AK EUROPA, the Brussels Office of the Austrian Federal Chamber of Labour, and ÖGB Europabüro, the Brussels Office of the Austrian Trade Union Federation, would like to cordially invite you to our joint webinar "Effective Minimum Tax Rate Implementation in the EU: Why and How":

By now, the majority of Member States have submitted their national plans, disclosing their intentions as to how they want to invest the monies from the EU’s Recovery Fund. Itt is not only Austria having a lot of catching up to do when it comes to the recovery’s social dimension. Hence, AK EUROPA, together with 20 other organisations is calling upon EU Finance Ministers to adopt a socially just and environmentally sustainable course out of the crisis. Everybody will be able to sign the petition until 14 June 2021.

On 5th May 2021, the Commission presented its updated Industrial Strategy. The strategy not only affirms the current priorities, which were stipulated the year before, but also specifies new proposals to support SMEs. Together with the Industrial Strategy, the Commission has presented a proposal for a regulation on subsidies for third-countries, which distort the Internal Market.

After Member States so far have only submitted proposals of their national recovery and resilience plans to Brussels, Portugal was the first country to officially submit its plan on 22 April 2021. The current EU Presidency not only leads the way in terms of speed, but also with regard to content and the will to engage in discussions.

Mit dem Grünen Deal soll Europa bis 2050 der weltweit erste klimaneutrale Kontinent werden. Das erfordert einen grundlegenden Wandel unseres Wirtschaftssystems. Die AK kämpft dafür, dass dieser Übergang zur Klimaneu­tralität sozial gerecht gestaltet wird und nicht zu Lasten der ArbeitnehmerInnen geht. Im Kern geht es um die gewerkschaftliche Forderung nach einer „Just Transition“ – einem sozial gerechten Übergang.

The „Made in America Tax Plan“ of the new US government has strong implications for international tax negotiations at the OECD. Although no political decisions are to be expected before mid-2021, the US proposal could significantly boost ongoing negotiations. Not only to make an agreement that curbs profit shifting and tax competition more likely, but also to make it more effective.

The European Commission has published the Communication on the “EU Renovation Wave” to ensure that the building sector too makes its contribution to achieving the Green Deal. The Austrian Chamber of Labour has scrutinised the Communication and reached the conclusion that many of the planned strategies are to be welcomed; however, a socially balanced implementation has to be ensured and the fight against energy poverty must be at the forefront.

In spite of the principle of non-discrimination, women across Europe are still earning 14 % less than men. Hence, the Pay Transparency Directive, which had already been announced for 2020, is long overdue.

For AK it is important that there is a focus on the social dimension of carbon neutrality and the energy transition, next to the ecological and economic dimension. The problem of energy poverty and the social effects generally caused by climate change and the energy transition are still not given enough attention, even though it is clear that not all households are equally able to afford energy efficiency measures or renewable energy sources to heat. Therefore AK calls for:
  

In December 2020, the EU institutions agreed on a 750 billion euros stimulus package to finance the recovery after the Covid-19 crisis. Now the question has arisen, which projects are to be funded with this money. Together with 15 other organisations, AK EUROPA is now urging the EU Finance Ministers: Europe must seize this chance to build a bridge to a new economy that is sustainable, resilient, and guarantees better living standards for everyone!