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☆ Travel news: Living the Italian dream just got easier, thanks to a new visa
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Maureen O'Hare | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —In travel news this week: submersible superyachts for billionaires, the megahub airport that could be the world’s busiest, plus new digital nomad visas in Turkey and Italy. New digital nomad visasPacking up your life and making a fresh start abroad is a dream for many, and new visa programs and tax incentives are making it a bit more achievable. Portugal, Spain and Costa Rica are some of the countries with popular digital nomad visas, and now there are two new options for remote workers. Turkey’s vibrant cities and glorious coastline can be enjoyed with its new digital nomad visa which is open to citizens of 36 countries, including the United States, Canada, France and the United Kingdom, ages 21 to 55. Italy’s long-anticipated digital nomad visa is also now accepting applications.

Persons: you’re, Hopper, he’d, “ It’s, ”, Latronico, there’d Organizations: CNN, European Union, European Economic, KSL, Mount Fuji Locations: Turkey, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Costa Rica, United States, Canada, France, United Kingdom, Italian, Italy London, Texas, Costa, Los Angeles, Basilicata, Austrian, Utah, Indonesia, Caicos, Mull, Kintyre, Miami

For the first time in the history of the United States, billionaires had a lower effective tax rate than working-class Americans. Opinion Guest Essay Make Billionaires Pay (Their Taxes)Until recently, it was hard to know just how good the superrich are at avoiding taxes. Let’s agree that billionaires should pay income taxes equivalent to a small portion — say, 2 percent — of their wealth each year. Billionaires who already pay the baseline amount of income tax would have no extra tax to pay. The idea that billionaires should pay a minimum amount of income tax is not a radical idea.

Persons: Emmanuel Saez, Gabriel Zucman, we’ve, Demetrio Guzzardi, Jeff Bezos, Bezos, Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, Elon Musk, Bernard Arnault, Arnault’s, Arnault, Reagan, Critics, haven’t, Biden Organizations: Government, Social Security, European Economic Association, Institut des Politiques, Economic, Amazon, Elon, Twitter, Shepard, Getty, Trump, Internal, Abaca, New York, Facebook Locations: United States, Netherlands, States Netherlands Italy France, Italy, France, Tesla, LVMH, America, Europe, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, U.S, Brazil, South Africa, Spain

☆ Even With Gaza Under Siege, Some Are Imagining Its Reconstruction
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-28 | by ( Peter S. Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

They were there to plan for the reconstruction and long-term economic development of Gaza. Gaza was under relentless bombardment by Israeli military forces in response to terrorist attacks launched by Hamas in October. Communities throughout the territory were being reduced to rubble, and tens of thousands of people had been killed. The group included senior officials from American and European economic development agencies, executives from Middle Eastern finance and construction companies, two partners from the international consulting firm McKinsey & Company, and a managing director of the World Economic Forum. Officially, they were attending only as individuals, not as representatives of their institutions.

Organizations: Middle, McKinsey & Company, Economic Locations: London, East, Europe, United States, Gaza

☆ Microsoft will now let customers worldwide buy Office without Teams, following EU antitrust concerns
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Washington CNN —Microsoft will no longer sell its Teams collaboration software as a bundled product with its Office 365 suite anywhere in the world, the company said Monday, in the face of antitrust concerns. The decision to separate Teams from Office globally extends a previous announcement last year affecting only the European Union. And it comes after rivals such as Salesforce’s Slack complained in 2020 that Microsoft’s practices were a form of anticompetitive self-dealing. Slack’s complaint led to a European Commission antitrust investigation of Microsoft that is still ongoing. Monday’s announcement appears aimed at allaying some of those concerns, allowing customers worldwide to buy Microsoft’s Office software without Teams included and the ability to buy Teams as a standalone product for business customers.

Persons: Salesforce’s Slack Organizations: Washington CNN, Microsoft, European Union, Economic, European Locations: Switzerland

☆ Zoom and Salesforce stand to benefit from Microsoft's unbundling of Teams and Office
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Jordan Novet | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Microsoft's rivals won a reprieve on Monday, when the software giant said it would split up its Teams and Office bundles following scrutiny from European regulators. Analysts at Mizuho Securities wrote in a note on Monday that "while customers believe Zoom is a superior platform vs. Teams" and other vendors, "the bundling of MS Teams to Office 365 has always been enticing for customers to consider Teams." Last year, Microsoft generated almost $53 billion in revenue from Office, including Teams, up about 14% from 2022. Months later, the European Commission disclosed a probe into Microsoft's Teams and Office bundling.

