European Parliament on your webSIDE
For more than a year euinside tirelessly has been reporting on European Union's efforts not just to exit the crisis but to mobilise new sources of growth and to change qualitatively the way in which 27 national economies function within the Union, but separately too.
This is why we are glad that we have received European Parliament's financial support so that we could continue to direct public attention to this issue with a focus on European Parliament's role as the only union institution, the representatives of which are being directly elected by European citizens.
In the framework of the project European Parliament on your webside we will continue to follow the efforts being put on European level for economic recovery and growth, we will report closely on European Parliament's work on the issue and will organise public discussions on hot topics from the European agenda.
| © European ParliamentMerkel vs. the European Parliament or Vice Versa?
One of the most expected events this autumn was German Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit in the European Parliament and her discussions with MEPs on hot issues from the European agenda. This is the first "independent" participation of Ms Merkel in debates in the European Parliament after the Germ ...
| © The Council of the European UnionEither We All Win in Europe, or We All Lose Europe
We have repeatedly written that one of the reasons why European citizens feel isolated from the European debate and do not understand the decisions taken at European level, is that they receive sometimes insufficient, but sometimes literally false information. The ones to be blamed for this are ...
| © European ParliamentThe European Parliament Is Competing with the Council
"Merkel and the others from the Council only talk, while we act". This is how the leader of the group of the socialists and democrats in the European Parliament, Hannes Swoboda, started his statement after the adoption of the Commission proposal on the so called "two-pack" in Strasbourg on June ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualEurobonds Are a Means not the Goal
"Eurobonds are neither a panacea nor an idea to be totally excluded." With these words Sylvie Goulard, MEP (ALDE, France), presented to her colleagues in the economic committee in the European Parliament her report on the feasibility of introducing Stability Bonds - the term by which the Europea ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualThe European Parliament Supported the EU Financial Transaction Tax
Hours before the informal European Council meeting on 23 May, the European Parliament adopted its position on the introduction of a Financial Transaction Tax (FTT). Although the parliament has only a consultative role on the issue, lawmakers expressed hope it would give a strong signal to the EU ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualThe EP Supported a Compulsory Common Consolidated Corporate Tax Base
With a large majority the European Parliament supported the position of its economic committee for a mandatory application of the common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB) in the EU. The European Commission proposal provides for the common tax base to be optional. According to MEPs, however ...
| © European Union 2012Is the European Social Model Dead?
"The European Commission and I do not believe that the European social model is dead," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told the European Parliament on 18 April. The same day the Commission adopted a package of documents dedicated to creating jobs and achieving higher employment ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualMEPs Want a Compulsory Common Corporate Tax Base in the EU
The common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB) in the EU should be compulsory, according to the Economic and Monetary Affairs Committee in the European Parliament. MEPs voted their position on the European Commission proposal on the CCCTB, which provides for the common tax base to be optiona ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualThe Final Fight for the Financial Transactions Tax
The financial transactions tax (FTT) has once again split MEPs. Although the European Parliament as a whole has been insisting on such a tax for nearly two years, there are serious differences between the political groups on the issue. This became evident in the economic committee (ECON) in Parl ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualIs Europe Already Domestic Policy for Its Member States?
"In the old days, exaggerating just slightly, the European Community used to exist on one planet, and national politics on six, nine, twelve, fifteen other planets. This is over now." With these words, European Council President Herman Van Rompuy appealed to members of the European Parliament an ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualThe EP and Council in Another Dispute over the Eurozone Governance
It took the European institutions a year and a half to discuss and agree on the legislative package for enhanced economic governance in the EU. The so called 'Six Pack' includes measures, aimed at strengthening the Stability and Growth Pact, while introducing for the first time surveillance of m ...
| © EPThe "SarMerMonti" Triangle
When Mario Monti took over the new technocratic government in Italy in mid-November 2011 I thought that this is a good Brusselsian move to install in a country of systemic importance (rescuing Italy from default would have been impossible with the available tools in the eurozone) a former servan ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualThe European Parliament Wants Eurobonds As Soon As Possible
The European Parliament has asked the European Commission to accelerate work on exploring the possibilities for Eurobonds. The Parliament has adopted a resolution demanding the European Commission to present a roadmap of necessary steps towards a common bond market. In November 2011 the European ...
| © European UnionThe EU Has Struck a Deal on the OTC Derivatives Regulation
The European Parliament and the Council of EU finance ministers have agreed on the new legislation, aimed at regulating trade of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives. The negotiations between the two institutions began in early October last year. A year earlier, in September 2010 the European Comm ...
