121 million euros seized from Amazon

„Workers‘ tanks and exploitation“, another investigation by the Milan pm.

the Economic and Financial Police Unit of the GDF in Milan, in an investigation by the pm Paolo Storari and Valentina Mondovì, carried out an urgent preventive seizure of about 121 million euros for tax fraud against the Italian branch of Amazon, the e-commerce giant.
The survey, like others of the sm Storari pm, sees at the center the „labor tanks“, an alleged system through which large companies guarantee „highly competitive tariffs“ on the market „by contracting“ for their logistics services, the workforce of cooperatives, consortia and „filter“ companies in an irregular way, with the attached „exploitation of work“.
The alleged „system“ also described in the latter investigation, which led to the 121 million emergency kidnapping this morning, had already surfaced even in cases, just to name a few, investigations into Dhl, Gls, Uber, Lidl, Brt, Geodis, Esselunga, Securitalia, Ups, Gs of the Carrefour and Gxo group, with the latest seizure of almost 84 million on July 2nd. The seizure signed by the pms by Amazon Italia, a group founded by Jeff Bezos with over 500 billion in turnover per year, must also be validated by the gip office.
The investigations revealed events in photocopies of „exploited“ workers, forced to pass as in a „transhumance“ from one company to another from which they were formally hired – „filter“ company“ or consortia – and always left without social security and welfare contributions. An alleged „scheme“ made with false invoices and VAT evasion and which saw the center in the various investigations, in addition to logistics, also the porterage and private surveillance services, all targeted by the Milanese prosecutor, led by Marcello Viola and with the deputy procurator Tiziana Siciliano. With the investigations, coordinated by pm Storari, the companies, at least fifteen in all, then paid the tax authorities, as compensation on the contested sums, a „total“of about half a billion euros, as was also highlighted in the latest seizure decree: for example, over 35 million from Dhl, 38 million from Gls, almost 48 million from Esselunga, 146 million from Brt, over 86 million from Ups. Furthermore, the companies, as clarified by the Prosecutor’s Office, „provided to internalize the employees, first ‚at the mercy‘ of the cooperatives“. Thus, about 14 thousand employees were stabilized over the years and 70 thousand were increased in wages.of cooperatives“. Thus, about 14 thousand employees were stabilized over the years and 70 thousand were increased in wages.of cooperatives“. Thus, about 14 thousand employees were stabilized over the years and 70 thousand were increased in wages.

Pm, unpaid contributions to workers

Rebuilding „the ‚labor supply chain‘, it was found that the working relationships with the client company were ‚shielded‘ by the ‚filter‘ company‘ which in turn made use of several cooperative companies (‚tank‘ company), which systematically omitted the payment of VAT, as well as social security and welfare charges“. The Milan prosecutor Marcello Viola writes it in a note in relation to the seizure of over 121 million euros from the Italian branch of Amazon, that is Amazon Italia Transport srl, based in Viale Monte Grappa, in Milan. The investigations, „carried out by the Economic and Financial Police Unit of Milan with the collaboration of the Illegal Contrast Sector of the Revenue Agency,they concern the phenomenon of illicit administration of labor“. The investigative hypotheses concern, explains the Prosecutor, „a complex tax fraud deriving from the use, by the final beneficiary“, ie Amazon Italia, „the illegal mechanism of invoices for legally non-existent transactions against the stipulation of fictitious procurement contracts for the administration of labor, in violation of sector legislation, which led to the issue and consequent use of false documents“. Furthermore, the Prosecutor’s Office continues, „several searches in the provinces of Milan and Turin against the natural and legal persons involved, with simultaneous notification of the guarantee information,also with regard to the administrative responsibility of the entities in relation to the criminal offenses committed by the company’s managers, in favor of the latter“. Read all the news

Source: ANSA

OECD ranking: Slovak wages still very far from the world average

July 19, 2024

The global landscape of annual average wages reveals strong contrasts, influenced by factors such as economic development, cost of living and labor laws. The data published by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) underline these disparities, adjusted according to purchasing power parity (PPP) to take into account the cost of living and differences in inflation. The OECD has provided data for 30 of its 38 member countries, classifying countries based on their average annual wages, offering a snapshot of global income levels.
Italy ranks 19 ° in place of the ranking with an average annual salary of 44,893 dollars. The position reflects the complex economic landscape of our country and with no small surprise we find ourselves overtaken by Slovenia, which has gained 18 ° place. Slovakia, positioned at the bottom of the ranking at 28 ° placed with an average annual salary of 26,263 dollars, is still far from the average wages of the most advanced countries.
The OECD ranking
Country and Average annual salary (in USD dollars, adjusted for purchasing power parity)

