The European Commission is the executive branch of the European Union, responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the EU treaties and managing the day-to-day business of the EU.
(source: ec.europa.eu)
The EU Rights Machine
EU Finance Ministers Say Libra, Other Stablecoins Are Too Risky
EU finance ministers came to an agreement on Thursday (Dec. 5) that digital currencies like Facebook's Libra have no place in the...
Google Data Practices Under EU Antitrust Scrutiny
EU antitrust regulators are probing Google to see how the search giant uses and monetizes the data it collects on users, Reuters...
EU: Apple Pay May Be Stifling Payments Competition
EU Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said numerous grievances have been filed with the European Commission concerning Apple Pay and its negative effect...
EU Watchdog Probes Apple Pay Over Anticompetitive Conduct
The Apple payment platform, Apple Pay, is again being investigated by the European Commission again, MLex reported on Wednesday (Oct. 16). A...
Google's EU Antitrust Appeal Hearings Scheduled For Feb.
Google's appeal against a $2.64 billion fine for antitrust practices in the EU will be heard by a court over a three-day...
Italy Sidesteps Sales Tax Hike With Levy On Digital Transactions
Italy is preparing to tax digital companies to help fund its 2020 budget as it seeks different revenue streams to avoid a...
Top News In Payments: Affirm Rolls Out New App; EU Has Questions For Facebook, Libra Association
Today in the payments news roundup, Affirm has launched a new app that will let customers use the service to pay almost anywhere online or in...
EU Executive Branch Calls For More 'Technological Sovereignty'
The European Union's executive branch has called for urgent action to reverse what it believes is the region's heavy reliance on computer...
EU Antitrust Chief Vestager Reappointed
The new European Commission (EC) has reappointed Margrethe Vestager as antitrust chief in what some are calling a surprise move, according to...
Incoming EU Leaders Plan New AI, Data Use Laws
Evidence is being gathered on U.S. big tech companies as the European Commission prepares for new leadership, The Wall Street Journal reported...
Deep Dive: Cross-Border Payments Interoperability
The world is becoming more interconnected, boosting demand for fast and low-cost services that enable cross-border transactions. Such experiences require payments interoperability,...
EU Unconcerned About Deficit Of Big Tech Fines
The European Commission says it isn't concerned about the lack of major fines against tech companies during the first year of its...
Onyx CenterSource Partners With Sovos On eInvoicing Expansion
Onyx CenterSource, a global provider of B2B payments and business intelligence solutions to the hospitality industry, announced it has partnered with tax...
Expedia Sued By Nustay Over Antitrust Claims
Online travel booking startup Nustay has filed a complaint with the European Union's antitrust regulator, the European Commission, accusing Expedia Group and...
European Commission Investigates Past Money Laundering Cases
A European Union (EU) official has revealed that the European Commission (EC) is taking a close look into past money laundering cases...
Google Appeals European Commission's $1.7B Fine
Google has appealed the European Commission's $1.7 billion fine, which was issued March for anti-competitive behaviors in the online advertising market. CNBC,...
EU Antitrust Chief Sees No Competition Issues With Google Shopping
European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager said measures put in place for Google to boost competition in online shopping results appear to be...
EU Regs Hear More Calls For Commercial Card Swipe Fee Caps
As European Union (EU) authorities continue to combat interchange fees charged by credit card companies Visa and Mastercard, some are now calling...
Mastercard, Visa Cut Tourist Interchange In Response To EC Pressure
The European Commission announced Monday (April 29) that commitments made by Mastercard and Visa to reduce interchange fees are legally binding under...
Legislators In The EU Close Banking Loopholes
Legislators in the European Union have approved a slew of banking reforms including the closing of loopholes exposed by the financial crisis,...
With A Nod To European Commission Pressure, Facebook Updates Data Use Disclosures
In the continuing saga focused on user data, how that data is used, and transparency, score one for the Europeans. In news...
SWIFT, Ripple Support EU Blockchain Group Launch
A new blockchain association has been created to promote the adoption of the technology across the European Union. The group — the International...
France, Germany And EU Want China To Play Nice
The European Commission, along with France and Germany, are calling on China to open its domestic market more to foreign companies. According...
Nike Receives $14.14M Fine Over Cross-Border Sales
In the latest European Union sanction related to cross-border sales, Nike received a $14.14 million — or 12.5 million euro — fine. The...
