EU finance ministers have agreed on an updated EU list of tax havens. Despite the latest Pandora Papers revelations, the list has been shortened with Anguilla, Dominica and the Seychelles having been removed from the list. The Greens/EFA Group successfully secured a plenary debate on the Pandora Papers for October 6. Also on Thursday, MEPs will…
Parliament
Protecting the Rights of the Disabled
With up to a quarter of EU citizens declaring some degree of impairment or disability, far too many people still face barriers to education, travelling to other EU countries or finding work. This week, the S&D Group is leading the European Parliament in calling for more to be done to protect the rights of people…
Tax Leak Prompts EU Review of Tax Havens
“Facebook Files” scandal: Senior MEPs voice concern.
Christel Schaldemose (S&D rapporteur for the EU Parliament for the Digital Services Act, Denmark) and Alexandra Geese(Greens/EFA shadow rapporteur for the Digital Services Act, Germany) were commenting on the relevance of the leaks to the DSA legislative process. Since a few weeks, Facebook has faced a series of accusations about its internal workings, based on hundreds of pages…
EPPO Appeals For Additional Budget
Issues hindering the EU Prosecutor’s investigation and prosecution of cross border crimes against the EU budget were discussed with chief prosecutor Kövesi. In a debate on Friday, EU public prosecutor Laura Kövesi informed the Budgetary Control Committee that the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) is in urgent need of additional human resources to be able…
Rule of Law in Hungary
A delegation from the Civil Liberties Committee concluded on Friday a visit to Hungary in which they met with the Government, the opposition, journalists and NGOs. The aim was to assess the respect for press and academic freedom, judicial independence, the rights of minorities and the wider rule of law context on the ground. With…
Greens Shine in German Elections
In last month’s General Election, the German Greens achieved their best result in a general election so far and became a strong third with 14.8% (2017: 8.9%) of the vote and 118 MPs (2017: 67). 7 German Greens MEP Sven Giegold said, “We even came first in 16 constituencies all over Germany, which we managed…
Does a “Right to Abortion” Take Priority over the Freedom of Conscience?
In June 2020, members of the European Parliament endorsed, by a vote of 378-255, a report on women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights prepared by Croatian MEP Predrag Fred Matić. The “Matić Report” called for the universal access to safe and legal abortion throughout the European Union. The Forum for Religious Freedom Europe (FOREF) takes no position regarding…
Protecting Workers’ Health
The European Parliament’s employment committee will this week vote to reduce the exposure of workers to asbestos, a number one substance known to cause cancer. The Commission is expected to present a legal proposal in 2022. The Socialists and Democrats call on the Commission to update, as a matter of priority, asbestos exposure limits by…
MEPs call for Commission to Act on Migration
In a letter to Vice-President Margaritis Schinas who coordinates the Commission’s work on Migration and Asylum, the European Conservatives and Reformists Group in the European Parliament, strongly criticised the European Commission’s inaction in the field of migration. Since the announcement of the new Pact on Migration and Asylum, neither the situation at the EU’s external borders…










