From 1 January 2015, a major change to the European Union VAT rules occurred affecting the digital world, which is destined to be discussed widely for a long time. A new regulation has come into place where VAT on digital products sold in the EU will be chargeable in the place of purchase rather than […]New VAT rules in the EU: how a digital sea could have become an ocean
January 13, 2015 by Leave a Comment
From 1 January 2015, a major change to the European Union VAT rules occurred affecting the digital world, which is destined to be discussed widely for a long time. A new regulation has come into place where VAT on digital products sold in the EU will be chargeable in the place of purchase rather than […]“Hasta la vista” Google says to Spain and now Europe is next?
December 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment
“But sadly, as a result of a new Spanish law, we’ll shortly have to close Google News in Spain. Let me explain why. This new legislation requires every Spanish publication to charge services like Google News for showing even the smallest snippet from their publications, whether they want to or not. As Google News itself makes […]EU to Google: How to dismantle European search engines in 13 steps
December 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It seems that the search engine thriller that we are watching with horror in the Old Continent goes on. Last week the Sting reported on how parliamentarians were planning to “break up with reality in the Google antitrust case”. This week we are counting the votes and the list of “guidelines” to Google and all […]Parlamentarians to “break up” with reality in the Google antitrust case
November 26, 2014 by Leave a Comment
How many years can an antitrust case endure in the EU? It certainly depends on many factors but in the case of Google 4 is the minimum. This is because the topic of a ‘digital monopoly’ of a search engine is so refined and sophisticated that for the majority of EU stakeholders it is “terra incognita”. Also […]Search Engine neutrality in Europe in danger: Are 160.000 Google filtering requests good enough?
November 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The long awaited last public discussion about “the right to be forgotten” took place in Brussels yesterday. This was the last of the seven miracles or otherwise open forums in different European cities that the Californian giant has been organising since last May. The reason for these costly events was to engage civic society in […]Digital business is Europe’s best hope to get back to growth
October 17, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Digital market has received a lot of interest lately in Europe. Not only by the market players that have always lobbied more favourable or less regulation in general, but most importantly by the EU leadership. New Commissioner, new priorities Jean Claude Juncker, new President of the European Commission, seems to have ‘bet all his money’ […]Benjamin Franklin was wrong: Amazon can tax evade
October 10, 2014 by 1 Comment
“In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes”, Benjamin Franklin said back in the 18th century. Three hundred years later in principle it maintains validity, when it comes to the former. Of course for most developed societies tax is a de facto obligation of the citizen. Most of us we […]Facebook wins EU approval for WhatsApp acquisition; just a sign of the times
October 1, 2014 by Leave a Comment
After a few months of sleepless nights, Facebook founder and young billionaire Mark Zuckerberg can finally relax a bit. The world’s largest social network will likely receive approval by the European Union for its $19 billion purchase of mobile messaging startup WhatsApp, reports said. Citing two people “familiar with the matter” Reuters revealed on Thursday […]
Qualcomm to be the next target of EU antitrust regulators? China might be the answer
August 29, 2014 by Leave a Comment
This hot, rich summer 2014 is approaching its end, but it seems like a hot fall is awaiting already. Google’s antitrust case is still a big question for European regulation on competition, but another case might be giving a big shake to the whole scene. Reuters recently reported that Qualcomm, the world’s No. 1 mobile […]Google’s hot summer never ends: EC to launch ANOTHER antitrust inquiry against the American giant
August 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
We must admit it: this is not exactly a quiet summer for Google. Not in the Old Continent at least. After the “Right To Be Forgotten” case has disturbed Google’s top management’s sleep recently, a new dark cloud may come soon. According to Reuters, the Mountain View, California-based company may soon face a new probe […]I’m not feeling lucky: The “Right to Be Forgotten” ruling puts Google inside a box
July 16, 2014 by Leave a Comment
“How should one person’s right to be forgotten be balanced with the public’s right to know?” This is the question that Google is asking to its users with an open form which allows the general public to offer its advice. This happens in a moment that the first effects of the decision of the European Court […]Zuckerberg, a paella, and the mighty EU questionnaires that would stop Whatsapp acquisition by Facebook?