Persons: Microsoft Corporation Satya Nadella, Slack, Satya Nadella, Salesforce, David Schellhase, Slack's, Stewart Butterfield Organizations: Microsoft Corporation, Economic, Salesforce, European Commission, Mizuho Securities, Mizuho, Microsoft, Financial Times, European Union, Microsoft's, CNBC, European Locations: Davos, Switzerland, Europe

☆ Microsoft to separate Teams and Office globally amid antitrust scrutiny
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Exterior view of the Microsoft Times Square building in New York City on Jan. 29, 2023. Microsoft will sell its chat and video app Teams separately from its Office product globally, the U.S. tech giant said on Monday, six months after it unbundled the two products in Europe in a bid to avert a possible EU antitrust fine. The European Commission has been investigating Microsoft's tying of Office and Teams since a 2020 complaint by Salesforce-owned competing workspace messaging app Slack. The company started selling the two products separately in the EU and Switzerland on Aug. 31 last year. For new commercial customers, prices for Office without Teams range from $7.75 to $54.75 depending on the product while Teams Standalone will cost $5.25.

Organizations: Microsoft Times, Microsoft, European Commission, Salesforce, Business, Economic, European, Enterprise Locations: New York City, U.S, Europe, EU, Switzerland

☆ Why European stocks may soon start to outperform US equities, according to JPMorgan
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Aruni Soni | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

There are five reasons why European stocks may soon start to outperform US equities, according to JPMorgan. According to JPMorgan, European equities may soon outperform their American peers. Even though European stocks are also susceptible to a hiccup because of increasingly hyped-up trades, the firm says fallout would be much worse in the US stock market. Third, the Citigroup Economic Surprises Indices shows that European economic activity momentum has begun moving above that of the US. AdvertisementLastly, JPMorgan sees an improving economic picture in China, which is a green flag for export-heavy European markets.

Persons: —, Mislav Matejka, There's Organizations: JPMorgan, Service, outstripping, MSCI, Citigroup, European Central Bank, ECB Locations: China

☆ Apple offers rivals access to mobile payment tech in EU antitrust case
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Ashley Capoot | In | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Apple has offered to give rivals the ability to access and interoperate with its contactless payment tech in an effort to appease antitrust regulators in Europe. Apple Pay, the company's mobile wallet feature, allows users to make purchases by simply tapping their iPhones, which run on Apple's operating system called iOS. Since Apple controls this operating system exclusively, third-party mobile wallet developers' access to its payment technology has previously been restricted. Apple said it will allow third-party developers to gain access to the mobile payment technology, provide new features for users like defaulting to preferred payment apps and apply "non-discriminatory eligibility criteria" for rival developers. If Apple's commitments assuage European regulators' competition concerns, the Commission will adopt them and legally require Apple to implement the changes.

Persons: Tim Cook, Apple Organizations: Apple, National Committee, China Relations, China Business Council, Economic Cooperation, APEC, European Commission, Economic, CNBC, Department of Justice, Bloomberg, DOJ Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, Europe, U.S

The inflation rate fell to 2.3% in November. Analysts polled by Reuters had expected inflation to ease to 2.6%. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy prices, fell to 3.8% in November from 4.3% the previous month. "But the inflation rate will fall to below 3% as early as the beginning of next year," Wollmershaeuser said. Economists pay close attention to German inflation data, as Germany publishes its figures one day before the euro zone inflation data release.

Persons: Fabian Bimmer, Timo Wollmershaeuser, Wollmershaeuser, Commerzbank's, Ralph Solveen, Solveen, Bert Colijn, Colijn, Miranda Murray, Maria Martinez, Linda Pasquini, Sharon Singleton, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Union, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: Hamburg, Germany, Spanish

In Hungary, central bank governor Gyorgy Matolcsy is under pressure from Viktor Orban's government to cut rates further ahead of local and European Parliament elections next year. Reuters GraphicsTANGIBLE BENEFITSA 2021 World Bank survey found that political meddling in central bank policy led to sustained periods of high inflation in emerging market economies such as Turkey and Argentina. "Attempts to bring the president of the NBP before the State Tribunal can be directly interpreted as an attack on the independence of the central bank," the spokesman said. How those premia evolve will depend partly on how politics in Poland and Hungary is perceived by investors to influence the central banks in the months to come. "Everything else being equal, the less independent the central bank, the more real yield you need to have to be compensated for the risk," said Arif Joshi at Lazard Asset Management.

