European Union finance ministers plan to coordinate action to combat tax offences jointly, in particular on the so-called VAT fraud carousels. There was also a demand to harmonise VAT rates in individual EU countries on the publication market (both paper and electronic).
According to the Ministry of Finance website 13 July held first ECOFIN meeting chaired by the Austrian Presidency. "The main objectives of the Presidency are to complete the banking union and develop the Capital Markets Union, deepen and strengthen the coordination of economic policies and improve the effectiveness and justice of tax systems. It is also about combating tax fraud and tax avoidance and ensuring adequate financial resources within the EU budget."
Combating tax fraud (especially those concerning VAT) requires coordination between individual EU countries. The VAT carousel is a classic example of an international tax fraud scheme. Actions under one States may not be sufficient in this respect.
A separate issue (not related to combating tax fraud or tax sealing) was the issue of harmonising VAT rates on books, newspapers and magazines (both traditional in paper and electronic form).
EU countries are very free to set VAT rates, but this does not exclude initiatives aimed at harmonising these rates in different market segments.