On 5 November 2024, ECOFIN (the European Council on Economic and Financial Affairs) adopted the proposal ‘VAT in the Digital Age’. The new rules are intended to make the levy of VAT in the EU simpler and more resistant to fraud. In this article, our experts discuss ECOFIN’s decision and the practical consequences of the new rules. Our Baker Tilly International network partners in the Netherlands have prepared an article about these upcoming changes.

The EU Deforestation Regulation (“EUDR”) will affect international trade. Although it only sets rules for EU importers, these rules will have an effect further up the supply chain. As the United Kingdom is an important trade partner for the EU in general and the Netherlands in particular, this new legislation will impact trade with the UK too. In this article, we discuss a number of points of attention concerning the EUDR for UK businesses.

The ‘Deforestation Regulation’ is a new instrument to achieve the environmental targets. The Deforestation Regulation was originally set to enter into force on 30 December 2024, but the European Commission recently proposed to postpone the implementation. If the European Parliament and the Council agree to this postponement, the legislation will apply to large enterprises from 30 December 2025 onward, and to micro and small businesses from 30 June 2026 onward.