2018.02.23

New Tax Committee: artificial shifting around of companies' profits must end

Parliament is setting up a new special committee on Thursday to look further into the problem of the tax evasion and tax avoidance of multi-national companies. "The EPP Group wants companies to pay taxes where the actual economic activity takes place and where the value is created. The artificial shifting around of companies' profits from one country to another must end. The main measure to stop this is the so-called Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base (CCCTB), the EU-wide harmonisation of what is taxed and where it is taxed. The ball is now in the Council's court to decide on this law proposal", say Françoise Grossetête MEP, Vice-Chairwoman of the EPP Group in charge of economic affairs, and Burkhard Balz MEP, EPP Group Spokesman in Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. 

EP hearing for ECB Vice-President candidate Luis De Guindos

The Ecofin Council, which gathers together the EU's 28 Finance Ministers, confirmed at its meeting on 20 February the nomination of Spanish Economy Minister Luis de Guindos to become the next Vice-President of the European Central Bank, starting on 1 June 2018. The European Parliament’s Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee will receive the candidate on Monday for a hearing. 

Honey bees in trouble

The European Parliament will debate the future of beekeeping at its mini-Plenary on Wednesday. "We must keep an eye on our bees as their role in pollination is indispensable and therefore a huge part of the food industry relies on them", says the Rapporteur, Hungarian EPP Group Member Norbert Erdős. The Report calls for a determined combat against honey adulteration, asks for a revision of EU support for beekeepers and calls for a clear and science-based approach to manage permits for different chemicals which may affect bees' health. "Honey adulteration must be stopped by improving the food labelling system in place", says Erdős.

Improving spirit drinks laws to protect traditional practices

The European Parliament will vote on Thursday on updates to the existing legislation on spirit drinks. The EPP Group improved a Commission proposal by making sure that traditional practices, which are the backbone of the production of spirit drinks for many European SMEs, remain protected. In other words, consumers will continue to be able to enjoy their eggnog made with real eggs the way it has been made for generations. For Parliament's lead negotiator Pilar Ayuso the message is clear: “Consumers have the right to enjoy the products the way they are meant to be.” 

Boosting competition enforcement and the EU market

The Economy and Monetary Affairs Committee will adopt new rules on Tuesday to enable Member States' competition authorities to be more effective enforcers of EU antitrust rules. Parliament's lead negotiator on this legislation, Andreas Schwab, sees it as an important oppurtunity to boost competition enforcement and market functioning in the EU by enabling national competition authorities (NCAs) to fully apply EU competition rules. In his view, public enforcement of competition rules is a fundamental element of the social market economy, as anti-competitive agreements and the abuse of market dominance render one of its main pillars, i.e. fair competition, impossible. It is consequently crucial that all NCAs have the right tools to effectively enforce the common competition rules, thus ensuring a genuine level playing field in the EU. 

Chairman's Agenda

Monday: visit to Paris

Tuesday: speech at the Bruegel think-tank, Brussels;  meeting with Wouter Beke, Chairman of CD&V, Brussels

Wednesday: speech in Plenary on the informal European Council

Press Conferences

  • Monday @ 11.00 hrs: Briefing on the parliamentary agenda
  • Thursday @ 13.30 hrs: Frank Engel, Rapporteur, on the situation of fundamental rights in the EU in 2016
  • Source : eppgroup.eu
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