1 Luxembourg 78.310
2 UNITED STATES 77.463
3 Switzerland 72,993
4 Belgium 64.848
5 Denmark 64.127
6 Austria 63.802
7 Netherlands 63,225
8 Australia 59.408
9 Canada 59,050
10 Germany 58,940
11 UNITED KINGDOM 53,985
12 Norway 53.756
13 France 52.764
14 Ireland 52.243
15 Finland 51.836
16 Sweden 50,407
17 South Korea 48,922
18 Slovenia 47.204
19 Italy 44.893
20 Israel 44.156
21 Spain 42.859
22 Japan 41.509
23 Poland 36.897
24 Estonia 34,705
25 Czech Republic 33,476
26 Portugal 31.922
27 Hungary 28,475
28 Slovak Republic 26,263
29 Greece 25,979
30 Mexico 16,685

New logistics project in Podunajské Biskupice and Chorvátský Grob

July 17, 2024

The developer Blueprint (Robert Paldia and Peter Dzúrik) is planning two logistics projects in Podunajské Biskupice and Chorvátský Grob for 120 million euros. It is a project that responds to the high demand for logistics premises. Both projects will be financed by 365.invest Capital FKI, managed by 365.invest.
Slovakia’s largest parcel box operator, Czech Packeta, will add 1,000 Boxes within six months. It currently has 1,600. Among the chosen locations there will be the Lidl and Kaufland stores. Alza has over 700 boxes in Slovakia, Slovenská pošta 229 and GLS 534.
The SPS courier has also started building their own parcel boxes. Gradually he wants to have hundreds in Slovakia and has already opened the top ten parcel stations. Nine of them are located in Bratislava.

EON a MAN vybudujú v Európe nabíjaciu sieť pre elektrické nákladné autá

Júl 11, 2024

Mníchov 11. júla (TASR) – Nemecký energetický koncern EON a výrobca nákladných vozidiel MAN plánujú vytvoriť verejnú nabíjaciu sieť pre elektrické nákladné autá v Európe. Prvé stanice by sa mali otvoriť ešte tento rok a do konca roka 2025 by malo pribudnúť ďalších 80, oznámili vo štvrtok obe spoločnosti. TASR o tom informuje na základe správy agentúry DPA.
Stanice plánujú zriadiť v rámci existujúcej servisnej siete spoločnosti MAN, budú ale prístupné aj pre úžitkové vozidlá iných výrobcov. Celkovo sa plánuje 170 staníc, ktoré poskytnú 400 nabíjacích miest, z toho 125 v Nemecku. Ďalšie budú v Rakúsku, Británii, Dánsku, Taliansku, Poľsku, Českej republike a Maďarsku.
Nemecká vláda len pred vyše týždňom oznámila samostatnú iniciatívu, ktorej cieľom je zriadiť v Nemecku 350 nabíjacích miest.
„Masívne investujeme, aby sme rozhodujúcim spôsobom podporili infraštruktúru pre elektrickú ťažkú nákladnú dopravu,“ uviedol Leonhard Birnbaum, generálny riaditeľ EON. „Prakticky všetci významní výrobcovia sa v súčasnosti vo svojom vývoji zameriavajú na elektromobilitu. Na konečný prielom potrebujeme komplexnú, vysoko výkonnú nabíjaciu infraštruktúru, ktorá bude od začiatku európska,“ dodal Birnbaum.
Do roku 2030 bude v Európe potrebných približne 50.000 nabíjacích miest pre ťažké úžitkové vozidlá, uviedol Alexander Vlaskamp, šéf spoločnosti MAN. „Samozrejme, ako výrobca elektrických nákladných vozidiel k tomu prispievame aj my,“ dodal.

Smart roads arrive in Italy. What are those black poles on Italian roads?

