Who will be the next President of the European Commission? The discussion currently focuses on one name. However, there are over 30 European positions to be filled: the 27 other Commissioners, including the High Representative of the External Action Service, the Presidency of the European Council, or even the President of the European Parliament. The […]
Dutch and German MEPs: No to shalegas fracking in the Dutch-German border region
Dutch minister Kamp has presented his ideas on where in the Netherlands it might be possible to win shalegas. He has pointed out several locations throughout the country where he wants to research the possibilities, also close to the borders with Belgium and Germany. Though officially the Dutch government has not spoken out in favour […]
Banking union: Major step forward overshadowed by intergovernmental approach to banking resolution
The European Parliament today voted to adopt a series of legislative files as part of the move to create a European banking union (1). The Greens welcomed this major development for dealing with the problems of the financial sector in a coherent European manner but expressed regret that many of the core provisions of the […]
Financial Times: UK intervention puts bank failure deal at risk
By Alex Barker in Brussels A landmark EU agreement on a common rulebook for handling bank failures is in danger of unravelling over the fine print restricting when a state can intervene to rescue a struggling bank. Britain is facing objections from several other member states as it scrambles to revise a political […]
EU audit rules: MEPs cave to lobbying and defend ‘big four’ audit oligopoly
The European Parliament today voted on the revision of EU audit rules. The Greens hit out at the outcome, which will fail to tackle conflicts of interest in the audit sector and will fail to tackle the dominant position of the ‘big four’ audit firms. After the vote, Green legal affairs spokesperson Eva Lichtenberger said: “This reform should […]
Banking: EU Parliament pushes through universal right to a bank account, as deal reached on new EU rules
The European Parliament and Council today reached an agreement on new EU legislation governing basic bank accounts. The Greens welcomed the outcome, notably provisions on the right to a bank account, as well on greater transparency on the costs of bank accounts. The deal must now be confirmed by the European Parliament and Council. Commenting […]