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French savings
- France said on Tuesday (19 June) that it would appeal against a European Commission order to free up the national market for savings accounts. Special distribution methods for tax-free savings accounts ‘Livret A’ used by La Poste, the Caisses d’Epargne and Credit Mutuelle are deemed to be in breach of EU law. The Commission said last month that action should be taken by February 2008.
Pension plan
- MEPs approved on Wednesday (20 June) a first reading of a draft law on the transferral of pension rights. Vladimír Špidla, the European commissioner for employment and social affairs, lamented the removal of elements that would allow workers to transfer rights when changing jobs. The MEPs approved Commission plans to have dormant rights apply to all pensions.
Unbundling endorsed
- Parliament’s industry, energy and research committee endorsed power transmission ownership unbundling as the most effective way of promoting investments in infrastructure, ensuring grid access for new entrants and guaranteeing market transparency. The Commission is currently preparing proposals on liberalisation of the EU energy market.
MEPs want post delay
- MEPs in the Parliament’s transport committee voted on Monday (18 June) to delay liberalisation of EU postal markets by two years to 31 December 2010. A further delay of two years was granted to new member states and Greece. The deadline proposed by the Commission was 1 January 2009. Full market opening would end current monopolies on the market for letters under 50 grams.
- The Commission published an assessment on Monday of member states’ efforts to combat corruption in the private sector. Belgium and the UK were named as the only two EU countries to have introduced effective laws criminalising corruption. Member states such as Austria, Italy and Poland have dodged a four-year-old agreement to make bribery punishable by one to three years in jail by exempting indirect corruption involving an intermediary.
Minimum wages
- Minimum wages vary widely across the EU with a significant divide between east and west, according to figures released by Eurostat, the Commission’s statistics office on Tuesday. Luxembourg has the highest minimum wage in the EU, currently €1,570 per month. Bulgaria, with a minimum wage of €92 per month, is at the bottom of the league. Seven member states do not have legislation setting statutory minimum wages.
Internal Market Commissioner Charlie McCreevy is poised to launch legal action against three EU member states for their exclusion of a Swedish team from major cycling events.
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