On 8 November 2016 the Council will hear a presentation by the European Commission on its new package of proposals for 'building a fair, competitive and stable corporate tax system for the EU'. The Council will then exchange views on the proposals.
Taxation: criteria and process for establishing a list of non-cooperative jurisdictions
The Council is expected to discuss the adoption of conclusions approving the criteria for screening non-EU jurisdictions, the list of jurisdictions to be screened, and the procedural guidelines on how such screening should be conducted.
The conclusions are part of the Council's response to the January 2016 package of European Commission proposals to tackle corporate tax avoidance.
Packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPs)
The Commission will brief the Council on its plans concerning the possible postponement of the date of application of the PRIIPs regulation, and on the latest developments relating to the delegated act on key information documents.
Updated EU fiscal governance rules
The Council is expected to endorse, without discussion, an amendment to the code of conduct for the implementation of the EU's fiscal governance rules.
The amendment specifies that euro area member states have to submit their draft budgetary plans for the following year to the European Commission between 1 and 15 October each year.
These deadlines also apply to countries where a government does not have full budgetary powers at the time when the draft budget law is submitted to their national parliaments - for example, countries with a caretaker government. Such countries should submit a draft budgetary plan prepared on a no-policy-change basis.
Value added tax (VAT)
The Council is expected to adopt, without discussion, conclusions on improvements to VAT rules for cross-border transactions. The conclusions come in response to VAT-related issues raised in the VAT action plan by the European Commission, issued in April 2016, and as a follow-up to the May 2016 Council conclusions on the VAT action plan.
Fighting tax evasion and fraud: access to information on beneficial ownership
The Council is expected to agree a general approach without discussion on a proposal for a directive that would grant access for tax authorities to information held by authorities with responsibility for the prevention of money laundering. Access would be specifically granted to information on the beneficial ownership of companies.
The rules aim to help authorities prevent tax evasion and tax fraud. They will apply from 1 January 2018.
Health systems and fiscal sustainability
The Council is expected to adopt, without discussion, conclusions on the challenges that healthcare policies may cause to fiscal sustainability in the EU.
The conclusions follow a recent report on healthcare and long-term care systems in the member states, drafted by the Economic Policy Committee together with the European Commission.
Other items on the agenda
The Council will be briefed on current financial services legislative proposals, and on the ongoing implementation of the banking union legislation.
It will take note of the state of play on the negotiations for an agreement between the European Union and Norway on administrative cooperation, combating fraud and recovery of claims in the field of value-added tax and of the text of the draft agreement.
The Council is also expected to exchange views on the European Court of Auditors' annual report on the implementation of the budget of the European Union for the financial year 2015 and to adopt conclusions on the state of play, achievements and prospects for European cooperation on statistics.
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