News

OECD agreement intensifies fight against tax evasion

7 June 2017

Minister of Finance Johan Van Overtveldt has co-signed a multilateral OECD agreement in Paris that will adjust hundreds of tax treaties. “With this agreement, we are taking a vital step towards more tax transparency, a level playing field and more legal certainty,” the Minister explains. “It will …

Brexit also prompts insurer QBE to choose Brussels

7 June 2017

Following in the footsteps of Lloyds of London, QBE, an insurance group originally based in Australia, has announced the establishment of a European subsidiary in Brussels. Here too, Brexit is the specific impetus for this move. The rationale behind QBE’s selection of Brussels includes, among …

A locally integrated security unit for each municipality

6 June 2017

Minister of Security and the Interior Jan Jambon is advocating increased efforts to set up local integrated security units (LIVC) in the fight against terror. Within the units, security services at the municipality level partner with education and youth assistance services, for example. “The …

Cautious initiative against social abuse in transport sector

1 June 2017

The European Commission wants to oblige Member States to check more frequently and more stringently for social abuse in the transport sector. “The importance for Flanders of the proposed measures is immense,” says MEP Mark Demesmaeker. The Flemish transport sector accounts for 5.3% of employment …

Facial scan should make repatriation of illegal immigrants easier

31 May 2017

In order to be able to identify illegal migrants more easily, the European Parliament wants to make structural improvements in the operation of Eurodac. This database already contains names, ID card numbers and fingerprints of asylum seekers. “Now it will be possible to store facial scans as well,” …

Europe investing too little in security and too much in Turkey