Today, the first week of court proceedings against the LuxLeaks whistleblower comes to an end. The hearings of evidence is to be concluded on the 4th of May as well as the pleadings of the defence lawyers, followed by the prosecutor. If more time is needed also the 10th of May might be used. This […]
International Financial Reporting Standards: European Parliament calls for more democracy, financial market stability and common interest orientation
The Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee of the European Parliament (ECON) has voted this Tuesday on the initiative report on the International Accounting Standards (IAS) evaluation and the activities of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) Foundation, European Financial Reporting Advisory Group (EFRAG) and Public Interest Oversight Board (PIOB). We as Greens have been criticising […]
The bureau of the Social Economy Intergroup meets Commissioner Bieńkowska
The bureau of the Social Economy Intergroup meets Commissioner Bieńkowska On Tuesday 12th of April the bureau of the European Parliament’s Social Economy Intergroup met, for the first time, Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Ms. Elżbieta Bieńkowska. The meeting took place at the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, aiming at having an […]
Tax avoidance/Panama Leaks: EU Parliament inquiry green light; robust mandate must follow
The European Parliament’s Conference of Presidents of political groups today agreed on a proposal from the Greens/EFA group to set up a parliamentary inquiry committee to investigate the Panama Leaks revelations, which showed wealthy individuals and firms channel funds through offshore firms to avoid paying taxes and launder money. The mandate of the inquiry committee […]
Speech in the plenary debate on the Panama papers revelations
It is important when we view this scandal to see that it is not mainly a tax scandal, it is a money laundering scandal which has tax consequences. Most of the activities which have been uncovered are already in violation, as far as Europe is concerned, of existing money laundering law which has been in […]
European Parliament demands transparency, accountability and democratic control over global economic and financial institutions
Important things can sometimes go completely unnoticed. Over the last few years national parliaments and European institutions are increasingly behaving as if they were the excecutive bodies of global financial institutions. Core reforms for the banking sector were negotiated in the Basel Committee of central banks. During the work on financial market reforms, key elements […]