Last week, Ireland formally launched its Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will run from 1 July to 31 December 2026, and published its Presidency Policy Programme. The Presidency will focus on three overarching priorities: competitiveness, values and security. Under the competit
BRUSSELS | 15 JUNE 2026
Ireland Launches 2026 Presidency of the Council of the EU & Sets Out Tax Priorities
Last week, Ireland formally launched its Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which will run from 1 July to 31 December 2026, and published its Presidency Policy Programme. The Presidency will focus on three overarching priorities: competitiveness, values and security. Under the competitiveness agenda, Ireland intends to advance the One Europe, One Market Roadmap through regulatory simplification, deepening the Single Market, strengthening trade, supporting the energy transition and promoting digital and artificial intelligence initiatives. Ireland will host two leaders’ summits, 22 informal ministerial meetings and more than 250 related events during the six-month Presidency period. In the area of taxation, the Irish Presidency will prioritise the EU tax simplification agenda, including work to conclude the recast of the Directive on Administrative Cooperation (DAC) and progress the Tax Simplification Omnibus package, expected to be published on 24 June 2026, which is intended to simplify a number of corporate tax directives, including the two Anti-Tax Avoidance Directives. Ireland will also oversee the work of the Code of Conduct Group (Business Taxation), including the October 2026 update of the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. The Irish Presidency programme commits to monitoring implementation of the OECD Pillar Two global minimum tax rules and the EU “side-by-side” solution, while encouraging Member States to adopt further OECD-agreed simplification measures. Ireland will also continue engagement on international tax matters through OECD and UN fora and progress work on other tax-related files including the proposed extension of the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), the proposed Temporary Decarbonisation Fund, revisions to the Tobacco Tax Directive, and potential amendments to the EU VAT framework. The Irish Presidency forms the first part of the 18-month Trio Presidency with Lithuania and Greece, whose joint programme is expected to be published shortly.
OECD Issues Guidance on Global Information Return XML Schema Ahead of First Filing Cycle
The OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework has published practical guidance to support jurisdictions and multinational enterprise groups ahead of the first Global Information Return (GIR) filing cycle under the Pillar Two Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) Rules. The GIR is the standardised reporting framework through which in-scope groups provide information required for the administration of the global minimum tax rules and for the exchange of information between tax authorities. The guidance follows the identification of a number of technical issues during implementation preparations relating to the GIR XML Schema and its associated validation rules. The guidance provides practical workarounds for identified technical issues, clarifies the application of certain validation requirements and confirms that some validation rules should not be applied during the first filing cycle. The OECD stated that the measures are intended to facilitate consistent reporting, reduce the risk of technical filing errors and support the effective exchange of information between tax administrations. The publication forms part of the OECD’s ongoing work to support the implementation and administration of the Pillar Two framework as jurisdictions prepare for the first round of GIR filings.
Council of the EU Agrees Position to Strengthen EU Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism
The Council of the EU has agreed its negotiating position on a proposal to strengthen the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM). The proposal seeks to reinforce the effectiveness of the mechanism to address carbon leakage and support global decarbonisation efforts by extending its scope beyond primarily raw materials to selected downstream products incorporating significant quantities of iron, steel and aluminium. The Council also supports a requirement for the European Commission to carry out annual reviews to assess whether additional downstream products should be brought within the scope of CBAM in future. The proposed expansion is intended to address concerns that production of goods using CBAM-covered materials could shift outside the EU, resulting in increased emissions abroad and disadvantaging EU manufacturers that remain subject to the EU Emissions Trading System. By extending coverage to certain downstream products, the proposal aims to reduce opportunities for carbon leakage and ensure that imported goods face a carbon cost more comparable to that borne by EU producers. The Council also broadly endorsed the Commission’s proposed anti-circumvention measures, including extending CBAM coverage to pre-consumer metal scrap and granting the Commission powers to intervene where deceptive reporting practices are identified among high-risk operators. In addition, the Council refined provisions allowing temporary exemptions from CBAM in cases of serious and unforeseen circumstances causing significant disruption to the internal market. The agreed position clarifies the conditions and procedures for granting such exemptions and emphasises that decisions should be based on objective criteria, including evidence of severe price increases within the EU. The proposal will now enter negotiations with the European Parliament, with the aim of reaching agreement before the end of 2026.