Persons: Adam Glapinski, Gyorgy Matolcsy, Viktor Orban's, Donald Tusk's, Karen Vartapetov, Paul Gamble, Glapinski's, Glapinski, Marta Kightley, Orban, Peter Virovacz, Arif Joshi, Karol Badohal, Gergely, Mark John, Toby Chopra Organizations: WARSAW, Law and Justice, U.S . Federal Reserve, EU, Sovereign, Investor, Emerging, Fitch, Local, ING, Lazard Asset Management, Thomson Locations: Hungarian, Poland, Hungary, BUDAPEST, Europe, Turkey, Argentina, WARSAW

☆ Germany's budget committee pauses 2024 budget deliberations -panel members
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Maria Martinez | Thomson Reuters | Maria Martinez Is A Reuters Correspondent In Berlin Covering German Economics | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Germany's budget committee paused final deliberations on the 2024 draft budget early on Friday morning, according to the chief budget officers of the coalition government, after a constitutional court ruling threw negotiations into disarray. The contents of the ministries' budgets were finalised during the committee meeting, the budget officers said. On Wednesday, the constitutional court decision prompted the government to postpone the formal vote of the budget committee until next Thursday. Despite the court ruling, the 2024 budget is expected to be passed as planned at the end of the Bundestag's budget week on Dec. 1, according to members of the budget committee. The chief budget officers of the coalition government accused the opposition of refusing to cooperate in budget deliberations.

Persons: Liesa, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Joerg Kraemer, Friedrich Merz, Commerzbank's Kraemer, Maria Martinez, Holger Hansen, Clarence Fernandez, Gerry Doyle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Greens, Free Democrats, European Commission, dpa, Bundestag's Energy, CDU, CSU, Christian Democratic Union, ESF, Economic, Stabilization, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

The economy and finance ministry declined immediate comment. "So the ruling could have a negative impact on economic growth," the source added. Last month, the economy ministry predicted 1.3% growth for next year. Although the Greens want additional spending, the Free Democrats (FDP), which heads the finance ministry, reject additional debt and higher taxes. "There is a clear political decision in favour of Intel and nothing has changed yet," said an economy ministry spokesperson on Friday.

Persons: Liesa, Olaf Scholz's, Christian Lindner, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Joerg Kraemer, Robert Habeck, Habeck, Friedrich Merz, Christian Haase, Commerzbank's Kraemer, Maria Martinez, Andreas Rinke, Holger Hansen, Christian Kraemer, Madeline Chambers, Matthias Williams, Clarence Fernandez, Gerry Doyle, David Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thursday, Greens, Free Democrats, Transformation, Intel, U.S, Christian Democratic Union, ESF, Economic, Stabilization, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Europe's

[1/2] EU flag and TikTok logo are seen in this illustration taken, June 2, 2023. Meta on Wednesday challenged the "gatekeeper" designations for its Messenger and Marketplace platforms, but did not appeal against the status for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. The European Union in September picked 22 "gatekeeper" services, run by six tech companies - Microsoft (MSFT.O), Apple (AAPL.O), Alphabet's (GOOGL.O) Google, Amazon (AMZN.O), Meta and ByteDance's TikTok. The company said it was designated a gatekeeper based on its parent company, ByteDance's, global market capitalisation that us based primarily on the performance of business lines that do not even operate in Europe. Last month, China's ByteDance bought back shares from U.S. employees in a deal that valued the company at $223.5 billion.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, China's ByteDance, Supantha Mukherjee, Nick Zieminski Organizations: EU, REUTERS, Rights, Meta, Digital Markets, Facebook, European Union, Microsoft, Apple, Google, Economic, European Commission, Thomson Locations: Rights STOCKHOLM, Europe, Stockholm

