It has just been announced that Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat will resign shortly. This step was overdue. Following recent revelations and arrests in his immediate vicinity, Muscat is finally taking responsibility, two years after the murder of government-critical journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. MEP Sven Giegold, financial and economic policy spokesperson of the Greens/EFA group […]
Bitter defeat for tax justice: Germany and tax havens prevent majority for transparency of large companies
Tax payments by large companies will not become more transparent for the time being. After a long struggle, the EU member states have not yet been able to agree on a common position on public country-by-country reporting. A qualified majority in the EU Council of Ministers could not be reached because 13 member states did […]
Government crisis in Malta: European Parliament sends urgent mission to look at the rule of law
Based on a Green initiative, the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament has just agreed to send an urgent mission to look at the rule of law in Malta after the recent revelations around the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. The Parliament will also debate the recent revelations in Malta in the December Plenary. […]
Chief of staff Keith Schembri has resigned: International investigation would restore trust in Malta’s rule of law
Today, Keith Schembri the Chief of Staff of the Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat resigned following the arrest of businessman Yorgen Fenech last week in connection with the investgation into the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia. Fenech owns the company 17 Black, which appeared in the ‘Panama Papers’ with connections to Schembri and Tourism Minister […]
Arrest in Malta/Daphne Caruana Galizia: Tourism Minister and Head of Cabinet should resign
Today, businessman Yorgen Fenech was arrested in Malta in connection with the murder of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia two years ago. According to media reports, he was arrested on Wednesday morning when he attempted to leave the island with his yacht. Fenech is the owner of the company “17 Black”, which appears in the “Panama […]
EU Money Laundering Authority: Pioneering initiative by Olaf Scholz and five other EU finance ministers
The EU needs its own anti-money laundering authority. This is acknowledged by the six finance ministers from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Latvia in a joint position paper. Olaf Scholz and his five counterparts want a European money laundering supervisory authority to coordinate and supervise national authorities in the financial sector and, if […]