Google Faces Antitrust Fine From EU Over AdSense
Google and its parent company Alphabet could be facing an antitrust fine from the European Union in the coming weeks over its...
European Commission To Create New AML Blacklist
The European Commission vowed to compile a new list of countries that present a money laundering risk by summer as it steps...
UK Retailers Press For Commercial Card Interchange Fee Caps
The European Union's (EU's) battle against U.S. card company interchange fees reached new levels earlier this year when the European Commission (EC)...
EU Mulls Ways To Speed Up Adoption Of TIPS
The European Commission is looking at ways to get banks to use its TARGET Instant Payment Settlement (TIPS) system, which is designed...
Mastercard Fined $648M Over X-Border EU Interchange Fees
Mastercard was slapped with a $648.3 million fine by the European Union, which alleged that the payments company raised the costs of...
UK Gov't Taps Banking Heavyweights To Fight Money Laundering
Aiming to fight more financial crime, the U.K. government has recruited senior executives from Barclays, Lloyds Banking and Banco Santander. According to...
Will Google And The Digital Economy Be Tied To EU's 'Right To Be Forgotten'?
Excuse the hyperbole, but Google (and other search engines) dodged a bullet this week when it came to privacy regulations that come...
Auditors Say EU Failed To Stop Misuse Of Funds
Auditors of the European Union said Thursday (Jan. 10) that the EU is failing to stop the misuse of funds to the...
EU Wants Tougher AML Enforcement
The vice president of the European Commission in charge of the euro, Valdis Dombrovskis, said Brussels wants more stringent enforcement of anti-money...
EU Bans Unfair Food Supply Chain Practices
The European Commission has introduced new measures to protect farms in the EU food sector against unfair supply chain practices, the body...
SEC Head Begs EU, UK To Stabilize Post-Brexit Plan
Jay Clayton, the chief of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), urged European Union and U.K. lawmakers to prepare for a...
Data Dive
Data Dive, Trying New Things Edition: Walmart, Amazon And EU Card Fees
Poet William Cowper famously wrote in his 1787 poem "The Task" that "variety is the spice of life." And while change-resistant humans are...
Mastercard Incurs $650M Charge Over EU Antitrust Fine
Mastercard incurred a $650 million fourth-quarter charge related to a large fine over a 2015 EU antitrust investigation, Reuters reported on Tuesday (Dec. 4). The...
Visa, Mastercard Cut Tourist Card Usage Fees To End EU Probe
Visa and Mastercard are offering to cut fees that are paid by merchants on tourists' card payments made in the European Union...
EU 'Link Tax' May Shutter Google News Abroad
A "link tax" might mean the end of Google News in the EU. Richard Gingras, the search engine's vice-president of news, said...
EU Cracks Down On Passport Sales Due To Money Laundering
The European Commission announced Wednesday (October 10) that it plans to provide European Union states with guidelines for handling national schemes to...
Google Provides EU With Second Shopping Report
Google has handed over a second report to European Union (EU) antitrust regulators, detailing its proposal to allow more shopping rivals to...
EC Eyes Greater Enforcement Over Money Laundering
The European Commission is crafting a proposal aimed at giving the European Banking Authority more enforcement powers and resources to go after...
POM: Fighting Late Payments By Easing Invoice Payments Friction
Suppliers and vendors may feel a lack of control when it comes to accounts receivable. Once an invoice is sent out, it...
Bank Of England's Carney Signals He Will Stay On Past His Term
With the U.K. gearing up to leave the European Union, the country got a little bit of stability when Bank of England...
The SWIFT Debate, In Europe And Beyond
There may be no swift end to this SWIFT debate. Germany's foreign minister, Heiko Maas, said late this month that there should...
SWIFT Debate Shows Politics, Payments Make Strange Bedfellows
The headlines all play on the name "SWIFT" in some form or another: "Germany Wants A Swift End To SWIFT," or "Some...
European Commission Fines Asus, Denon & Marantz, Philips, Pioneer
The European Commission announced on Tuesday (July 24) that it fined, in four separate decisions, consumer electronics manufacturers Asus, Denon & Marantz,...
European Commission Looking Into Thales' Proposed Acquisition Of Gemalto
Gemalto, the digital security company that is being acquired by Thales, the French aerospace and defense company, will see the European Commission...
European Finance Leaders Want More Progress On Digital Company Tax
The finance leaders in Europe called for more progress to be made on rules for taxing digital companies during a G20 meeting...