When the EU’s top court gave its landmark ruling this week on a “sweetheart” tax arrangement with the world’s biggest company, the outcome had a surreal tinge: the winner wept and the loser pocketed €13bn.
Margrethe Vestager, the EU competition chief, had waged a bitter, decade-long battle to curb Ireland’s controversial tax breaks for Apple and on Tuesday the European court of justice (ECJ) gave her a resounding victory. “I was ready to face the loss, but it was the win that made me cry,” she said.
