Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with EU

How to transit Gatwick expeditiously

lungtaworld — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:17:46 -0800

Mrs L (US passport) and I (UK passport) are flying from Orlando to Gatwick (Virgin Atlantic)arriving 0845, then on to Nice, France on Easyjet departing 1125. Once at Gatwick (and thus inside the EU) will we have to pass through Customs and Passport Control again to get on the Nice flight?
I have paid extra for Easyjet "Special Boarding Plus" but cannot find details of special disabled boarding on their website.
Anyone done this, if so please advise!

Can I live/work in U.K. and/or E.U

Muirwylde — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:47:49 -0800

Father born in England. Father now a Canadian citizen. As his son, what are my live/work options for E.U. and U.K.? Singular circumstances... Father emigrated from U.K. where he was born, to Canada at age seven in 1930's. I was adopted by my U.K. born father and Canadian mother at 18 months of age from a Manhattan orphanage (I was born in Manhattan to a Canadian mother {my biological mother}) who just happened to be in New York when I was born. I have a US birth certificate and a Canadian Citizenship card. I have a Canadian SSI number and a US SSN number.

Am I a duel citizen of both US and Canada? Am I eligible for a U.K. passport? Am I able work in the E.U.? What is the process to legally live/work in the U.K. or the E.U. based on my circumstance? Am I technically eligible for three passports (Canadian, US, U.K)? Are you allowed to hold more than one passport at a time? (I'm assuming probably not). I currently have no passports.

Scared of going to prison due to tax payments. Need advice...

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 19:11:31 -0800

Scared of going to prison due to tax payments. Need advice... Please note:
*I was based in the UK.

*I know my spelling and grammar is terrible, I have learning difficulties.

* I now live in a EU country

I recently ran a company for 2 years, 1st year went very well and paid all the taxe for the company, myself and the staff contributions. 2nd year I was hit hard due to rates rising and customers going bankrupt. Which left me in no position to lay-off all the staff and leave the company premises. I tried to keep the company running but was failing to keep up with loan repayments and tax. I barely had enough to survive to pay the bills. I notified companies house that I will no longer be trading in the UK. They asked to write them a letter and I managed to get my accountant to sort out. However taxes was owed to the tax man in which I cannot close the company. There is no chance of getting out of it without declaring myself bankrupt. Which in my proffession means I cannot become a professional in that field anymore. I cannot risk this.

So I decided to move abroad to a country in Europe to start fresh. I left all my personal debt behind for personal loans which started up the company in the first place. My old company will becoming struck-off soon as lack of communication. I have been living abroad for about 8 months, starting up from scratch. Same again, finding it hard to pay bills but without owing anyone where I live. (I will no longer loan money). However I recieved a letter from one of the banks that I owe £800 too, I had not left any information of my wareabouts. They have thretened to take my belongings (Which I don't have any, apart from clothes and work computer). I'm baffled on how they found my address.

I owe approx: £30,000 spread out between banks, loans and credit cards. I leave no bad debt for my company apart from the 2nd year tax in which I lost everything.

I owe approx £3,000 in tax. I had to pay my old staff by selling equipment in the office. Nothing left on the old company is left.

My question is:

* Can the money I owe in the UK get shifted to my countries debt handlers? and risk bailiffs at my door?

* My debt: I have been told if I leave the UK for more than 5 years. The money owed will be cleared. However I have to stay annonoymous in my new address. Is this true?

* I know my company is being struck off in the UK, but the tax I owe. Can I risk getting jailtime for this?

* If I visit family in the UK could I be arrested?

* If I become a registered resident of the new EU country. Could I be tracked by other owed banks in the UK?

Bankrupsy isnt an option :(

I'm having sleepless nights over this and feel like its the end of the road.

I really appriciate any serious response, I know I'm bad for owing money to the banks. But that money was personal to setting up the company in the 1st place.

Does an Irish citizen need a passport to travel to Spain?

aelish — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:11:16 -0800

Does an EU citizen need a passport to travel between EU countries? The BF and I are planning a trip to Spain in late July. He has an expired Irish passport (yes he's a twit). He has a driver's license, but not a national ID card that I know of. Will he need a passport to go between the UK (he lives in Northern Ireland) and Spain? If he can't get his passport renewed before we travel, will his license be enough ID?

Also, how long does it take to get a passport renewed in Ireland?

thanks

Wir say OUI?

Sova — Mon, 11 May 2009 11:12:24 -0800

Have I just witnessed the first pan-European political campaign advert? When I go to certain sites, such as here or here I've noticed that I receive an advert for the political party Libertas. The advert more or less goes like this in English:

"Should you get to vote on the new European constitution?"
"Brussels says NO"
"We say YES!"
"Sign the petition @ libertas.eu"

Obviously they're campaigning for the upcoming European elections, but I also know that they bill themselves as a pan-European party. So are they just targetting me in the UK, or is this translated and targetted at all Europeans? Do you see it in your home language on certain sites with roughly the same message? I can't check this myself, but I would like to know whether or not you've run across it.

I'm a politics student (not a Libertas supporter!) and would love to know if this is the first time we've all been exposed to the same campaign advert.

Does the whole EU have to fight?

Alec Loudenback — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 16:05:58 -0800

If a country in the European Union becomes involved in a major military conflict (politi-speak for big war), would it drag the other nations into it like other binding agreements in European past? I can't find any real yes or no online. I do know that the EU has it's own troops, but I am talking about if China decides to attack Germany, and Germany (as a sovereign nation) fights back, do all of the other nations have to fight too?

I understand that in a major situation like that, other countries would probably ally with Germany anyway, but are the legally bound by the EU constitution/agreement/treaty/other document of the EU?

Bonus points for specific references to a EU document/ other official source.

how do I file taxes in the UK?

krautland — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 04:09:58 -0800

I lived in the UK in 2008, I need to file a tax return. please walk me through it. cliff notes version: moved to london mid-2008 and stayed until late december. I did freelance work there. I am a EU citizen but until now have filed in the US. I don't know when, where and how to file a tax return in the UK and I am presently not there anymore but of course need to file if I want anything back.

anyone want to outline how to go about this for me?

How can I live in Europe?

ageispolis — Wed, 04 Feb 2009 12:58:58 -0800

How does one become a citizen of the E.U.? Excuse my lack of knowledge when it comes to European immigration, but I'd like to live to there. I'm Canadian, finishing an undergrad, and was wondering if this is possible. Do I need to nail a "real" job down there first prior to my departure -- or can I go ahead and wander on over there, find a lowly job, extend my visa, and then live there long enough, say 5 years, then sort of just nestle my way in? Would my best bet be to marry someone presently living there? Has anyone here personally done this?

EU Passport Photograph in Boston/Providence area?

Ylajali — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:05:42 -0800

Does anyone know where I can get a passport photograph taken that meets EU regulations in the Providence/Boston area? I went to the UPS store, but they took an American passport photograph. I tried taking it myself with the help of some fancy software, but the photographs were rejected by the consulate. Now I'm desperate and I've no idea where to start looking for a place that might be able to help me out...

Does carbon trading make a difference?

henry.oswald — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:16:02 -0800

Why should energy supply companies bother making people houses greener when they are essentially reducing demand for their good? (quite a UK based question) I've been looking at carbon credits, the EU Emissions trading scheme and CERTs and have a good handle on it now but the main question is why should the energy suppliers (British gas, powergen etc) bother?

Electricity suppliers such as British gas are obliged to help improve the energy efficiency of peoples homes, from a cert certified process they receive carbon credits. However from a bit of basic maths it seem silly for a business to reduce the demand for their good.

If a house was insulated and then needed 10% less gas to heat the home, on a £800 yearly bill the energy supplier would lose £80 a year. A house around that size probably produces 4 tonnes of carbon a year - 10% of that is worth about £8 in carbon credits.

£80 - £8 = £72 worse of?

So why should British gas, eon, powergen etc bother to really improve peoples energy efficiency?

What are the most common criticisms of the Treaty of Lisbon?

goodnewsfortheinsane — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:01:34 -0800

What are the most common points of criticism of the Treaty of Lisbon, and how do they relate to the failed European Constitution? My Google-fu is failing me, and moreover I'm also interested in viewpoints from nations whose languages I can't read: between Irish/British and Dutch/Belgian sources you only get so much of the story.