July 11, 2014 by Leave a Comment
It was the end of February and we were walking around the Ramblas in Barcelona, at the eve of Mobile World Congress 2014, where the Sting was the only Brussels media that made it to Catalunya. Seduced by the smell of paella and cinnamon, there was one major thing that all the people wearing the magic MWC badge were whispering […]Intel, Almunia and 1 billion euros for unfair potatoes
June 18, 2014 by Leave a Comment
“The General Court upholds the fine of 1.06 billion euros ($ 1.4 billions) imposed on Intel for having abused its dominant position on the market for x86 central processing units between 2002 and 2007”. With these words the judge of the General Court of the European Union dismissed Intel’s action against the decision of the Commission […]European Commission: Does Apple, Starbucks and Fiat really pay their taxes?
June 13, 2014 by Leave a Comment
The European Commission (EC) decided two days ago to conduct an investigation which will focus on the tax affairs of Apple, Starbucks and Fiat Finance and Trade in Ireland, the Netherlands and Luxembourg respectively. Basically, EC’s purpose is to examine if the tax authorities of the aforementioned countries are in line with the rules of […]European Court of Justice to Google: It is #righttobeforgotten but not #righttoberemembered
May 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Did you always feel bad about that weird drunk photo your girlfriend had taken a few years ago and was posted on your Hi5 profile? How disappointed did you feel when you saw that if you Google your name, that horrible photo is still at the first 10 results even though you have today lost […]Intel @ European Business Summit 2014: Better decisions now, the new business dashboard
May 7, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Written By Christian Morales, Vice President and General Manager Europe, Middle East and Africa, Intel Corporation We’ve never had more information coursing through our businesses. Data presents an unprecedented opportunity to make better decisions and be more responsive to customers, suppliers and markets. It can be overwhelming, though. Many companies struggle to make sense of it, […]NEC @ European Business Summit 2014: The Digitally Enabled Grid
May 5, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Written by Ciro Scognamiglio, responsible for the market and regulatory analysis at NEC Corporation’s Centre of Competence for Smart Energy Solutions in EMEA For the third time in history, Non-predictable Renewable Energy Sources (NPRESs) were the number one electricity source across the EU in terms of added installed capacity according to the EPIA (European Photovoltaic […]Samsung’s profits fall as cheaper smartphones gain market share
April 16, 2014 by 1 Comment
Last Friday tech giant Samsung Electronics hit the market with its ultimate creature. The Galaxy S5 was released worldwide, in more than 100 countries. Samsung said there was high demand for its latest flagship smartphone in many countries across the globe such as France, India and Canada, reporting that there were long queues for the device, […]ZTE @ MWC14: ZTE excels in all areas at this year’s Mobile World Congress
March 12, 2014 by 2 Comments
Written by Dr Xiang Jiying, Director of Wireless Technology, ZTE Once again ZTE had a big presence at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC) and demonstrated its global leadership in telecommunications equipment and network solutions. Executives from all levels of the organisation were on hand to communicate the directions that ZTE will be taking in […]NEC @ MWC14: “Smart cities” hold the key to enhancing citizens’ lives and cutting costs
March 8, 2014 by 1 Comment
Written by Jean-Matthias Bohli, Senior Researcher at NEC Laboratories Europe By 2030, 5 billion people — around 60% of the world’s population — will live in cities, compared with 3.6 billion today, turbocharging the world’s economic growth. City leaders in developing nations must cope with urbanisation on an unprecedented scale, while those in developed ones wrestle […]Intel @ MWC14: Our Love Story with Mobile – Transforming Wireless Networks
March 8, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Written by Bernadette Andrietti, Vice President, Sales and Marketing Group, Director, Europe, Middle East and Africa Marketing, Intel Corporation Bursting with product launches, new technologies and insights from the biggest names in mobile, the recent Mobile World Congress was as exhilarating as ever. Each year the show is a heady reminder of just how fast developments […]Microsoft’s YouthSpark: a kiss of Life to European Youth from the European Parliament
December 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Two weeks ago, on 14 November, the European Sting attended the event at the European Parliament, organized by the European Youth Forum and YouthIntergroup, titled “Internships: a Call for Quality”. Here we present the third piece of our Special Edition “European Youth & Employment”. This piece reflects the Industry’s perspective, and particularly the ICT sector’s […]While EU Open Days 2013 discuss the 2020 strategy, Microsoft shares a glimpse of EU 2060