Underscoring the frustration, Economy Minister Robert Habeck, a member of the pro-spending Greens, called the verdict "a huge blow to industrial policy". Speaking to parliament, Habeck warned the court ruling put at risk support for the steel sector, which is counting on subsidies to decarbonise and stay competitive. Finance Minister Christian Lindner meanwhile said it was too early to discuss the consequences of the court ruling. "The steel industry alone can contribute to reducing a third of total industrial emissions - and thus has enormous leverage to save millions of tons of CO2 in the coming years." "The political bottom line is that many coalition disputes will reopen as serious budget constraints kick in.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Christian Lindner, Robert Habeck, BERLIN, Wednesday's, Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Habeck, Yesenn, DBRS Morningstar, hawkish Lindner, Lindner, Bernhard Osburg, Carsten Brzeski, Eurointelligence, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Andreas Rinke, Markus Wacket, Tom Kaeckenhoff, Matthias Williams, Alexandra Hudson, Susan Fenton Organizations: Finance, Climate, Economy, Greens, CHANGE, Budget, European Central Bank, Thomson Locations: United States, Berlin, Germany

And while the local government says Berlin has sufficient space to build over 100,000 apartments, there is no sign the housing crisis gripping the city will ease. But as Europe's largest economy teeters near recession, economists warn that high rents will feed inflation and reduce household consumption. In Berlin, local opposition has frustrated plans to build, while regulation creates a two-tier rental market that is cheap for some long-term tenants and expensive for new renters. Rising property demand saw private companies develop luxury apartments that offered a higher yield - in part, Buch said, because government permissioning for more affordable housing projects was so slow. OPPOSITIONSome building projects have since faced local opposition while a recent attempt to curb rent increases backfired.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Rolf Buch, Buch, you've, Konstantin Kholodilin, Marwa, Monika Neugebauer, Goldman Sachs, Neugebauer, Gesa Crockford, Martin Pallgen, Anna Hohnrath, Hohnrath, Matthias Inverardi, Matthias Williams, Catherine Evans Organizations: Berlin, REUTERS, Rights, Vonovia, Reuters, DIVISION, International Union of Tenants, European, West, Foreigners, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, San Francisco, California, City, Tempelhof, Valencia, Spain

[1/3] FILE PHOTO: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz looks on as he meets NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Berlin, Germany, November 9, 2023. Wednesday's decision by the constitutional court could also set a precedent for fiscal responses to future crises. "FAR-REACHING CONSEQUENCES""The court ruling has far-reaching consequences for fiscal policy in Germany," said Clemens Fuest, President of the Ifo economic institute. This was done with the Second Supplementary Budget Act 2021, which retroactively amended the Budget Act for 2021. The constitutional court ruled that this act was incompatible with Germany's Basic Law and so was void.

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Jens Stoltenberg, Liesa, Chancellor Olaf Scholz's, Christian Lindner, Lindner, Scholz, Robert Habeck, Clemens Fuest, Ralph Solveen, Habeck, Friedrich Merz, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Ursula Knapp, Matthias Williams, Kirsti Knolle, Madeline Chambers, Susan Fenton, William Maclean, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Finance, Union, Social Democrats, Free Democrats, Christian Democratic Union, Thomson Locations: Berlin, Germany, Ukraine

People walk past the new headquarters of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in Canary Wharf, London, Britain, September 14, 2023. REUTERS/Alishia Abodunde/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSummaryCompanies Move follows Hungary govt exit from Erste unitGovt raising financing for airport transactionExit 'good news' for sector's stability -EBRDBUDAPEST, Nov 15 (Reuters) - The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is selling its 15% stake in Erste Group Bank's (ERST.VI) Hungarian unit back to the Austrian group after the Hungarian government's recent exit from the bank, a top EBRD official told Reuters. Austrian lender Erste said on Friday it was repurchasing a 15% stake in its Hungarian subsidiary, currently held by Hungarian state-owned Corvinus International Investments. Francis Malige, EBRD managing director of financial institutions, said the investment had been designed to help the Hungarian bank recapitalise while supporting a positive relationship with the authorities. "We received a call notice from Erste last Friday and are proceeding with the sale of our stake to the group, based on terms agreed during our 2016 investment."