I understand that a common criticism is that the treaty would enhance the powers of unelected officials. What positions are we talking about, here? And would the treaty really bestow more power upon them? I thought part of the treaty's idea was to improve the role of the European Parliament through codecision with the Council, thus making it more democratic. What gives?

Also: after France and the Netherlands held failed referendums on the Constitution, both decided not to hold a referendum on the treaty. Were there any political reasons for this decision, besides fear of another debacle? I know people got mad, but were there any substantial protest movements, especially in France?

Lastly: have the most common criticisms been allayed somewhat by the revision of the Constitution and its repackaging as the Treaty, or do the same criticisms still stand?

I'm sorry if this is a broad question, please let me know if I can be clearer on any points. Thanks in advance for any insight you may have to offer.

Am I eligible to apply for Portugal citizenship?

the jam — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 12:29:50 -0800

I was surprised to learn that some EU countries will allow applications for citizenship based on decent for grandchildren and sometimes great-grandchildren of citizens. I'm having trouble tracking down whether this is the case in Portugal (and whether I would be eligible). Can anyone point me in the right direction?

NGO fundraising

Meatbomb — Sun, 18 May 2008 07:00:34 -0800

Chasing funding and attracting sponsors / donors for an NGO: European Union / Bulgarian / educational context. Please, teach me? My professional experience is as a teacher, teacher trainer, and trainer of trainers. Suddenly an opportunity has come up to lead a Bulgarian educational NGO. The partner I am going to be working with is a trusted friend and colleague, and his background is pretty much the same as mine.

We are very confident that we can successfully design and implement educational programmes, courses, projects, etc., which will be the core of this NGO's activities. The trick is quickly learning how to get the positive attention of donors, and make them fund our stuff. Neither of us has skills / experience in fundraising, submitting project proposals, winning project grants, and in general chasing / securing funding for the work we want to do.

I know there are a lot of Mefites out there with this kind of background. Any advice, links, ideas, places to search to help us hit the ground running and make our NGO a success would be much appreciated.

Beklager, jeg snakker ikke norsk - EU national moving to Norway?

Happy Dave — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:06:53 -0800

Moving around in the EU - how about them fjords there? Another week, another 'how tough would this be?' immigration question.

I'm 26, British, living in the UK, married to an American who is about three or four years away (assuming the UK govt doesn't move the goalposts) from a British passport. I work in communications, she's a journo.

I've been thinking about the future, and in particular the various places in the EU that we might consider living and working, and Norway keeps coming up again and again in my personal wish list. I've always been attracted to Scandinavian culture, and my Dad works for a Norwegian firm and comes back with stories about working over there that make me really excited.

I'm also quite drawn to what I perceive as a pretty liberal, well-run government and strong economy, good education, healthcare and cultural life.

If we were to think about moving to Norway, within, say, five years, what would be the plusses and minuses? Any expats or Norwegian MeFites who have done this or have insights? We live in London at the moment, but may move back to Scotland, where I'm from - how would Norway compare with Scotland in the above terms?

Cheers!

If Hawaii, why not...?

greytape — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 07:32:27 -0800

Why has the United States stopped where it has? Are there any plans for further enlargement? I'm curious as to why the United states isn't looking to grow further as the EU is. Surely there'd be some Caribbean islands that would be keen on membership? And why not Canada/Mexico?

Is the issue that no-one wants to join, or that the US is happy as it is?

How hard is it for a third country national to work in Austria after going through university there?

joewandy — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 22:42:34 -0800

How hard is it for a third country national to work in Austria after going through university there? I'm a 26-years-old Chinese Indonesian who have been living in Singapore for the past 10 years (since my teen-age). 2 years ago, I completed my (3 yrs) bachelor degree in Computing from the National University of Singapore. I have also obtained my Singaporean permanent residence and been working as a software engineer since then in a local company and another MNC.

With only 1 year+ remaining until the completion of my bond with the Singaporean government (due to them sponsoring my undergrad study), I now have to begin evaluating the possible path I could take for the future.

I'd very much like to move to Europe in order to work and live there. However since this is pretty hard to accomplish for a third country national like me, I thought I could first look into studying in a European country and proceed to find job after graduation. I should be able to save up to US$15k by the time I'm ready to leave, coupled with approximate 3 yrs of experience in the IT field. From my parents I could borrow another US$20k (if necessary) for any other expenses while I'm settling down.

