Economic and Financial Affairs Council, 21 March 2017

A meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council was held on 21 March 2017. The agenda includes the following topics:

+ Debate on a proposal to amend the EU VAT directive in order to allow electronic publications to benefit from reduced VAT rates;

+ Debate on a proposal for a VAT reverse charge mechanism to contribute to the prevention of VAT fraud;

+ Discussion on the country reports relating to the 2017 European Semester, issued by the European Commission in February;

+ Adoption without discussion of a recommendation on the economic policies of the Eurozone for 2017;

+ Discussion on the outcomes of a G20 meeting of finance ministers and central bank governors, held on 17-18 March;

+ Briefing by the Council presidency on legislative proposals relating to financial services, and by the European Commission on the implementation of financial services legislation and on the defence action plan, with a particular focus on the European defence fund.

ESO: Background information: Economic and Financial Affairs Council, 21 February 2017 http://www.europeansources.info/record/economic-and-financial-affairs-council-21-february-2017/

European Commission: DG Communication: SPEECH/17/708, 21.03.17: Remarks by Vice-President Dombrovskis at the ECOFIN press conference http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_SPEECH-17-708_en.htm

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