Turkey looking for new deal on refugees

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that EU citizens can be legally denied access to certain social benefits in the first three months of their stay in another member state. EurActiv Germany reports.

Turkey hopes to agree a new deal on refugee resettlements at the next EU summit, amid a broader "reset" in relations, according to EUobserver: https://euobserver.com/justice/132482

The United States has set out limits to its use of data collected in bulk about European citizens after a new information-sharing pact was agreed this month, according to documents seen by Reuters. A clear explanation of what information could be used for -- preventing its "indiscriminate" and "arbitrary" use -- was a key condition of the new Privacy Shield framework that enables firms to easily transfer personal data to the United States: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-dataprotection-usa-idUSKCN0W00G5

Negotiators on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) claimed on Friday (26 February) that they were making progress towards reaching an accord by the end of the year as they completed the latest round of talks, EurActiv reports: http://www.euractiv.com/section/trade-society/news/negotiators-aim-to-sign-ttip-this-year/

Leading British eurosceptic Nigel Farage will visit the Netherlands in April to help whip up support for a key Dutch referendum aimed at opposing an EU cooperation deal with Ukraine, reports EurActiv: Even though the 6 April vote is non-binding on the Dutch government, it will be closely watched as top European Union officials have warned a "no" vote could trigger a crisis within the bloc: http://www.euractiv.com/section/europe-s-east/news/farage-to-back-no-vote-in-dutch-referendum-on-ukraines-eu-association/

The EU has put plans to regulate inefficient kettles and toasters into cold storage amid fears in Brussels that they could galvanise support for the leave campaign in the UK's 23 June referendum. Mobile phones, lifts, hair- and hand-dryers and vending machines are also on a shortlist of products for increased regulation in 2015-17. The measures had been expected to save the equivalent of 10m tonnes of CO2 emissions per year by 2030, helping EU countries to meet efficiency goals and consumers to cut their energy bills. EurActiv reports: http://www.euractiv.com/section/climate-environment/news/eus-ban-on-inefficient-toasters-delayed-to-avoid-pro-brexit-press-attack/

Local products from Africa or Asia are increasingly being recognised with protected geographical indications (PGIs) - a quality label which helps them to compete on European markets, which are otherwise often inaccessible for the countries of the South. EurActiv France reports.

A handful of multinational corporations operating in Belgium may move their businesses after the European Commission ordered the Belgian state to recoup €700 million, according to a report in the Wall Street Journal, followed up by EUobserver. The order, issued in January, followed an anti-trust probe that found a Belgian tax-discount plan gave 35 companies unfair tax breaks: https://euobserver.com/tickers/132486

The favourite to become the French Republican party's presidential candidate, Alain Juppé, distanced himself from his rivals by defending the EU's passport-free Schengen area during a visit to Brussels on Wednesday (24 February). EurActiv France reports.

Bucharest is to establish a National Council for Competitiveness in the hope of attracting EU funding. EurActiv Romania reports.The project, which has been 5 years in the making, will see the government extend its economic gaze into a long-term vision, said the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy in the technocratic Dacian Cioloș cabinet, Costin Borc.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel yesterday (28 February) defended her open-door policy for migrants, rejecting any limit on the number of refugees allowed into her country despite divisions within her government, EurActiv reports: http://www.euractiv.com/section/elections/news/merkel-defends-her-open-door-migration-policy/

Thanks to Peter Morris, European Movement in North east