Today, the European Parliament voted to endorse Christine Lagarde as the new President of the European Central Bank. President-designate Lagarde will take up her new role at the beginning of November after formal appointment by the European Council. Lagarde will be the first female President of the European Central Bank Sven Giegold MEP, economics spokesperson […]
Green light for a permanent tax committee
Last night, coordinators in the Economic and Monetary Affairs committee of the European Parliament agreed to create a permanent sub-committee on tax and financial crime. The Conference of Presidents of the Parliament will now need to approve the sub-committee and the precise mandate has yet to be agreed. The sub-committee follows on from three special […]
Major Green success: European Commission recommends revolution in combating anti-money laundering in the EU
While the newly elected Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is still busy with recruiting members for her college, the existing EU Commission outlined future priorities in the field of anti-money laundering (AML). The ne Communication ‘Towards a better implementation of the EU’s AML/CTF framework’ gives an overview of the four reports published this week […]
Tax justice: New Greens/EFA report on the tax race to attract the wealthiest
On the third anniversary of the Panama Papers (Wednesday April 3rd) the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament is launching a new study “Competing for the rich: Tax exemptions and special schemes for the rich“, revealing how governments in the European Union compete to attract the super-rich through tax breaks and other preferential treatment. More […]
Taxonomy for sustainable investment: A green milestone
Today the European Parliament plenary adopted a draft regulation on a classification (taxonomy) of sustainable investments with a majority of Christian Democrats, Liberals and Greens, while Social Democrats abstained. This uniform classification sets criteria for the definition of environmentally “sustainable” financial products. On the initiative of Christian Democrat and right-wing MEPs a narrow majority voted […]
EU’s tax haven blacklist starting to have an impact
European Union Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) have just agreed to further expand the list of jurisdictions included on the EU’s tax haven blacklist and which countries will remain on the grey list for further scrutiny. The blacklist, which is designed to promote a responsible tax policy worldwide and to ensure that the European Union’s international partners […]