Agenda of ECOFIN meeting on 20 January
On 20 January 2026, the EU Finance Ministers will hold their first meeting for the year 2026. Based on the agenda, the Council is expected to hear a presentation of the Cyprus Presidency work programme for the first semester of the year in the field of economic and financial affairs. Ministers will then exchange views on the economic and financial impact of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The Council is also expected to address issues related to economic recovery in Europe. Furthermore, Ministers are set to adopt Council implementing decisions under the Recovery and Resilience Facility approving modified recovery and resilience plans submitted by Member States. As part of the European Semester 2026, the Council is expected to adopt decisions and recommendations under the Excessive Deficit Procedure and to take note of the implementation of the economic governance framework. No specific taxation items are listed on the agenda. The next meeting of the ECOFIN council will take place on 17 February 2026.
OECD webinar clarifies Pillar Two side-by-side system and reporting simplifications
On 13 January 2026, the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration held a webinar on the implementation of the Pillar Two side-by-side (SbS) system and the simplification package agreed by the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on 5 January 2026, focusing on compliance challenges arising from the expiry of transitional safe harbours and the entry into force of the Undertaxed Profits Rule (UTPR) from 2026. The OECD provided further detail on the simplified jurisdictional effective tax rate (ETR) safe harbour, the one-year extension of the transitional country-by-country reporting (CbCR) safe harbour and the substance-based tax incentive safe harbour applicable from 1 January 2026. OECD officials confirmed ongoing work to streamline Pillar Two reporting obligations, with updates and clarifications to the GloBE Information Return expected by mid-2026, while stressing that filing and notification deadlines for the 2024 and 2025 fiscal years remain unchanged and due by mid-2026. Further guidance is planned on integrity rules to prevent arbitrage, as well as on investment entities, minority-owned constituent entities, joint ventures, mobile assets and hyperinflationary economies. The webinar replay and final presentation materials are available.
EU Tax Symposium on 16-17 March 2026: registration is now open
Registration is now open for the EU tax symposium 2026, with the European Parliament and the European Commission having published the two-day programme for the event taking place on 16–17 March 2026 in Brussels. The first day at Autoworld begins with a plenary welcome and moves into parallel sessions on simplifying taxation to support innovation, growth and compliance, including discussions on how taxation can support growth and innovation and on simplifying EU tax systems to reduce compliance burdens while safeguarding revenues, followed by sessions on managing tax expenditures and closing tax gaps. The second day in the Hemicycle of the European Parliament opens with keynote speeches from the European Commission, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union and the OECD, followed by panels on the EU at a crossroads between international tax cooperation and strategic autonomy in taxing digital activities, the future after the G7/G20 agreement, tax measures to fight the housing crisis and how taxation can boost the savings and investments union. A Nobel Prize conversation on global fairness and growth featuring Joseph Stiglitz and Philippe Aghion is also included.
FISC Subcommittee meeting on tax obstacles and tax harmonisation on 27 January
On 27 January 2026, the Subcommittee on Tax Matters (FISC) of the European Parliament will hold a meeting. According to the draft agenda published on 15 January 2026, the session will include a public hearing on “Tackling tax obstacles in the Single Market”. The hearing will bring together experts to present their views and exchange with FISC MEPs on remaining tax-related obstacles and distortions in the Single Market. The discussion will focus on challenges arising from the coexistence of national tax systems within the EU and possible ways to address them within the current legal framework. The hearing follows the publication of the European Commission’s Single Market Strategy in May 2025, which aims to strengthen the Internal Market. In addition, during the same meeting, FISC MEPs will be presented with a study on the future of EU tax policy harmonisation- cost of non-Europe report, prepared by the European Added Value Unit of the European Parliamentary Research Service (EPRS). The study focuses on wealth taxation, the taxation of cryptoassets, the digitalisation of tax administration and tax compliance burdens.
