Free Republic

Apple won its court fight over a record 13 billion-euro ($14.9 billion) Irish tax grab in a crushing blow to European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager’s crackdown on preferential fiscal deals for companies. Stephanie Bodoni and Aoife White for Bloomberg: Apple EU tax. Image: Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition While the EU General Court’s ruling can still be appealed, judges delivered a stinging attack on the European Commission for failing to show “to the requisite legal standard” that Ireland’s tax deal broke state-aid law by giving Apple an unfair advantage.. “The commission’s intent seemed to be a political one:...

Germany has a problem. For years, politicians and security chiefs rejected the notion of any far-right infiltration of the security services, speaking only of “individual cases.” The idea of networks was dismissed. The superiors of those exposed as extremists were protected. Guns and ammunition disappeared from military stockpiles with no real investigation. The government is now waking up. Cases of far-right extremists in the military and the police, some hoarding weapons and explosives, have multiplied alarmingly. The nation’s top intelligence officials and senior military commanders are moving to confront an issue that has become too dangerous to ignore. The problem...

German is coming. English may be the European Union’s lingua franca, but listen carefully in the corridors of power and you’ll find the language of Goethe and Schiller is on the rise. German is gaining ground among the EU’s three official working languages as Berlin prepares to take on the bloc’s presidency next month. That’s not least because native speakers occupy top positions, including Ursula von der Leyen at the Spitze of the European Commission. Those in the Brussels bubble are taking note. The Goethe Institute, Germany’s state-funded cultural outpost, told POLITICO it saw a five-fold increase in demand for...

The Eurozone economy will fall into a deeper recession this year than initially thought, and the recovery in 2021 will be less robust, according to an updated economic forecast released by the European Commission on Tuesday. The revised forecast predicts the economy of the 19 nations that use the euro will shrink 8.7% in 2020 before recovering by 6.1% next year. For the 27 countries that comprise the EU, a downturn of 8.3% is expected in 2020, before growing 5.8% in 2021. This means that in 2021 Europe will still be worse off than before the global outbreak of COVID-19...

“Trust in Trump’s America is gone.” The coronavirus crisis has caused a dramatic deterioration in the European public perception of the US and left many believing the EU had become “irrelevant”, new polling finds. The new survey by the European Council for Foreign Relations (ECFR) says the pandemic has traumatized Europeans and left them “feeling alone and vulnerable”. The survey studied the views of Europeans towards the EU and notably its response to the coronavirus crisis and the results did not make for positive reading. “There is a powerful sense among citizens of almost all surveyed member states that their...

Germany called on Israel not to annex the West Bank on Wednesday, saying the plans were “in contradiction with international law.” The motion was brought in the Bundestag by the three parties in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s broad coalition and was approved without opposing votes. All parliamentary groups, aside from the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, warned that Israel’s plans to annex parts of the West Bank would jeopardize Israel’s security and hopes of a two-state solution. Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the plan threatened the stability of the entire Middle East. “Peace cannot be achieved by unilateral steps,” Maas...

“Nothing will stop” Nord Stream 2, Russia has said, after new US sanctions on a pipeline that is seeing the EU side with Russia against its transatlantic ally. “Our view remains the same: nothing will stop the finalization of Nord Stream 2 [NS2]. And we leave to Germany and other EU member states to pass judgment on such US measures,” Russia’s ambassador to the EU, Vladimir Chizhov, told EUobserver on Monday (29 June). The Russian-owned firm building the pipe from Russia to Germany, the Nord Stream 2 consortium in Switzerland, was equally bullish. “Our shareholder and the five financial investors...

The European Union on Tuesday extended a ban on travelers from the United States and most other countries beyond July 1, citing epidemiological factors for the decision. Over the past month, the US has seen its number of cases steadily rise after most states eased lockdown measures. A lack of interstate coordination and an uneven response from the federal government has contributed to several new outbreaks across the country. Other countries whose travel restrictions were extended include Brazil, Russia and India, which have seen their number of positive cases surge in recent weeks. The US, Brazil, Russia and India are...

Twitter video French socialist President standing up for France and French culture and history.

Angela Merkel announced Britain will have to “live with the consequences” of a distant relationship with the European Union in the event of a no-deal exit. Unlike his predecessor Theresa May, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has scrapped the idea of maintaining close economic ties with the EU after the Brexit transition period ends on December 31. The UK recently rejected a EU deal surrounding environmental and consumer protections and workplace rights, and Mrs. Merkel has now hardened her stance as Germany prepares to take over the rotating presidency of the EU. The German chancellor told the media on Friday:...

