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Brussels Edition: Euro's new top dog

Brussels Edition
Bloomberg

Welcome to the Brussels Edition, Bloomberg's daily briefing on what matters most in the heart of the European Union.

Euro-area finance ministers will vote today to elect a new Eurogroup president, and candidates from Ireland, Luxembourg and Spain are in the running. The club made up of the currency bloc's 19 finance chiefs became known as one of the region's most influential bodies during the sovereign debt crisis, but in recent years it's struggled to make headway with key issues like a meaningful joint budget or banking reform. Whoever clinches the gig will have their work cut out for them. Not only will they be called to steer the euro area through an unprecedented recession and push through unfinished reforms, they'll also need to give the group a fresh purpose in the post-coronavirus era.

John Ainger and Viktoria Dendrinou

What's Happening

Recovery Push | German Chancellor Angela Merkel is once again upping the ante on the EU to back a recovery plan, calling the coronavirus crisis the biggest challenge in the bloc's history. There's difficult talks ahead though, with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban saying that an agreement is unlikely to come at this month's summit.

More Stimulus | Europe's governments are beginning to look at the next big idea to help support an economic rebound: buying stakes in small companies. To prevent cascading bankruptcies, the concept is gaining traction among officials and economists. Here's how that might work.

Dealing With Trump | After Donald Trump became president, some of the U.S.'s oldest allies believed they could anticipate his next move. But as he seeks re-election, officials from Berlin to Tokyo now understand that they were wrong.

YouTube Snitch | In a case that stems from the owner of the rights to films such as "Scary Movie 5," Google's YouTube will find out today from the EU's highest court whether it may be forced to snitch on people who post copyright-infringing videos on its platform and then hand over private contact details to authorities.

Gender Gap | Germany is pushing to narrow the gender gap with new targets aimed at increasing female representation in board rooms and in the country's largest political party. Merkel's cabinet approved a proposal that would increase the number of companies required to have at least 30% women on their supervisory boards, and her party is going for 50% in official posts.

In Case You Missed It

Listen Up | France's Emmanuel Macron reshuffled his government Monday, hoping to inject new energy into his presidency after slipping in polls following the coronavirus outbreak. Can he win re-election? Tune in to find out.

Lockdowns Return | Re-imposing lockdowns was perhaps never going to be easy, but in Serbia thousands of protesters clashed with police after the president said that one of the strictest confinement regimes would be reinstated. The situation drew renewed focus when tennis star Novak Djokovic tested positive for the virus after hosting a tournament.

The Catch | A fisheries agreement between the U.K. and the EU — a key sticking point in talks between the two sides — may not be finalized until December, five months later than scheduled, Environment Secretary George Eustice said. So much for that fish dinner.

Did it work? | The European Central Bank now has the time to assess the effectiveness of the trillions of euros of stimulus, President Christine Lagarde said in an interview with the Financial Times. The institution would also look at "every avenue" to combat climate change, she said.

Movie Angst | Movie theaters face plenty of challenges in attempting to reopen from their pandemic shutdown: mask requirements, state guidelines that change by the day and a dearth of new movies. But one of their biggest hurdles may be luring back older filmgoers.

Chart of the Day

New data show the extent to which multinational companies shift profits around the globe to avoid tax, increasing pressure on international efforts to rewrite rules for a digital era, the OECD said. For the first time, the Paris-based organization published aggregate data on the activities and taxes of 4,000 multinationals. Overall, profits reported in low-tax countries are much higher relative to economic activities than in larger nations.

Today's Agenda

All times CET.

  • 9:15 a.m. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks to EU lawmakers in Brussels about situation in the eastern Mediterranean and Turkey
  • 9:30 a.m. Council President Charles Michel receives Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa, who then meets Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at 2 p.m.
  • 9:30 a.m. The EU's top court rules in two cases referred from a court in Romania seeking clarity on questions concerning unfair terms in consumer contracts 
  • 9:30 a.m. The EU's top court gives a binding ruling in a case pitting a consumer organization against Volkswagen over compensation claims stemming from the 2015 diesel scandal
  • 9:30 a.m. The EU's top court will give its binding ruling in a case over whether Google's YouTube can be forced to reveal private contact details of people posting copyright-infringing films
  • 2:30 p.m. French National Assembly hears from Chief EU Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier
  • 3 p.m. Euro-area finance ministers to discuss the state of the euro and latest economic forecasts, and vote for the next Eurogroup president
  • Merkel hosts Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in Berlin

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