Persons: Alishia, Viktor Orban, Marton Nagy, Francis Malige, Malige, Orban, Gergely Szakacs, Louise Heavens Organizations: European Bank for Reconstruction, REUTERS, Erste Group, Reuters, Economic, Budapest Airport, Austrian, Erste, International Investments, Erste Bank, Thomson Locations: Canary Wharf, London, Britain, Hungary, Erste, BUDAPEST, Austrian, Hungarian, Erste Bank Hungary

☆ Opinion: Who a ‘stalemate’ in Ukraine really benefits
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( Augusta Anthony | Opinion Jade Mcglynn | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

CNN —Responses to the recent statements by the commander in chief of the Ukrainian military, Valery Zaluzhny, warning of a stalemate war between Ukraine and Russia, have been varied and revealing. On the other side, skeptics of Western support for Ukraine gloatingly cited the interview as evidence that Ukraine should have capitulated at some imagined earlier opportunity. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyi meets with the Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg on September 28, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is not Ukraine that is desperate to continue war despite plentiful options to stop the bloodshed — it is Russia. And would there still be ‘fatigue’ in Western capitals if Ukraine had retaken more territories during the summer counteroffensive?

Persons: Jade McGlynn, “, Read, Valery Zaluzhny, Jade McGlynn Jade McGlynn, Zaluzhny, Zaluzhny’s, Volodymyr Zelensky, Igor Zhovka, Ukraine gloatingly, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, NATO Jens Stoltenberg, Yan Dobronosov, Dmitry Peskov, Peskov, Anatolii Stepanov, Washington, ’, Putin, worldviews, Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhny, Gleb Garanich Organizations: Center for Strategic, International Studies, CNN, Western, Ukraine, NATO, Ukrainian Air Defence, Kremlin, Ukrainian Armed Forces, Reuters, EU, North Korea — Locations: Putin’s Russia, Ukraine, Russia, frontlines, Kyiv, AFP, North America, West Germany, West, Iran, North Korea, freefall, Europe, Eastern Europe, Korea

A steel worker of ThyssenKrupp stands amid sparks of raw iron coming from a blast furnace at a ThyssenKrupp steel factory in Duisburg, western Germany, November 14, 2022. REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Nov 7 (Reuters) - German industrial production fell more than expected in September, data showed on Tuesday, as a recent slump in incoming orders took its toll on production. There are few figures that summarise the state of the German economy as well as industrial production, Thomas Gitzel, chief economist at VP Bank, said. "The industry-heavy German economy is dependent on production in order to achieve reasonable economic growth rates," he said, noting that industrial production this year has been weak. "Even though there isn’t any hard data for the fourth quarter yet, recent developments have clearly increased the risk that the German economy will end the year in recession," Brzeski said.

Persons: Wolfgang Rattay, Thomas Gitzel, Carsten Brzeski, Brzeski, Maria Martinez, Miranda Murray, Rachel More Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, VP Bank, ING, Thomson Locations: ThyssenKrupp, Duisburg, Germany

And now Ben Hammou faces another blow as the German government moves to end pandemic-era tax breaks for the hospitality industry. The fiscally hawkish FDP party, which has control of the finance ministry in the three-way ruling coalition, backs letting the tax break expire, calculating that it would cost 3.3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) to keep it going in 2024. Many restaurants operate on tight margins, which makes them quite sensitive to tax increases. In Spain, Italy and France, the VAT on restaurants is at 10%, considerably lower than the expected 19% in Germany from 2024. The question is whether German restaurants are still struggling or have recovered well enough from the pandemic to withstand having the tax break removed, according to Tomas Dvorak, senior economist at Oxford Economics.

Persons: Omar Ben Hammou, Ben Hammou, Christian Lindner, Guido Zoellick, Thijs Geijer, Ingrid Hartges, DEHOGA, Steffen Marx, Tomas Dvorak, Maria Martinez, Christian Kraemer, Tanja Daube, Ulrike Heil, Belen Carreno, Giselda Vagnoni, Thomas Leigh, Matthias Williams, Hugh Lawson Organizations: Restaurant Association, ING, Reuters, Oxford Economics, Thomson Locations: Bavaria, BERLIN, Berlin, Russia, Ukraine, COVID, Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Munich, Madrid, Rome, Paris