| © European ParliamentMartin Schulz Challenges Anyone Who Restrains Parliamentarianism
The new president of the European Parliament (EP) has been elected yet on the very first round of voting, because he at once gathered an absolute majority. The first representative of Eastern Europe Jerzy Buzek has been replaced by German socialist Martin Schulz, who led the parliamentary group ...
| © euinsideDiana Wallis: National Parliamentarians Must be Further Involved
On January 17 the European Parliament will elect its new president. As the institution is big, with over 700 members, the election of a president is being done twice in a 5-year term - each with a mandate of two years and a half. The Pole Jerzy Buzek, the first president from "new Europe", is al ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualRisks And Benefits from a Common Corporate Tax Base in the EU
The Economic Committee of the European Parliament is sharply divided in its position to the European Commission proposal to introduce a common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB). This became clear from the debates during the first committee meeting for 2012 on 9 January. The main dispute be ...
| © European Parliament AudiovisualThe ECB President Defended the Fiscal Compact
In the European Parliament, European Central Bank President Mario Draghi defended the fiscal compact, agreed by EU leaders on 9 December, which was criticised by MEPs for not addressing the growth needs. The dispute on which the priority is - budget restrictions or fostering growth - traditional ...
| © The Council of the European UnionThe European Parliament and the Council Open Negotiations on the OTC Derivatives Regulation
The Council of EU finance ministers (ECOFIN) has approved a general approach on a draft regulation on OTC (over the counter) derivatives, central counterparties and trade repositories. Thus, even without an unanimous agreement among EU member states, it has enabled the Presidency to start negoti ...
| © euinsideThe EU economic governance: Challenges for Bulgaria
One of the biggest challenges facing the implementation of the new EU economic governance in Bulgaria is to hold more regular, more informed and more in-depth public discussions on the topic. This conclusion was outlined during the discussion organised by euinside in Sofia in July with the par ...
| © European UnionThe past as a solution for the present
An interesting event took place on August 30 in Brussels. An event that was multifaceted. On the one hand this was the day of Poland but then it turned into the day of solidarity and in the end - it was the day of Europe. What precisely happened? At the broad square between the European Parliame ...
| © euinsideWant more debates on important European issues? Let's do them!
There is a severe need for debates in Bulgaria on the important European issues and, most of all, on the Bulgarian positions. This thesis united all the participants, no matter of their political affiliations, profession or post, in the discussion about EU's economic governance and the Bulgarian ...
| © www.euinside.euEU's economic governance - a discussion of euinside in the European Parliament
The adoption of the economic governance package should happen quickly but not at all cost, members of the European Parliament commented during a discussion, organised by euinside in the European Parliament in Brussels. In the conversation took part Ms Danuta Huebner (EPP, Poland), Ms Pervenche ...
| © European Parliament- Audiovisual UnitMEPs: We will not solve the debt crisis until the bank crisis is solved
Members of the European Parliament asked the European Commission to ensure that this year's stress tests would be better organised than last year's, the results would be more reliable, and their publication would be more transparent. MEPs put their questions to European Commissioner for Internal ...
| © The Parliament of FinlandFinland is opening Pandora's box
The long-awaited support of Finland for Portugal's bailout could make a sad work of it, judging from the agreement already officially published between the National Coalition Party and the Social Democratic Party. This agreement seems to be concerning not only the loan for Portugal but it is in ...
| © euinsideFinland will announce by the end of the week its position on the Portuguese bailout
20:10 Just minutes ago MEP Liisa Jaakonsaari (PASD, Finland) announced during a debate on the debt crisis in the EU in the European Parliament that an agreement had been reached among the political forces in Finland to support the bailout programme for Portugal. Finland will not impede Portugal ...
| © euinsideEuropean financial supervision is expecting resistance to increased regulation
EU's financial system still faces serious risks, including stemming from the resistance of the financial sector itself against increased regulation, warned the vice chairs of the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB), Mervyn King and Andrea Enria during their first hearing in the Committee on Econ ...
| © European Commission- Audiovisual Services The European Commission wants a 5% increase of EU budget for 2012
The European Commission proposed an increase of nearly 5% of EU 2012 budget. The reason for the increase is that in 2012 higher payments should be made than in 2011 so that the EU could meet its commitments, taken under the multiannual financial framework (2007-2013). According to the draft budg ...
