At an ECOFIN meeting on 17 May, EU finance ministers discussed current international tax reforms, in order to prepare for upcoming OECD and G20 debates. The focus was on both the challenges of taxation in the digitalised economy and broader issues related to the allocation of taxing rights and tax competition. Ministers also discussed measures to improve the business environment for excise goods, in particular alcohol and alcoholic beverages, by ensuring fair competition and reducing administrative burden for companies. They exchanged views on three proposals: the directive on the structures of excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, the directive on general arrangements for excise duty, and the regulation on administrative cooperation on the content of electronic registers. In the framework of the European Semester exercise for 2019, the Council adopted conclusions on the outcomes of the in-depth reviews and the implementation of the 2018 country-specific recommendations. Lastly, without discussion, the Council decided to remove Aruba, Barbados and Bermuda from the EU list of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions.