Connect with us

Business

EU ‘frugal four’ present rival Covid recovery fund plan

Published

on

EU ‘frugal four’ present rival Covid recovery fund plan

The debate over the EU’s recovery fund intensified on Saturday as four northern European states proposed a plan that would offer only loans, rather than grants, to hard-pressed member states.

Austria, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden said they would support the creation of a one-off emergency fund but that they opposed any measures that would lead to debt mutualisation or “significant increases” in the EU’s upcoming seven-year budget.

The paper from the so-called frugal four of the EU clashes with proposals from Germany and France, who on Monday submitted a plan for a €500bn recovery fund that would offer grants, rather than loans.

Advertisement

That move won a positive reaction from southern European states, and was seen as an important breakthrough given longstanding Franco-German differences over the need for more risk-sharing in the eurozone.

The rival proposals come as the European Commission this week prepares to table its own detailed plans for the recovery fund and upcoming multiannual financial framework (MFF), which runs from 2021-27. All 27 member states will need to be on board before any recovery fund plan sees the light of day.

The frugal nations are opposed to the idea that the EU could borrow money and hand it out as non-refundable transfers to hard-hit states.

Advertisement

Their paper said they would be willing to support lending on “favourable terms” to member states in need, while limiting the risk and providing “sound incentives”.

They would support a “temporary, one-off emergency fund” to support the recovery and health sectors with a sunset clause of two years.

“On top of a modernised MFF, we propose to create an Emergency Recovery Fund based on a ‘loans for loans’ approach, which is in line with fundamental principles for the EU budget,” the frugal four’s paper said, without putting forward any figures.

Advertisement

They said support for coronavirus-related spending could be found by seeking savings elsewhere. It would involve “front-loading” or temporarily topping up coronavirus-related expenditure to kick start the recovery.

The frugal four also insisted recipients of recovery funding would have to display a “strong commitment to reforms and the fiscal framework,” in the hope this would help promote potential growth.

The countries warned that given the depth of the economic contraction, all member states would have to devote a larger share of their national resources to the EU budget. “Additional funds for the EU, regardless of how they are financed, will strain national budgets even further” they said.

Advertisement

Once commission president Ursula von der Leyen presents her own plans Charles Michel, the council president, is expected to oversee the negotiations, as he looks for an opportunity to hold an EU leaders’ summit aimed at settling the budget discussions.

Among the key questions that will need to be resolved are the level of the MFF, the fate of budget rebates received by frugal states, and the balance between grants and loans in the recovery fund as well as its size. In addition northern states are likely to make tougher demands for economic reforms as a condition for the funding.

The talks will also have to tackle the vexed question of the rules for determining how the funding is allocated between member states.

Advertisement

 

(Note: This is a Article Automatically Generated Through Syndication, Here is The Original Source

Advertisement
3 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Viral

Jeff Bezos Lookalike Cagdas Halicilar Enjoys Lavish Lifestyle By Impersonating The Billionaire 

Published

on

Jeff Bezos Lookalike Cagdas Halicilar Enjoys Lavish Lifestyle By Impersonating The Billionaire 

A 46-year-old German man, Cagdas Halicilar, is currently the talk of the town as he has emerged on the internet as Jeff Bezos’ lookalike. 

Thus, Cagdas Halicilar has transformed his profession into a professional Jeff Bezos doppleganger from an electrician. 

The 46-year-old reveals that now he lives an opulent lifestyle as an entrepreneur. 

Advertisement

Cagdas Halicilar was often told by his family and friends that his looks were similar to those of a billionaire. However, only when he saw Jeff Bezos’ picture, did he understand what people around him meant. 

The New York Post reported that Halicilar dreamed of becoming a successful business executive. With him founding CB Transporte, a transport company, he lived his dream. 

After accepting his resemblance to Jeff Bezos, Cagdas Halicilar enrolled himself at a doppelgänger agency. 

Advertisement

Cagdas Halicilar Gained Popularity by Being Jeff Bezos’ Lookalike

Most of the time, he dressed up in casual attire which made him look more like a billionaire, as Jeff Bezos also dressed up casually. 

Halicilar added, “It doesn’t matter whether I’m wearing a suit or wearing jeans and a polo shirt.”

He added how it requires a bit of effort to maintain his appearance like a billionaire. He shaves his head and applies Nivea cream regularly. The German doppleganger added that he has been doing the same for more than ten years now. 

Advertisement

The 46-year-old has gained a lot of popularity and recognition over the years for his work as Jeff Bezos’s doppelgänger. His spouse complained that people often stopped him and asked for selfies on the street. 

In the “King of Stonks,” the German Netflix miniseries, he also had a guest spot. 

When in Seattle once, Cagdas Halicilar strolled through the Amazon campus. Surprisingly, Amazon employees thought that he was Jeff Bezos, reported TimesNow.

Advertisement

He said,

“All the Amazon employees came to me, wanted selfies and thanked me for being proud to work at Amazon.” 

Furthermore, he added,

“My wish is to drink a whiskey with Jeff Bezos on his yacht. He is just as much of a yacht fanatic as I am.”