CBAM enters into force in the EU
The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) entered into force on 1 January 2026. According to the European Commission, the mechanism is now fully operational across all Member States following the completion of technical preparations, including the connection of the CBAM Registry with national customs systems. Under the definitive phase of CBAM, only authorised CBAM declarants are allowed to import goods covered by the mechanism into the EU. Customs authorities are required to verify CBAM authorisation prior to the release of goods for free circulation. Importers must comply with CBAM obligations, including the reporting of embedded emissions and the purchase and surrender of CBAM certificates. CBAM applies to imports of certain carbon-intensive goods, including cement, iron and steel, aluminium, fertilisers, electricity and hydrogen. The Commission has confirmed that no changes have been made to the implementation timeline. The Council Working Party on CBAM will meet on 20 January 2026, where, according to the agenda, the European Commission is expected to present a proposal for a regulation establishing a Temporary Decarbonisation Fund, followed by an initial exchange of views among Member States.
EU Tax Observatory to operate under two-pillar research structure
The EU Tax Observatory is set to operate under a revamped structure built around two complementary research pillars, according to a LinkedIn post on 15 January 2026 by Benjamin Angel, Director for Direct Taxation at the European Commission. One pillar will focus on tax competitiveness, with a strong contribution from a Bruegel-led consortium headed by Pascal Saint-Amans, while a second pillar will concentrate on identifying and addressing tax gaps, under the leadership of Gabriel Zucman and the Paris School of Economics, as explained in his LinkedIn post on 14 January 2026.The two pillars will work in close cooperation with a broad network of European research institutions across Europe. The revised structure aims to strengthen analytical work on key EU tax challenges and support evidence-based policy discussions on competitiveness, social models and the green transition.
OECD public consultation meeting on global mobility on 20 January
Following the launch of its public consultation on global mobility in December 2025, the OECD will hold a public consultation meeting on global mobility on 20 January 2026 (09:00–16:15 CET). The consultation follows the OECD’s release of a public consultation document in November 2025 which examines tax challenges linked to the increasing cross-border mobility of individuals. These include issues related to tax residence, the taxation of employment income, compliance obligations for mobile workers and employers, and administrative cooperation between tax authorities. The meeting is intended to allow stakeholders to discuss the tax issues raised in the consultation document and to exchange views with the OECD Secretariat. The OECD has also published the comments received in advance of the meeting. Participation in the meeting requires prior registration, either for virtual attendance by 19 January or in-person participation by 16 January.
OECD publishes guidance on digital continuous transaction reporting for VAT
On 10 January 2026, the OECD released new guidance on digital continuous transaction reporting (DCTR) for VAT, setting out policy and design considerations for jurisdictions introducing or operating systems requiring real-time or near real-time transmission of invoice or transactional data to tax authorities. The report responds to the rapid and largely uncoordinated proliferation of DCTR regimes worldwide, which has led to heterogeneous national approaches and increasing compliance challenges, particularly for businesses operating across borders. The guidance is structured around six key areas: establishing a strategic basis for DCTR; the role of digital invoicing as the foundation for reporting; measures to facilitate business compliance; information security; interoperability of data exchange systems; and the long-term sustainability of DCTR regimes. The report highlights the importance of limiting data requirements to what is strictly necessary, providing adequate lead time for implementation and avoiding design choices that could disrupt normal business operations. It also includes an illustrative, non-binding implementation roadmap outlining typical phases from preparation and introduction to deployment and post-implementation evaluation, noting that timelines depend on national circumstances. The OECD underlines that the guidance does not constitute a recommendation to introduce DCTR and that any decision to do so remains a sovereign choice for jurisdictions.
Guatemala joins the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on BEPS
On 12 January 2026, Guatemala has become the 148th member of the OECD/G20 Inclusive Framework on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS), the OECD has announced. As a member, Guatemala will participate on an equal footing with other jurisdictions in advancing the implementation and monitoring of the BEPS measures, including the agreed minimum standards. The accession further broadens the reach of the Inclusive Framework and reflects ongoing efforts to strengthen international tax cooperation.
Fiji signs Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters
On 15 January 2026, the OECD reported that Fiji became the 152nd jurisdiction to sign the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters, broadening its engagement in international tax cooperation. The Convention, developed by the OECD and the Council of Europe, facilitates extensive mutual assistance in tax matters, including exchange of information on request, spontaneous and automatic exchange and support in tax collection. Fiji’s signature further strengthens the global network for transparency and co-operation in tackling tax evasion and avoidance.
