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 […]
LuxLeaks Inquiry on hold until 5th February 2015 in Conference of Presidents
This morning the Conference of Presidents of the European Parliament (i.e. the President of Parliament and the political group chairmen and -women, CoP) shortly discussed and then postponed our Green proposal for a full inquiry committee into tax evasion and dumping in Europe following the Luxemburg Leaks revelations. Prior to the CoP meeting, the […]
Insurances/Solvency II: Commission and parliament put profits before prudence
Today the European Parliament voted down a motion, sponsored by the Greens, to object to insufficiently prudent rules proposed by the Commission concerning how much investment insurers require to ensure they can pay policyholders. We are convinced that the problems of many insurers in the low interest rate environment may not be covered up by […]
European Commission nominates Elke König for Chair of the Single Resolution Board (SRB)
The European Commission has proposed Elke König, head of the German Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) for the post of chair of the Single Resolution Board (SRB). Furthermore, the Commission has adopted proposals for the appointment of the Vice-Chair and the other Board Members of the Single Resolution Board. This decision was preceeded by an informal […]
Reaction to the opinion of the Basel Committee on CRD 4 (capital requirements directive for banks)
The speakers of the political Groups in Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, Burkhard Balz (EPP coordinator), Elisa Ferreira (S&D coordinator), Sylvie Goulard (ALDE coordinator), Sven Giegold (Greens coordinator), as well as the Parliament’s negotiators of CRD 4, Othmar Karas (rapporteur, EPP), Udo Bullmann (S&D) and Philippe Lamberts (Greens) and Roberto Gualtieri, Chair of […]