I intend to apply to the University of Vienna due to the special low tuition fee of €15.86 / semester for Indonesian. I'd likely enroll into another related bachelor degree programme (e.g. math, science) as I don't think I am up to the challenge of learning cs stuffs at master's level while having to struggle with communicating in German at the same time.

Assuming that I've got all the study matters taken care of (for the sake of discussion), my questions are:

1. Given my prior experiences and qualifications, how hard would it be for me to find tech job in Austria (or surrounding EU countries) upon graduation? I'm inclined to think that having graduated from a 'local' university, it would be much easier for me to be employed within the country as well, but I might be wrong. Do employers have specific preferences in regards to the nationality of people that they are looking for?

2. How much of a period of time that I would have to look for job upon school completion? Is there any kind of temporary visa that I'd be able to apply for while jobhunting within Austria, or do I have to do it from Singapore?

3. How well are asians accepted and integrated into the European society? Let's assume that I could speak intelligible English and German :)

I might have more questions to follow up later, depending on the responses to this thread. Keep in mind that this is still a medium-to-long term plan, I'm basically just trying to determine where I could go from here onwards.

If Bloomberg can buy the Presidency, why not Europe...?

greytape — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 07:38:44 -0800

Is there anything to stop foreign nations donating money to the campaign of a US presidential candidate? So I'm thinking principally of John Mccain, the EU, and climate change.

The EU has got all it's fingers crossed that in 2009 there'll be someone in the White House who will get pro-active on limiting carbon emissions. As the only republican candidate with a decent policy on climate change (I think this is true), it would surely be in the best interests of Europe to donate to his campaign to secure him the Republican ticket, and thus completely avoid the possibility of getting another Republican who won't play ball (presuming that all the democrats would be acceptable). In terms of the EU budget the amount of money it would take to make a serious difference to McCain's campaign would be peanuts, but would have massive effect. Why don't they do it?

Now this is just a hypothetical that occurred to me as a case where such an injection of cash could have a major impact, but has anything like this ever been done? Would it be legal in the US? And is this fairly common practice elsewhere in the world? (I'm thinking of the US donating money to the campaigns of pro-western candidates in ex-soviet republics)

Thanks.

Travel dates in the months before passport expiration

Anonymous — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 09:12:30 -0800

My U.S. passport expires 13 Oct 08 and I need to book one international trip before then: leaving New York 17 July 08, returning 2 Aug 08 (one destination country, a non-EU-member in Eastern Europe, plus stops for flight transfers in one or two EU member countries). Is it even worth researching various countries' and airlines' how-close-to-expiration-date safety ranges for travel, or should I just assume I MUST renew my passport before then?

Living and Working in the E.U.

Anonymous — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 13:01:36 -0800

Moving to the E.U.: I am an American getting married to an E.U. citizen (Spanish, if that helps) and after much discussion she'd like to stay in the E.U. and live there with me. I'm happy with that. I've even got a potential job offer. Help me with the logistics of how this happens. The job I have lined up won't be able to offer me a work visa so I would have to get one through marriage. What are the timelines and documents for this? Do I have to do anything from the U.S. side of things or do I just sort of "disappear"?

I've tried to look for previous questions but most are about bringing a fiancee to the United States. Visajourney.com looks like a great site but is there an inverse to that site for moving to a foreign country? Any personal experiences would be greatly appreciated!

(anonymous because many people don't even know I'm getting married and this is not how I want them to find out)

How best for an EU company to employ someone in the UK?

Jakey — Fri, 26 Oct 2007 02:44:06 -0800

UK employment/company law. How best for an EU company to employ someone in the UK? There is a multinational, with European HQ/manufacturing in Italy. Some employees work remotely, including one employee in the UK. I'm given to understand that the Italian company cannot employ someone directly in the UK. Is this true? If so, what is the most cost effective manner to employ this person in the UK, while retaining the job security of an employee?

Expat skills wanted in the Netherlands?

AdamOddo — Sun, 21 Oct 2007 10:06:30 -0800

As a foreigner, I was wondering what skills or degrees are the key to getting hired to work in the Netherlands. I have a somewhat of a jack-of-all-trades work background, and would like some direction of what to pursue that would make me attractive to Dutch employers. I am aware of having to learn the language, which I'm moving along well with.