July 10, 2024

Many are wondering what those black poles are starting to see on the highway. Black poles are a part of the smart infrastructure that is already in operation. The black poles, characterized by green, white and red stripes, have different functions: they are wifi antennas that communicate with each other and with cars, they are drone charging stations, they are equipped with detection sensors of various kinds. They are detection tools and wi-fi antennas capable of detecting information and transmitting data and can communicate both with cars and by sending useful information to traffic control centers. Anas, also thanks to European contributions, has made an investment of around 250 million euros on some road arteries throughout Italy.The infrastructure also involves the use of a series of drones that are guided and recharged by black poles on the highway. The drones will have built-in sensors and offer moving wi-fi connection services. A charging station will then be installed above the poles from which drones can take off and start monitoring the road. Anas‘ project is already complete on Salerno-Reggio Calabria, on the Grande Raccordo Anulare in Rome (A90), on the A91 Rome-Fiumicino motorway, on the Orte-Mestre itinerary of the E45 and E55, on the A19 Palermo-Catania motorway and on the RA15 Tangenziale di Catania and other roads of primary importance. A charging station will then be installed above the poles from which drones can take off and start monitoring the road. Anas‘ project is already complete on Salerno-Reggio Calabria, on the Grande Raccordo Anulare in Rome (A90), on the A91 Rome-Fiumicino motorway, on the Orte-Mestre itinerary of the E45 and E55, on the A19 Palermo-Catania motorway and on the RA15 Tangenziale di Catania and other roads of primary importance. A charging station will then be installed above the poles from which drones can take off and start monitoring the road. Anas‘ project is already complete on Salerno-Reggio Calabria, on the Grande Raccordo Anulare in Rome (A90), on the A91 Rome-Fiumicino motorway, on the Orte-Mestre itinerary of the E45 and E55, on the A19 Palermo-Catania motorway and on the RA15 Tangenziale di Catania and other roads of primary importance.

Source: Camit

Global risks for 2024: the analysis of the Economist

July 8, 2024

As the mid-decade approaches, the global economic and geopolitical landscape is fraught with significant risks that could affect the years to come. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), five main threats stand out, each with different probabilities and potential impacts.

1. Worsening monetary policy and global recession
Despite predicting stable growth, there remains a moderate risk that central banks will continue to tighten monetary policy if inflation accelerates again. Such actions could trigger a global recession, resulting in increased financial volatility and global economic conditions. A prolonged rise in interest rates would aggravate financial instability and slow economic recovery efforts.

2. Extreme weather events induced by climate change
The increase in the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, caused by climate change, represent a high probability threat with a moderate impact. Severe droughts, heat waves and other climatic disturbances could lead to significant production declines, food shortages and global supply chain interruptions. These environmental challenges could also provoke mass migration and conflict, further destabilizing the affected regions and beyond.

3. Geopolitical tensions: China-Taiwan conflict
A potential conflict between China and Taiwan, although currently rated as unlikely, would have an exceptionally high impact. Such a scenario could separate Taiwan’s crucial semiconductor industry from the global supply chain and degenerate into a broader military confrontation that would involve the United States and its allies. The economic and geopolitical repercussions of a war between the two sides of the Strait would be profound, with an interruption of international trade and investment.

4. Escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas
Although considered very unlikely, an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hamas in a regional war would have serious repercussions. A wider involvement by other state and non-state actors could destabilize the Middle East, stop energy supplies globally and undermine regional reconciliation efforts. This would not only aggravate humanitarian crises, but would also entail significant risks for global economic stability.

5. Artificial intelligence and electoral unrest
The growing use of generative artificial intelligence presents a risk of moderate probability of disturbing the main elections. AI-led disinformation campaigns could erode citizens‘ trust in political institutions and potentially influence election results in major democracies such as the United States, the United Kingdom, the EU, India and Taiwan. Although the immediate impact may be low, the long-term erosion of political stability and trust could have serious implications for democratic governance.

Source: Camit

ADR transport derogations: the European Commission updates the list

Member States may apply to the EU in order to be authorized to derogate

The European Commission has updated the list of exemptions allowed for the transport of dangerous goods by road, rail or inland waterway in the territories of thirteen member states of the European Union, excluding Italy.

According to EU Executive Decision 2024/1762 / EU, the list of derogations is valid for Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Hungary, without any specific reference to Italy.

In accordance with Article 6 of Directive 2008/68 / EC, Member States may request authorization from the EU to derogate from the Adr (road) agreements, Rid (railway) and Adn (inland waterway) in specific situations, such as the transport of small quantities of dangerous goods, local transport over short distances or rail transport on designated and monitored routes.

The annexes to Directive 2008/68 / EC contain the updated list of derogations, which is reviewed annually on the basis of new requests submitted to the EU Executive.

Source: ENVIRONMENTAL NETWORK