AMLA Hosts Inaugural Conference on the Future of the EU AML Framework
The EU Anti-Money Laundering Authority held its inaugural conference in Frankfurt last week, at which it outlined plans for the implementation of the EU’s new Anti-Money Laundering Framework, which will apply from 10 July 2027. The new regime introduces a single EU rulebook and will see AMLA directly supervise approximately 40 high-risk cross-border financial institutions while coordinating national supervisors and Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs). Opening the event, AMLA Chair Bruna Szego described the significance of a shift from fragmented national systems to a coordinated European response in the face of the reality that financial crime increasingly exploits cross-border vulnerabilities. Several speakers highlighted the scale of the challenge, with European Commissioner Maria Luís Albuquerque noting that around €110 billion is laundered annually in the EU, while only around 1% of criminal proceeds are confiscated. A key theme was the move from high-volume reporting towards higher-quality intelligence. Speakers discussed that authorities should focus on actionable intelligence that supports disruption, asset recovery and prosecution rather than simply increasing suspicious transaction reporting volumes. AMLA is expected to support this objective through harmonised reporting standards, common data frameworks and enhanced information sharing across the EU. Discussion of AMLA’s future supervisory role focused on greater harmonisation across the Single Market and highlighted plans for common supervisory methodologies, Joint Supervisory Teams and a central data hub, with industry representatives welcoming the prospect of replacing multiple national approaches with a single rulebook. Several speakers highlighted the increasing role of non-financial professions in combating financial crime, noting that organised criminal groups increasingly seek to infiltrate the legitimate economy through professional services, real estate and other gatekeeper sectors. Lawyers, accountants, auditors and tax advisers were identified as important actors in detecting suspicious activity, strengthening beneficial ownership transparency and preventing the misuse of legal structures. The conference also examined emerging risks linked to crypto-assets, artificial intelligence and digital financial services. James Lee of Chainalysis reported that illicit crypto transactions reached at least US$154 billion in 2025, and AMLA identified crypto-assets and decentralised finance as priority supervisory areas. Speakers highlighted the benefit of AMLA being the first European supervisory authority established in the age of artificial intelligence and the potential of AI, advanced analytics and enhanced information sharing to improve the detection of criminal networks. The conference conveyed a clear message that AMLA’s success will depend not only on harmonised rules but also on better data, stronger cooperation between supervisors, FIUs and law enforcement, and a sustained focus on producing actionable financial intelligence.
EU Commission Publishes Guidance on Temporary 3 EUR Customs Duty on Low-Value Imports
The European Commission has published guidance for Member States and businesses on the application of the temporary EUR 3 customs duty that will apply from 1 July 2026 to certain imported goods sold through distance sales and contained in consignments with an intrinsic value not exceeding EUR 150. The guidance follows the adoption of Council Regulation (EU) 2026/382, which abolished the customs duty relief previously available for low-value consignments and introduced the temporary duty. The guidance explains the amendments made to the Union Customs Code Delegated and Implementing Acts to facilitate the practical administration of the new duty. It outlines the scope of the measure, the treatment of distance sales, the use of customs declarations and guarantees, and the responsibilities of declarants under the Import One-Stop Shop (IOSS), special arrangements and standard VAT procedures. The document also clarifies the treatment of grouped consignments and introduces the concept of an “item” for the purposes of applying the EUR 3 duty. According to the guidance, customs authorities may treat grouped consignments as separate distance sales where verification indicates that they correspond to individual consumer purchases, reflecting principles established by the Court of Justice in Har Vaessen Douane Service (Case C-7/08). In addition, the guidance sets out new product identifier reporting requirements intended to support customs controls and product safety enforcement in e-commerce. These requirements will apply on a mandatory basis from 1 November 2026, following a voluntary implementation period beginning on 1 July 2026.
The selection of the remitted material has been prepared by: Dr. Aleksandar Ivanovski & Brodie McIntosh
Fonte: CFE Tax Advisers Europe. Pubblicazione originale del 2026-06-15.