I've discussed it with several people who are well versed in Dutch employment and realize how much of a challenge it will be, but I'm still determined. From what I've seen browsing employment sites for expatriates it seems IT is the way to go.

Going back to school isn't out of the question for me. Any ideas?

Polish Citizenship

bigspoon — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:53:03 -0800

Can I obtain Polish Citizenship? Today in one of my classes, my economy professor mentioned the fact that he had recently discovered that people whose great-grandparents/grandparents who emigrated from Poland can apply for Polish citizenship (according to the professor, many people have taken them up on this so they can hold jobs in other parts of the EU). He then said he looked further into it and discovered that it involved a period of residency, the length of which he didn't specify. My mom's side is entirely Polish, my great-grandmother and father came over some time before America joined the allies, I think sometime in the early 30's although it might have been a little later or earlier than that. I was wondering if my eco professor was right about this, if I would be eligible, and how long residency is.

Studying abroad in France - use my old EU citizenship or my new American one?

Muffpub — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 19:22:20 -0800

Duel US and UK citizen studying in Paris... should I be getting a student visa or a residence permit? A little bit of background information:

I'm was born in the UK but moved to the US when I was 3. I became an American citizen last year and have been educated virtually my whole life in the American education system. I'm now a college student planning to study abroad (not with my school, but through another American school's program) this upcoming fall semester in Paris.

Here's the problem: I have a British passport and an American passport, both current, and I don't know which 'identification' I should be using in terms of the legal documents I need to get to be able to study in France. From what I understand, as an EU citizen I would only need a residence permit. (I'm staying for just over 90 days.) But I'm also an American citizen with an American passport studying at an American institution, which would mean I need a student visa, right?.

So I guess my questions would be:
- Any dual citizens out there dealt with this kind of dilemma within the EU, specifically France? What kind of legal pitfalls am I looking at if I'm not careful?
- Am I better off using my more current American passport and citizenship to take the student visa route, or should I stick to identifying myself as a UK citizen and get a residence permit, which would perhaps be easier and quicker? (That's the other problem - I leave in a month, and I know I'm cutting this all very close. I'd appreciate an honest approximation of how long this will actually take to a lecture about how I should have started sooner.)
- *Is* getting a residence permit as an EU citizen easier and quicker?
- Can I be working on getting this documentation once I'm in France, or do I have to have it all figured out on my way in?

Any help would be really appreciated. Google and the study abroad program people are NOT giving me straight answers (if any at all.) Even the French consulate hasn't returned my emails.

Oh, and if it helps to know, I've already registered with the new CampusFrance system and I'm waiting for them to clear my application.

Thanks in advance for any help.

When and how to charge VAT

subpixel — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 05:48:23 -0800

Is there a simple rule that governs VAT charges for e-commerce between EU countries? Every EU country has it's own VAT rate (Germany: 19%, Spain: 16% etc.).

So what rate is to be charged if you're a German business selling & shipping a tangible (non-electronic) product to a customer in Spain or the UK?

I'm assuming that if you're an EU business selling & shipping a tangible product to the US you don't charge VAT at all...right?

Holocaust survivors --> EU Citizenship to descendants?

anonymoose — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 21:22:12 -0800

My grandparents are Holocaust survivors. Might I be entitled to EU citizenship? How do I figure this out and pursue it if it's an option? Having heard of this possibility of dual citizenship (I'm American), some preliminary googling turned up this: "German law grants citizenship to "former German citizens, who lost their citizenship for political, racial or religious reasons between Jan. 30, 1933 and May 8, 1945" -- the duration of the Nazi dictatorship -- as well as their descendants" (from here)

Assuming this is true, I have two questions:
-Do other countries have similar laws for people who lost their citizenship during that event (and their descendants)?
-Is there any way one of my grandparents might have been German citizens?

Background on my grandparents:
Grandmother: Born and raised in Munkacs (Which is currently part of Ukraine, but was once Czech, Polish, and German at different times. See some history here. She and her family were taken from that town to Auschwitz during the war.

Grandfather: Born in Polat (spelling possibly wrong, will get update later tonight if they're still awake?) in Czechoslovakia. Served in Czech army, and if I understand his story correctly, was captured and put into a Russian prisoner of war/labor camp.

So! How do I begin to figure this stuff out?