☆ Goldman Sachs says the Israel-Hamas war could have major implications for Europe's economy
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Elliot Smith | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The Israel-Hamas war could have a significant impact on economic growth and inflation in the euro zone unless energy price pressures remain contained, according to Goldman Sachs . The ongoing hostilities could affect European economies via lower regional trade, tighter financial conditions, higher energy prices and lower consumer confidence, Europe Economics Analyst Katya Vashkinskaya highlighted in a research note Wednesday. Concerns are growing among economists that the conflict could spill over and engulf the Middle East, with Israel and Lebanon exchanging missiles as Israel continues to bombard Gaza, resulting in massive civilian casualties and a deepening humanitarian crisis. She noted that tighter financial conditions could weigh on growth and exacerbate the existing drag on economic activity from higher interest rates in both the euro area and the U.K. However, Goldman does not see a clear pattern between financial conditions and previous episodes of tension in the Middle EastThe most important and potentially impactful way in which tensions could spill over into the European economy is through oil and gas markets, Vashkinskaya said.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Katya Vashkinskaya, Goldman, Vashkinskaya Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, Hamas Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Europe, Lebanon

☆ EU clamps down on Meta’s use of personal data for targeted ads
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Brian Fung | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Meta will soon be forced to seek European users’ consent before using their personal information to deliver those users targeted advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. A European Union-wide ban announced Wednesday dealing with Meta’s handling of user data proposes blanket restrictions which could be finalized as soon as late next week. The restrictions were announced by the European Data Protection Board (EDPB), a group of EU data regulators representing numerous countries in the bloc. Under EU rules known as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Meta must cite one of several specific legal justifications in order to collect and use people’s personal data for advertising. It directs the Irish Data Protection Commission, Meta’s primary privacy regulator in Europe, to issue a final rule on the matter by Nov. 10.

Persons: Meta, It’s, “ Meta, “, ”, Anu Organizations: CNN, Facebook, European Data Protection, EU, General Data Protection, Meta, Irish Data Protection Locations: Europe

Meta and Facebook logos are seen in this illustration taken February 15, 2022. The ban on such advertising, which targets users by harvesting their data, is a setback for U.S. tech giant Meta Platforms (META.O), the owner of the two social media services, which has opposed efforts to curb the practice. The Norwegian data regulator, Datatilsynet, in September said it had referred the ongoing fine to the European regulator, as its fine was valid in Norway only and due to expire on Nov. 3. Norway is not a member of the EU but is part of the European single market. The decision affects some 250 million Facebook and Instagram users in Europe, Datatilsynet said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, EDPB, Datatilsynet, Gwladys Fouche, Terje Solsvik, Tomasz Janowski Organizations: Meta, REUTERS, EU, Facebook, European Union, European Economic, European Data Protection, Reuters, Economic, Big Tech, Thomson Locations: Norway, Ireland, Norwegian, Europe

☆ Facebook and Instagram get ad-free subscription service in Europe
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

People in the European Union, which includes 27 countries, the European Economic Area and Switzerland, will be able to pay 9.99 euros ($11) per month on the web or 12.99 euros ($14) per month month on iOS and Android to access the ad-free version of Facebook and Instagram. Meta said on Monday it will offer an ad-free subscription option for Facebook and Instagram in Europe after it faced a major challenge from regulators in the region this year. Meta said the introduction of the subscription service is aimed at addressing regulatory concerns. Meta pointed to this ruling as a reason for introducing the subscription offer. "In its ruling, the CJEU (European Court of Justice) expressly recognised that a subscription model, like the one we are announcing, is a valid form of consent for an ads funded service," Meta wrote.

Persons: Meta Organizations: European Union, European Economic, Facebook, General Data, Meta, of Justice Locations: Switzerland, Europe

Looking ahead, the ongoing pass-through of the European Central Bank's monetary policy tightening, still no reversal of the inventory cycle and new geopolitical uncertainties will continue weighing on the German economy, Brzeski said. "The German economy looks set to remain in the twilight zone between minor contraction and stagnation not only this year but also next year," Brzeski said. The contraction in the third quarter is not seen as an outlier as Commerzbank expects the German economy to contract again in the winter half-year. Economists will pay close attention to national inflation data from Germany and Spain, as they are published one day before the euro zone inflation data release. Euro zone inflation is expected to ease to 3.2% in October from 4.3% in September, according to economists polled by Reuters.

Persons: Arnd, Carsten Brzeski, Brzeski, optimists, Joerg Kraemer, Claus Vistesen, Maria Martinez, Miranda Murray, Rachel More, Miral Fahmy, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Gross, Reuters, ING, European Central, Macroeconomics, Thomson Locations: Konstanz, Germany, Spain

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