Photo by Stock Birken on Unsplash Some 70 years before Benjamin Franklin borrowed the phrase, English playwright Christopher Bullock in 1789 wrote in his comedy The Cobbler of Preston: “T’is impossible to be sure of anything but Death and Taxes.”. In the UK as in most European countries both certainties can happen together, with tax on inherited wealth…
Photo by K8 on Unsplash The EU says that the European economy has lost momentum this year against the background of a “high cost of living, weak external demand and monetary tightening.” On Wednesday, the commission said that while economic activity is expected to gradually recover going forward, its “Autumn Forecast” revises EU GDP growth down compared to…
Photo by Despina Galani on Unsplash Belgium is in the top 10 countries with the highest household savings in the world, according to new data. CityIndex analysed global data on household savings, including mean disposable income, mean household savings and long-term interest rates, to discover the countries with the highest household savings in the world. Belgium ranks 9th with a total savings…
Photo by Travel With on Unsplash The need to make better use of the untapped potential of Central Asia has been highlighted by Kazakhstan’s president. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was speaking at the recent summit of heads of states in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. There, he endorsed the wide expansion of cooperation among the organisation’s…
Photo by Adrian Dascal on Unsplash The European Union often appears caught up focusing on age-old disputes and losing touch with the evolving global landscape. The major countries in Europe seem content to spend their days haggling over financial matters, rather than adapting to new geopolitical and economic realities. A notable transformation has occurred in Eastern Europe however,…
Photo by Kat Kelley on Unsplash A new brand for the Brussels European Quarter has been formally launched. It took place in the building of the Brussels Commissioner for Europe and International Organisations (CEIO) in the heart of the European Quarter. The brand bears the name ‘European Quarter Brussels’ and represents a new strategy for the neighbourhood. After…
Photo by Adele Payman on Unsplash Europe’s local and regional leaders have warned that the EU’s long-term sustainable development cannot be achieved without strong and sustainable rural areas and the complete integration of rural communities into the European project. A declaration adopted on 31 October at the European Committee of the Regions’ Bureau meeting in Logroño, Spain, stresses that…
Photo by Kelly Sikkema on Unsplash The European Parliament’s committee on economic affairs has voted on several tax files that are of strategic importance for the future of taxation in the EU, including the report on taxation in times of crisis. In this report, MEPs managed to secure two important points – calling on the Commission to look…
Photo by Travel With on Unsplash The end of each year serves as a poignant reminder of the Soviet Union’s dissolution in 1991. Over the past three decades, many post-Soviet countries have shed their Soviet legacies to emerge as modern and progressive states. A case in point is Kazakhstan, Central Asia’s largest nation. As the country prepares to…
Photo by Dollar Gill on Unsplash New data reveals that more than seven in 10 (71%) university students in the UK in 2023 hold part-time jobs, compared to six in 10 (60%) former students. As a result, students in the UK are managing to save an average of £399 of their annual loan for the future, with more than…
