kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
this is largely expected to come from the private sector which means we must be able to offer a predictable and reliable climate and energy policy framework in which investment can be encouraged.
it is crucial in the current difficult economic climate to tackle tax evasion and fraud.
this is an issue which has rightly become the focus of public attention and is one to which the presidency attaches particular importance. that is why we support the initiative of president van rompuy to put this issue on the agenda of tomorrow's european council meeting.
for example the announcement of a pilot facility for the automatic exchange of information between administrations is a useful contribution to further work in this area both within the eu and internationally.
in order to secure the objective of affordable and sustainable energy and to ensure the reliability of supply we have to meet our objective of completing the internal energy market by two thousand and fourteen and of developing greater interconnection.
as you will be aware president van rompuy has taken the initiative to organise regular thematic discussions in the european council with the aim of ensuring that all eu policies contribute to promoting the objectives of improved competitiveness job creation and strong and sustainable economic growth.
ensuring the uninterrupted supply of affordable and sustainable energy is of critical interest to individual citizens who are affected directly by any interruption or threatened interruption in supply as well as the impact of high energy prices.
tomorrow's european council will discuss and establish the direction for further work on two policy areas which are of crucial importance to europe's economy energy and elements of taxation.
these debates are important in themselves in ensuring that key horizontal challenges that the union faces are worked through and that direction is given at the highest level and beyond the council formation in which they are normally treated but also in as much as they can feed into a more wide ranging discussion on the economic and social challenges europe faces and indeed into the europe two thousand and twenty strategy discussions.
they are equally essential for ensuring that industry and the jobs that go with it remain in europe and are an important factor in attracting new industrial investment and they can therefore be considered as a key condition for a return to growth.
further work includes measures to counter vat fraud where the council is due to adopt directives on the quick reaction mechanism and on the reverse charge mechanism by the end of june and cooperation in the area of tackling aggressive tax planning and profit shifting both within the eu and more widely.
it is why minister noonan as chair of ecofin together with commissioner emeta took the initiative of spelling out key areas where concrete action can be delivered in the short term. we welcome the close interest of parliament on this issue and i would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the work which mojca kleve keku and ildik gll pelcz have put into their respective reports on this subject.
the european council will set priorities for action needed to facilitate investment including the ten e or structural funds as well as through the eib and it will also address the regulatory environment and highlight priorities for improvement.
at a time of fiscal consolidation we must take action to protect revenues if we are to ensure the confidence of citizens in the fairness and effectiveness of our tax systems.
innovative financing methods more systematic supply diversification and improved liquidity in the internal energy market can all contribute to reducing energy costs.
following the agreement at ecofin last week on a mandate to update the eu's agreements with switzerland liechtenstein monaco andorra and san marino we hope that negotiations will begin very soon to ensure that these countries continue to apply measures equivalent to those in the eu.
at eu level the commission intends in june to propose amendments to the directive on administrative cooperation in order for the automatic exchange of information to cover the full income range.
tomorrow's summit offers our member states a major opportunity to demonstrate that bold decisions should follow rhetorical declarations.
there we identified seven areas some of which have already been alluded to by the commissioner. those key points which have been identified include an agreement on the mandate for the commission to begin negotiations with five european third countries andorra liechtenstein monaco
i sense from the various interventions this morning that we share many of the same objectives regarding the future development of europe's energy policy as well as on the need to address a wide range of taxation issues most notably tackling tax fraud and evasion.
another issue which is being focused on is agreement on the revised savings tax directive proposal as are agreement on strong and robust council conclusions on the commission action plan and recommendations on tackling tax fraud tax evasion and aggressive tax planning including agreement on eu coordination at g twenty and oecd level on the base erosion and profit
the importance of energy policy to jobs and growth has been emphasised by almost all members and the direct effects of rising prices on consumers and households have been very clearly and emphatically spelled out.
i might add that although it is not a topic specifically for discussion at the european council tomorrow his point about the front loading for youth unemployment has been heard and certainly merits further consideration and the council is absolutely ready to do that.
indeed the informal meeting in dublin in april bringing together eu environment and energy ministers agreed that developing a climate and energy framework and maintaining eu competitiveness are complimentary goals and should be pursued as such.
mr swoboda emphasised the importance of investment policy more generally in europe in the context of youth employment.
that brings home just how important this subject is with both cost and security of supply raising the unacceptable spectre of people being vulnerable to the cold in their own homes.
moving on to adoption of the fiscalis two thousand and twenty programme again that has been agreed and agreement that automatic exchange of information involving a broader range of income and capital payments should be our objective and that work at eu level should begin without delay on devising the specifics of such broader exchange building on international developments of recent years
we are nearly there and we are very hopeful that it will be adopted at the june ecofin so we are very close to getting that across the line.
tomorrow's discussion at the european council will be a very important one in guiding the balance in a policy area with very clear and direct impacts on consumers the environment and our economy as well as jobs and growth.
members also highlighted the importance of price increases to customers and also the potentially huge implications of threats to security of supply and there were references to the risk of the lights potentially going out.
mr president within this house today we have heard differences of emphasis but for the large part i think there has not been disagreement.
we will work together with the incoming lithuanian presidency and future presidencies to ensure that the outcome of tomorrow's meeting is properly followed up and implemented and that there is an ongoing assessment.
agreement on the presidency vat anti fraud package is very important and the commissioner has mentioned it specifically.
san marino and switzerland and to align eu savings taxation agreements with those countries with the extended scope of the proposed revised savings tax directive. as ms ferreira and others asked about this i want to confirm that this mandate has been agreed by the council and that is a significant step forward.
i would like to briefly recap on the focussed intervention which the presidency has taken together with the commission following our discussions at the informal ecofin which took place in dublin.
