Search Results for: Switzerland

Pakistan has launched disputes proceedings at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) signalling it wants to challenge countervailing duties imposed by the European Union (EU) on Pakistani exports of certain polyethylene terephthalate (PET). In an unusual case brought by Pakistan against the EU, Islamabad is arguing that the European Commission mishandled an investigation prompting EU ministers to impose protective measures, compensating European PET-makers for Pakistan government tax breaks and subsidies.…

Companies are being offered an increasing amount of advice, guidance and tools to fight the demand for and payment of small bribes such as cash and vouchers, benefits in kind such as tickets to sporting events, pre-paid phone cards, alcohol, tobacco and perfume.…

THE EUROPEAN Commission has proposed changing the basis of intra-European Union (EU) VAT arrangements. It wants to shift away from the current system where VAT is charged in the country of supply, which Brussels regards as vulnerable to fraud. Instead, a consultation paper suggests charging VAT in the destination country of an intra-EU trade.…

GREATER integration and cooperation among African states is needed to boost business and investment in the cotton, textiles and apparel sector of the continent, a three-day industry conference in Nairobi, Kenya, was told.

The Origin Africa event from November 10-12 brought together clothing and textile industry players and experts heard that national cotton apparel and fabric sectors within Africa were duplicating products when a collaborative approach could be more effective.…

The European Commission today cleared the acquisition of the Corialis Group, a European supplier of aluminium extrusion services and aluminium doors and windows, by Advent International Corporation, a US investment firm. A Commission communiqué said the deal “would not raise competition concerns as Advent is not active in any market in which Corialis is active” at present, notably the aluminium sector.…

THE NEW European Commission of president Jean-Claude Juncker, which will take office for five years on November 1 is expected to be more political than its predecessors and certainly has a clear brief from its boss: more growth and jobs.

Juncker, a consummate European Union (EU) insider, a former president of the Eurogroup of Euro-zone finance ministers, and an ex-prime minister of his native Luxembourg, will use powerful vice-presidents to keep his team in line.…

The US, Germany, Britain and Switzerland are the only countries among 41 signatories to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation & Development’s (OECD) 1997 Anti-Bribery Convention to vigorously investigate and prosecute firms that bribe foreign officials.

So says anti-corruption organisation Transparency International in the latest update of Exporting Corruption, its tenth such annual report, covering the years 2010 through 2013.…

THE STRENGTH and diversity of Bangladesh knitwear producers’ supply chains is one reason why this key outsourcing location is so popular with international brands. And indeed, attention to the supply chain is the mantra of Bangladesh knitwear boss Mohammed Abdul Jabbar.…

As anti-money laundering (AML) regulations become more complex and demanding, compliance technology and software providers are updating their solutions to screen more data, more efficiently, and present the results in a comprehensible way. Companies have been honing products to help clients switch to their software, dealing with problems such as incorporating old data from a legacy system; moving such data efficiently and accurately; and minimising errors by staff unused to the system.…

RUSSIAN meat importers have started soliciting meat from Switzerland as its ban on European Union (EU) food imports looks set to stay in place for months. With allegations emerging today of direct Russian military involvement in Ukraine, the chance of any kind of deal to ease the sanctions stand-off between the EU and Russia looks slim.…