Budapest, Brussels lock horns over Hungary’s media law, taxes

www.euractiv.com Controversial legislation recently adopted by Hungary’s ruling majority has strained relations with the European Commission since the country took over the rotating EU presidency at the beginning of the year. The festive launch of the Hungarian EU presidency has been been overshadowed by a row over a contentious new media law that was adopted by the Hungarian Parliament one week before Christmast, and by special taxes imposed on foreign businesses. The launch included a giant party in Budapest and the opening of a blogging platform which has so far only been used by officials. The European Commission also said it has acted in advance of a complaint filed by the CEOs of 15 large European and Western firms. The companies warned that Hungary in essence is excessively taxing foreign companies in order to “balance the state budget”. The signatories included multinationals from Germany, Austria and the Netherlands, including financial groups Aegon, Allianz and ING, energy giants RWE and OMV, and also Deutsche Telekom. Related stories on EurActiv.com: www.euractiv.com www.euractiv.com www.euractiv.com

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