American travelers look set to be denied entry to the EU when the bloc reopens its borders on July 1st, according to reports, while those from Australia and New Zealand will likely to be allowed to return. Europe will reopen its external borders on July 1st but American tourists may not be allowed to travel because the US is still considered a risk due to the high number of COVID-19 cases.Hard-hit countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Russia and India are also facing a continued travel ban. EU officials are reportedly frantically drawing up a list of countries whose nationals will...

A group of Republican lawmakers in the House of Representatives urged President Donald Trump on Tuesday to reconsider his decision to cut the number of U.S. troops in Germany, saying their presence is the backbone of NATO’s deterrent against Russian aggression. The six lawmakers led by House Foreign Affairs Committee senior Republican Michael McCaul said in a letter that the U.S. military footprint in Germany served Washington’s strategic interests beyond Europe and into the Middle East and Africa, which have seen the growing influence of Russia and China. […] The lawmakers also warned that Moscow and Beijing sought to sow...

The European Parliament voted Friday to declare that "Black Lives Matter" and to denounce racism and white supremacism in all its forms. The resolution has no legal consequences but sends a signal of support to anti-racism protesters, and it follows a UN call for a probe into police brutality and "systemic racism." And, one day before President Donald Trump is to hold a rally in Tulsa, a city that saw one of the worst racist massacres in US history, the lawmakers condemned American police brutality. Point number one of the text of the resolution takes up the slogan US campaigners...

An up-to-date estimate of the number of illegal immigrants in the United Kingdom has not been produced for 15 years, according to a report. The National Audit Office (NAO) said the last estimate in 2005 suggested there were around 430,000 people in the country with no right to remain. But independent research since has put the figure at more than one million, Whitehall’s spending watchdog said. […] In the year to October 2019, detected attempts by people to come into the UK by clandestine means increased to 46,900. However, the NAO said it was not clear if this was because...

Boris Johnson will warn the EU today Britain will choose a no-deal Brexit if a trade agreement is not struck by the end of next month. The threat comes despite the head of the World Trade Organization suggesting that doing so could slow the UK’s economic recovery from coronavirus, and that a deal similar to current arrangements would be better for jobs. WTO director-general Roberto Azevêdo highlighted agriculture and the car industry as two of the biggest victims if a deal could not not be struck, due to the heavy tariffs they would be subject to under trade rules. The...

Until recently, Ireland did not blaze much of a trail when it came to human rights at home. The 20th century saw plenty of shameful treatment of vulnerable people, normalized by a deep and often blind devotion to a religious institution that preached a message of compassion. […] The 21st century has seen some improvements but there is still a long way to go. Recent events in the United States and ensuing Black Lives Matter protests have shifted the focus once again to our State’s reliance on Direct Provision. We are no gold star winners either when it comes to...

Fresh anti-racism protests kicked off across Germany on Saturday, with demonstrators filling up city centers from Berlin to Dusseldorf.  Thousands gathered in Alexanderplatz in Berlin’s city center, holding signs that said “Black Lives Matter” and “No justice, no peace.” Demonstrators, many of whom were dressed in black and wearing facemasks, also held up placards with slogans such as “Be the change,” “I can’t breathe,” and “Germany is not innocent.“ […] Cologne, Münster and Nuremberg also drew large crowds, along with smaller cities such as Flensburg in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein. […] The protests, which are being held in solidarity...

After Donald Trump claimed most protesters in the US were “antifa,” Germany’s Social Democrats rushed to declare solidarity with the movement. But which movement? And why did other politicians object?Quite a few people, not least the President of the United States, seem a little confused as to precisely what “antifa” is. Unlike many of the gaps in Donald Trump’s knowledge, there are some reasonable historical justifications for this particular confusion. In Germany, politicians and the public have been wrestling with the term for around a century now — without coming any closer to an uncontested definition. What the word means...

A line of Metropolitan Police officers “took a knee” in tribute to George Floyd today as thousands of protesters gathered outside Downing Street. At least 15,000 Black Lives Matter protesters including actor John Boyega and singer Liam Payne gathered in London, ignoring social distancing guidelines, as a show of anger against the death of Mr. Floyd in the US. And at least 2,000 of those demonstrated in front of Downing Street, shouting “take a knee” at Metropolitan Police officers guarding security gates. Four officers obliged, to the approval of the crowds, who urged other officers to follow the example of...

The Hague (AFP) - Thousands of protesters rallied in the Dutch and Irish capitals on Monday against the death of a black man during an arrest by police in the United States. Defying coronavirus restrictions, demonstrators in both Amsterdam and Dublin carried signs saying "Black Lives Matter", referring to the death of George Floyd in Minnesota. The protests that have roiled US cities for six nights have now spread around the world, with rallies as far afield as London and New Zealand. Around 3,000 protesters packed Dam Square in the centre of Amsterdam, standing close together despite coronavirus social distancing...