In a bid to recover money from the black economy and tax evasion, the government has approved a fiscal amnesty that will continue until the end of this year. According estimates, Swiss banks have 45 billion euros of deposiis from Spanish clients.
Tax amnesty to recover Swiss accounts – Expansión
Berne's issuing of a warrant for the arrest of three German tax inspectors accused of industrial espionage has sparked controversy in Germany. The opposition has condemned what it terms an attempt to intimidate, while Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble has insisted that Swiss authorities are within their rights.
Outrage at Swiss arrest warrant – Süddeutsche Zeitung
In 2011, police and security services launched 1.85 million procedures to recover call, text message and Internet data, setting “a European record”.
Poland is surveillance champion – Gazeta Wyborcza
The new Slovak government wants to change the country's welfare system so that benefit recipients who behave badly — delinquents and the unemployed who fail to seek work — will be given food stamps instead of cash. Authorisation from the EU will be requested for the measures, which mainly target the Roma community, before they are put to a vote in Bratislava.
Plan targets badly behaved benefit recipients – SME
According to the polls, the centre-left People's Party founded in 2011 by television presenter Dan Diaconescu will be ranked second in local elections on 10 June. România libera notes that the party includes a number of disreputable figures.
Who will Diaconescu put in the driving seat? – România libera
Over the last two years, 250 service stations have closed in the country, where the number of hold-ups is on the rise. Of the remaining 2,500, some 300 are now under threat, and the increase in the price of petrol will make a further negative contribution to a harsh business environment.
Service stations closing down – Jornal de Notícias
In a context marked by indifference to politics, many voters are uninspired by the presidential campaign. According to a recent IFOP poll, the rate of abstention could reach a record 32% in the first round of the vote on 22 April.
The risk of abstention – Aujourd'hui en France - Le Parisien
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