Europe Development News |
EU Approves New Tariff Scheme For Developing Countries
The Council of the European Union has adopted a regulation amending the EU's scheme of generalised tariff preferences (GSP) for developing countries, following an agreement with the European Parliament. The changes fall into five main areas: country coverage; preference margins and product coverage; product graduation; "GSP+" and special safeguards. The new preferences are due to apply as of 1 January 2014.
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Credit: Carl Montgomery |
European Development Days, 2012
The European Development Days saw thousands of development advocates, decision-makers and practitioners in Brussels. The three main themes this year were food security, private sector development and inclusive growth. EU Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs, announced the results of a survey indicating broad European support for development aid, despite the economic crisis, which he used to defend aid spending.
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Human Trafficking To UK From Developing Countries Rising
A report published by the UK Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on human trafficking has found that 946 potential victims of human trafficking were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) last year, the Guardian reports. This is 236 more than in 2010. The report said that organised criminal gangs in countries including China, Nigeria, Vietnam, Slovakia and Romania now pose the greatest threat to the UK, where they exploit their victims for sex, labour and domestic slavery.
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11 Eurozone States To Go Ahead With Financial Transaction Tax
Eleven Eurozone countries agreed this week to press ahead with a tax on financial transactions, Euractiv reports. There is little agreement on how the money should be spent, but the UN hopes to receive $71 billion a year for international development. The initiative, pushed hard by Germany and France but strongly opposed by Britain and Sweden, gained momentum at a European Union Finance ministers' meeting in Luxembourg, when more than the required nine states agreed to use a treaty provision to launch the tax.
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Credit: DebatingEurope.com
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Germany Pledges €272m For Development Projects In Vietnam
The German Secretary of State at the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Hans-Jürgen Beerfeltz, travelled to Vietnam this week to sign an agreement on continued cooperation. The deal included a pledge of €272 million in German financial assistance. The funding will be channelled to seven joint projects in the areas of education, environmental protection and energy efficiency. |
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