

Le Régime Social des Indépendants RSI – mode d’emploi, dans Le Figaro.fr, le 19 avril 2016;

Nuit Debout: la difficile construction du commun, dans philosophie MAG, le 18 avril 2016;

Beyond the Empire of Chaos: Building Ecology into the Economy – Life Capital Value, Base and Measure, on Global Research.ca, by Prof. John McMurtry, April 18, 2016;

Putin über Erdogan auf deutsch, 3.28 min, 3.28 min, uploaded by russland.RU, April 15, 2016;

Jonathan Wilmot on China, Oil, and the U.S. Elections [VIDEO], on The Financialist, by Credit Suisse, April 13, 2016;
(also on YouTube, uploaded by Credit Suisse);

What the Panama Papers Tells Us About Global Capitalism, 12.41 min, uploaded by The Big Picture RT, April 8, 2016 … joined by Economist Dr. Richard Wolff, Democracy At Work …;

Fluchtziel Berlin – die überforderte Hauptstadt doku HD, 43.56 min, uploaded by DokumentarFilme, Feb 16, 2016;

Young China: The Rise of China’s Next-Gen Consumer, on The Financialist, by Credit Suisse, Jan 13, 2016: Young China — those born after 1990 — is one of the most-watched demographic cohorts today, as it will help define China’s transition to a consumption-driven economy. These young consumers are tech-savvy, better educated than previous generations, and more interested than their parents in spending money on leisure …;

… and this:

… und noch dies – uploaded by FrauenPower: