World news

Top-up taxes: information exchange within EU and other legislative developments

On 6 May 2025, Council Directive (EU) 2025/872 amending Directive 2011/16/EU on administrative cooperation in the field of taxation was published in the EU Official Journal. The directive creates the conditions for the EU-wide filing of single top…

EU amends regulation on additional customs duties on US imports

The EU authorities have published in the Official Journal an amendment to the Regulation on additional customs duties on the imports of certain products originating in the United States of America. This is in response to the excessively high…

Travellers to US facing increased border controls

President Donald Trump's January executive orders signalled that US immigration policy and its approach to arriving foreigners will tighten. The practical consequences have not been long in coming. Travellers must prepare for more thorough checks on…

Simplifying ESG rules: reporting and due diligence

The European Commission has presented the Omnibus I (ESG) and Omnibus II (investment) legislative packages, which aim to simplify ESG reporting rules and reduce the administrative burden for businesses. The initiative is part of a broader effort to…

European Union responds to US tariffs with retaliation

Last month, the US administration led by President Donald Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminium imports from Europe. In response, the European Commission is imposing retaliatory tariffs on a wide range of US goods.

Introduction of digital systems for EU travel delayed

The European Union is working on the introduction of two new digital systems to track and record the travel of foreigners into the Schengen area: the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). These…

Simplified CBAM application rules

The European Commission has presented new packages of legislative proposals (Omnibus I and II) aiming to simplify the current EU environmental rules. This will promote a more business-friendly environment allowing European companies to grow,…

New import tariffs between Europe and US on horizon

The change in the political representation of the United States of America is causing considerable tension in international trade. President Donald Trump wants to impose retaliatory tariffs on imports of goods into the United States, which will…

E-invoicing has green light in Germany

From 1 January 2025, companies established in Germany are obliged to use electronic invoicing for all transactions between local business partners. This makes Germany the first country to introduce e-invoicing under the approved VAT in the Digital…

Czech Republic granted qualified top-up tax status

On 15 January 2025, the OECD published a set of documents on the global minimum tax (Pillar 2). These documents include a record of countries with a qualified top-up tax status, a GloBE Information Return (GIR) form, a model Multilateral Agreement…

UK introduces ETA

The UK continues to digitise its border controls and is introducing ETA, a new electronic travel authorisation system. The system, which is similar to the US’ ESTA, will be mandatory from April 2025 for citizens of the European Union who want to…

Pillar Two: Exchange of information on information returns within EU (DAC 9)

The European Commission is proposing a single framework for exchanging information on top-up tax information returns, which would allow the filing of a single information return within the EU. The proposal includes a single format for information…