October 15, 2013 by 1 Comment
As we move towards the middle of October, the most important annual events in Brussels start taking place one after the other. Last week it was the turn of the 11th European Week of Regions and Cities under the annual open dialogue forum series called Open Days 2013. The event offered the opportunity to EU […]GSMA Mobile 360: Connecting Cities, Connecting Lives, Connecting Europe
September 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Traditionally the first week of September in Brussels is the time when you see grumpy faces walking around the European Quarter thinking that the time they were lying on a beach is over for good. Most EU stakeholders did not miss their flight back and neither did the powerful network of influencers. One of this […]Commission caps charges on card and Internet payments and enforces competition
July 26, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It was high time that the European Commission tried to arrest the over-exploitation of European consumers by a handful of banks and credit card providers. This week Joaquín Almunia, Commission’s Vice President responsible for competition policy, and Michel Barnier, EU Commissioner in charge of internal market and services presented one draft regulation and one directive amendment, […]Is Data Privacy really safe seen through Commissioner’s PRISM?
June 19, 2013 by 1 Comment
It was last Friday that the European Commissioner for Justice, Viviane Reding, had a ministerial meeting in Dublin with Mr Eric Holder, U.S. Attorney General. The topic of the meeting would have normally been the ongoing discussion on the transatlantic data privacy agreement. That would have been effectively the 15th round of negotiations to bridge […]Amazon, a pair of shoes and my Data Privacy walks away
April 5, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Try to remember the last time you shopped from Amazon. Most likely you are another happy consumer that has enjoyed the benefits of e-shopping in terms of service, price and delivery time. It is also highly possible that you already master the plethora of reasons not to get into your car and experience all that […]To Bing or Not to Bing? That is the question
March 21, 2013 by Leave a Comment
It was earlier today that the Vice-President of the European Commission, Joaquin Almunia, received an open letter signed by a dozen complainants that ask for the strictest possible punishment in the long pending Google Antitrust case. This letter signed by 11 internet companies came as the next strategic move of the fierce Anti-Google lobby that […]Commission imposes a fine of €561 million on Microsoft
March 6, 2013 by Leave a Comment
Late in the afternoon of today 6 February, the Commission issued an announcement, signed by Joaquín Almunia, Vice President responsible for Competition Policy, saying that the Commission imposes on Microsoft a fine of €561 million. According to this Press release, the decision came as result of Microsoft’s failure to comply with the legally binding commitments […]Facebook and Google to treat Europe as the 51st State of the USA
February 7, 2013 by 2 Comments
On the 4th of February 2013 seventeen prominent US consumer and civil liberties organizations addressed a strong petition letter to highly ranked executives of the American government in Washington and to one American in Brussels, Mr. William Kennard, American Ambassador of the US Mission to the EU. Every European needs to know what all those […]It ain’t over until Google says it’s over
February 1, 2013 by Leave a Comment
The deadline EU Commissioner Joaquin Almunia set to Google to answer the Commission’s investigation expired yesterday and, since no answer had been filled, people in the DG Competition decided to throw a party. They thought that these would be the easiest €4 billion the European Commission had ever made. Mr. Almunia even rushed to brag […]The big five EU telecom operators in dire straights
January 17, 2013 by Leave a Comment
British Telecom, Deutsche Telekom, France Telecom, Telecom Italia and Telefónica constitute the exclusive club of major telecom operators in the European Union. The very oligopolistic character of the market has prompted the European Commission some years ago to forcefully introduce ground breaking changes in the EU telecom market. Towards the end of 2009 the Commission […]EC v Samsung: A whole year to compile a case
December 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment
It took almost one year to the European Commission to decide that Samsung is potentially abusing its dominant position, in the mobile telephony standard patents. It was January 2012 when the EC issued a statement saying that, “The European Commission has opened a formal investigation to assess whether Samsung Electronics has abusively, and in contravention […]