Also Read: Twitch Streamer Maya Higa Opens Up About Horrific Stalker Incident During Recent Livestream

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Business

Lawsuit Claims Cinemark Shortchanged Customers on Sold Beverages

Published

on

Lawsuit Claims Cinemark Shortchanged Customers on Sold Beverages

A North Texas movie-goer has filed a lawsuit over Plano-based Cinemark drink sizes.

The lawsuit alleges that the movie theater chain fleeced its customers by shorting beverages sold in the chain’s canteens.

The chain loudly advertised that the 24-ounce container is a better deal, claiming consumers will get more for less price, while the reality is that Cinemark swindles customers by shortchanging them on sales for the 24-ounce beverage cup.

Advertisement

Cinemark Accused of Shortchanging Customers on Beverage Sales

The proposed class action lawsuit has been filed in a Texas federal court and it indicts the movie.

The lawsuit further details how consumers got only 22 ounces of liquid, which is the maximum that can be filled in Cinemark’s 24-ounce cups.

It is alleged that the deception was part of a deliberate packaging and pricing practice.

Advertisement

Also Read: California mother files lawsuit against Tesla after her 2-year-old child starts Model X and runs over her

Theaters pay almost 50% of the revenue generated by ticket sales to the studios but keep all the profits generated by the sales of food and beverage.

Increased competition has pushed the chain to offer concessions and bonuses, and this helped Cinemark in 2023 to record its highest concession sales of all time.

Advertisement

However, the lawsuit alleges that Cinemark dupes its customers by shortchanging them on sales for the 24-ounce beverage cup instead of the 20-ounce beverage cup.

The reality is that consumers pay less for a 20-ounce cup, which is also a better deal than buying a 24-ounce beverage cup.

The complaint stated,

Advertisement

“The size of the container in relation to the actual volume of the product contained in it was intended to mislead the consumer into believing the consumer was getting more of the product than what was in the container by a twelfth.”

The lawsuit was brought by Texas resident Shane Waldrop, who purchased a 24-ounce beverage cup in February which cost him $8.80 before tax.

However, on closer look, he realized that the cup was not large enough to hold 24 ounces. This was confirmed later when Shane took the cup home and found that it could contain only 22 ounces of liquid.

Thus, the consumer was duped 2 ounces for every cup he bought.

Advertisement

The lawsuit charged the movie theater chain with neglectful falsification, deception, unjust profiteering, and a violation of Texas’ Deceptive Trade Practices Act and asked for a court order to halt such practices.

Waldrop is seeking compensatory damages and also demanded a jury trial over the claims.

Also Read: Johnson Controls subsidiary Tyco Fire Products to pay $750 mn to settle ‘forever chemicals’ lawsuit

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Business

Mukesh Ambani’s 67th Birthday: How He Built The Reliance Industries

Published

on

Mukesh Ambani Birthday

It is Mukesh Ambani’s 67th birthday, and today we will try to get to know about the incredible journey of this man who, with sheer determination and grit, has created one of the biggest conglomerates in the world.

Reliance Industries, which passed into his hands in the 2000s, grew at a pace which was phenomenal.

Born on April 19 to Dhirubhai Ambani and Kokilaben in Aden, Yemen, where his father was based before moving back to India.

Advertisement

Reliance Industries was already a big company, but its growth after Mukesh Ambani took on the reins was phenomenal.

With astute business acumen and strategic vision, Ambani has propelled Reliance Industries to dizzying heights, making it one of India’s most powerful empires.

It was under his stewardship that Reliance Industries diversified from being a petroleum company to enter other fields like Telecommunication and the Aerospace industry.

Advertisement

The 5G revolution, which has swept the country, is largely due to the efforts of Mukesh Ambani and his company Jio. Jio offered high-speed and cheap internet services to the farthest corners of the company, and this helped it to capture a major chunk of the telecommunication sector. Today the nation’s population is using internet data in an unprecedented way.

Another diversification move was the entry of Reliance Industries into retail, energy, petrochemicals, and media. Reliance also acquired and invested in Future Group’s retail assets, as well as the creation of JioMart, an e-commerce venture.

Reliance also entered into a partnership with the Indian media company Viacom18 and the American entertainment giant Disney to create a joint venture, valued at $8.5 billion. The venture also gave exclusive rights to Reliance to distribute Disney productions in India.

Advertisement

It is his futuristic vision which catalyzed Reliance Industries to invest heavily in the renewable energy sector. The company has built solar and wind energy farms and is contributing in a big way to help India achieve its renewable energy targets while lowering carbon emissions and environmental impact.

Again, it is his futuristic views which made him create the Jio Institute, which is a truly world-class educational institution dedicated to cutting-edge research and technical improvement. The stated motto of the institute is to help develop future leaders and innovators who will help the country grow to become a developed nation in the coming decades.

The phenomenal growth and success of Reliance Industry can be attributed to Mukesh’s keen sense to anticipate market trends, evolve as per changing consumer preferences, seize emerging possibilities, and produce products and services of the highest quality.

Advertisement

As of April 19, 2024, according to Forbes, Mukesh Ambani’s net worth is to the tune of $115.8 billion, and he is ranked one of the top 10 wealthiest people in the world on Forbes magazine’s annual list of billionaires in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Continue Reading

Trending

This will close in 5 seconds