| © European Parliament - Audiovisual Unit The European Parliament and the Council of the EU started tough talks on the economic governance package
The Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) in the European Parliament approved the package of 6 legislative proposals on the enhanced economic governance of the EU. On some of the key issues, however, the MEPs proved to be divided and the items have been passed without the support of ...
| © www.perussuomalaiset.fiThe True Finns triumphed in the elections
The right-wing populist party True Finns became the expected surprise of the parliamentary elections in Finland. Timo Soini's party won 19% of the votes or 39 seats, thus ranking third after the Social Democrats and the conservatives. The differences with the first two parties, however, are mini ...
| © euinsideOne mortage, hundreds of investors, billions of losses
The financial crisis demonstrated, in addition to the weakness of our laws and financial system, also the failure of our ethics. This is one of the main conclusions in the final report on the reasons for the financial crisis in the US, prepared by the National Commission on the Causes of the Fin ...
| © www.eu2011.huBargaining for the bank stress tests in the EU until the very last moment
EU Member States have not yet reached an agreement about the capital adequacy requirements to which banks must respond in the European stress tests, the official release of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU stated after the informal meeting of the finance ministers in Gödöllő on 9 April. The Eu ...
| © European Commission - Audiovisual Services"The Grand Bargaining" is over, it is time for action
The International Monetary Fund has changed the course and is now pressing Greece to restructure its debt because the Fund is doubting that the current austerity measures are sufficient, German magazine Der Spiegel reported citing its own sources. The Greek debt amounts to about 150% of GDP and ...
| © European Commission- Audiovisual Service The full-aged Bulgaria
I remember my surprise at the October European Council in Brussels when Prime Minister David Cameron succeeded in making the issue about the budget of the Community for 2011 point number one in the agenda, although number one point before that was the much more popular issue of euro area's econo ...
| © European UnionThe Pact for the Euro is not an anti-Bulgarian plot *
In an attempt to provide the broadest possible range of positions on the hot issue about Bulgaria's participation in the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and The Euro+ Pact, euinside presents the joint opinion of Vladimir Shopov and Dimitar Bechev. Vladimir Shopov is the founder and managing p ...
| © Georgi AngelovGood news! For the first time in Bulgaria - a really hot debate on a hot European issue
Last week euinside was involved and took part in a very useful discussion generated by the sudden decision of the Bulgarian Government to join the Euro+ Pact and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), agreed at the Spring European Council in Brussels. From all the arguments it appears that we s ...
| © euinsideHow much actually costs Bulgaria's pariticipation in the European Stability Mechanism
Bulgaria's participation in the European Stability Mechanism (ESM) and the Pact for the Euro+ cause lively debates in the Bulgarian public domain. We in euinside consider these discussions being quite late, given the intensive debates on these issues at European level going on for months and whi ...
| © euinsideWe don't need a Europe of two speeds, we need one Europe of a very high speed
"The fact that the Euro Pact has this + and is also giving the opportunity for those member states of the European Union that do not belong to the eurozone, that they can also opt in, that means they can participate in this whole process is in my view extremely important", MEP Danuta Hubner (EP ...
| © The Council of the European UnionLost in the euro jargon
Sega daily: "The poorest country in the EU, Bulgaria, will become a guarantor of 6.09 billion euro in the new European Stability Mechanism (ESM) ... Its financial obligations will result from the new Euro Plus Pact, which Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said the country would join." Ms Menda Stoy ...
| © The Council of the European UnionThe EU is ready with the framework of post crisis economic governance
At the spring European Council on 24 and 25 March, the EU leaders have finalised the framework of the comprehensive response to the debt crisis in the euro area (according to one of the favourite Brussels cliches) by endorsing its basic elements. Now the biggest challenge is this complex structu ...
| © Council of the EUA new two-legged eurozone
"The Economic and Monetary Union will finally walk on its two legs, instead of limping along", with these words European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso explained the breakthrough, in his words, achieved late on March 24th at the European Council in Brussels on the reform of the eurozon ...
| © European Central BankWill banks endure an alien attack?
"If you tried to test the safety of cars or children's toys using the same method the European Union applied in its stress tests on banks, you would end up in jail. How so? Simply because the testing mechanism was calibrated to fix the result. The purpose of the exercise was to ensure that the o ...
| © European Commission- Audiovisual ServiceThese stressful stress tests...
A Friday summer evening in the end of July. Europe is dozing exhausted by the heat. People are preparing for their first evening drink. Meanwhile in London, a few men in suits, with authoritative look and with a medley of concern and relief, visible on their faces, are waiting for the countdown. ...
| © The Council of the European Union