70 percent of EU citizens believe the European Union to be corrupt. In vast e-mails I received and direct talks with citizens I had, I felt a growing discontent due to lack of transparency and excessively influential lobbies. The first anti-corruption report of the EU emphasizes those feelings: The losses of the overall EU economy […]
EP special committee into tax dumping must ensure meaningful investigation with proper follow-up
The European Parliament today voted to approve the creation of a special committee to investigate tax evasion and dumping in Europe following the Luxembourg Leaks revelations. The Greens/EFA group had been pushing for the creation of an inquiry committee, which was blocked by the bigger political groups (EPP, S&D, ECR and ALDE), but without this […]
LuxLeaks: Blocking EU Parliament inquiry committee a bad political choice, which undermines the EP
The leaders of the political groups in the European Parliament today discussed the proposal to create of a full European Parliament inquiry committee into tax evasion and dumping following the Luxembourg Leaks revelations. The conference of presidents failed to endorse the committee, despite it having the required support of 25% of MEPs and an independent […]
Tax evasion/Luxembourg leaks – EU Parliament inquiry committee a question of political will
Ahead of this Thursday’s meeting of the conference of presidents of political groups in the European Parliament, which will discuss the creation of an inquiry committee into tax evasion and dumping, the legal services of the parliament have today presented their assessment. The assessment confirms that an inquiry committee into the issue is possible but […]
Letter to ECB President Draghi on carbon bubble
Reinhard Bütikofer, Co-Chair of the European Green Party, and Sven Giegold (MEP) wrote a letter to European Central Bank President Mario Draghi with regards to the growing concern of a potential risk for an EU financial carbon bubble. Bütikofer and Giegold, along other Green MEPs urge to investigate how the exposure to high carbon investments […]
ECB forced to fill void left by Euro state governments’ inaction
The European Central Bank is today set to announce a scheme of quantitative easing – buying sovereign bonds on the secondary market – in response to deflation in the Eurozone. Commenting on the anticipated decision, Greens/EFA co-president Philippe Lamberts stated: “The ECB is being forced to fill the void left by Eurozone member states’ inaction […]