at a time when finances are tight and taxpayers are squeezed it is only right that we crack down on those who pursue illegal means to avoid making any contribution to public coffers and who put smaller competitors at a disadvantage.
while the summit has a worthy agenda we need of course some concrete results. on taxation issues nobody can blame companies for wanting to look after shareholder capital by minimising their tax bill in a legal manner.
tackling tax evasion demands a globally coordinated approach to increase transparency and reporting and agree new standards for information exchange and i hope that the leaders make more progress tomorrow than the finance ministers made last week.
instead we should preserve the flexibility to provide for what works in each country whether that be micro generation renewables nuclear power or shale gas.
which brings me to the other topic of the summit namely energy because unless we produce a clear energy policy lights will start to go out right across the eu and let us not underestimate the consequences if we fail to grasp the growing problem of high energy prices.
yet whilst we seek to create a stronger energy policy we must also avoid the eu's tendency towards a one size fits all approach.
secondly i agree with markus beyer from business europe who said recently that europe does not have an energy policy it has only a climate policy.
tomorrow's summit needs to show people that the eu can be about finding solutions to their problems and not just about grand plans for federal union.
this serves only to destroy jobs and to relocate energy intensive industries to countries with poor or no environmental standards which is neither good for the environment nor good for our economies and jobs.
presidents you cannot grow an economy with expensive energy.
if any of those policies have an inadvertent impact on energy prices or if they prevent major infrastructure investment we should repeal them or reform them because a single market in energy will be created only with enormous amounts of private sector capital for infrastructure and that capital is currently not forthcoming.
all i ask is that in the interests of energy efficiency maybe the last businessman to leave france will turn the lights off.
at the same time of course we are condemning people on low incomes to freezing cold homes.
after all solar panels may be a good option in spain or greece but i have to say they are completely useless in the north of england in my constituency where the sun shines for about half an hour a year.
conversely of course member states could do more to help struggling businesses by making tax codes simpler and making our rates more competitive and thus making it simpler for businesses to give money to the government instead of indulging in complicated difficult and time consuming processes for hiding their money offshore.
such matters are the prerogative of national governments and we should keep our hands off.
so i welcome david cameron's making this a priority for the uk's g eight presidency.
however tax research uk estimates that eu governments are losing about a trillion euros each year through tax fraud.
billion for seven years is not enough. this is peanuts for the problem we have to
community for years already. the commission president is right we have to invest publicly and privately in order to make the energy market and the energy community workable. i am a bit more cautious about the shale gas initiative. whatever you do consider the environmental question because we are much more concerned about the environmental
more willingness to fight tax evasion than the public authorities and that
their obsession with global warming which chimes very strongly here means we are despoiling our landscapes and seascapes with these disgusting wind turbines and driving up energy prices.
how can people out there struggling the sixteen million unemployed in the eurozone look at these institutions not only paying people vast sums of money but allowing them tax and also of course pension benefits on a scale not seen anywhere else in the world?
well they were the architects of the euro which is a complete disaster.
so i suggest we have a bit less of this high moral tone.
because it is not by going back to the nation state and by dismantling the european union that we will regain competitiveness in europe and it is not by claiming that everything was better in the good old days that we will provide jobs for our young people in the coming months and years.
what do we want in this european union?
but where the eurosceptics are wrong and that should be the answer of the european council is in their conclusions their solutions.
if penalties are draconian enough individuals and companies will think twice before they engage in tax evasion measures.
yet the added value of stronger european integration in this field is evident.
with our proposal in two thousand and eleven for a negotiating mandate with neighbouring countries; with our june two thousand and twelve communication and the action plan we presented last december;
from. two thousand and fifteen the new proposal will further extend the scope of automatic exchange of information between all member states to cover all relevant types of income such as dividends and capital
in short we are in a difficult strategic environment.
is there. the proposals pending on tackling vat fraud the common consolidated corporate tax base which will deal with the problems of transfer pricing and the revision of our anti money laundering framework also have the potential to make a real difference.
taxes. they need any relief they can get and by confronting the specific challenges of our energy markets we can make a real difference.
thirdly we must continue to strengthen the internal and external diversification of our supplies.
for that we must complete our internal energy market become more energy efficient invest in infrastructure and innovation exploit renewables more cost effectively and further diversify our external supplies.
first at national level the reform of tax governance and tax administrations will feature prominently in the country specific recommendations the commission will present a few days from now. member states also need to get on and implement the commission's action plan on tax evasion and avoidance of last
eur one trillion is nearly double the two thousand and twelve combined annual budget deficit of all member states.
this very challenging outlook should galvanise the efforts of all of us both at european level and in the member states to mobilise every growth lever we have at hand and give any impetus we possibly can to help citizens and businesses through these very difficult times.
while the united states is on its way to becoming a net exporter of gas instead of an importer as a result of the shale gas boom europe's import dependence is further increasing and for oil and gas is set to grow to over eighty by.
remember we are expecting to devote some eur five billion of the next mff to energy interconnections through the connecting europe facility which must become operational rapidly.
we must do more together to ensure economic competitiveness and energy equity.
burden. they need assurance that we can show political leadership and take on the political responsibility to do anything and everything possible to support
first energy where there is so much more benefit to be reaped both for citizens and for the competitiveness of our businesses from european integration and investment.
the situation for citizens is also increasingly problematic.
it also means speaking with one european voice on global energy matters.
at a time when debate about europe is all too often a futile shouting match between believers and non believers this is a discussion that separates those who like to talk from those who are willing to act and those who prefer to attract attention to themselves from those who are determined to achieve results for citizens. i trust that most of us are on the side of the citizens and working for concrete results.
for electricity prices the eu is almost twice as expensive as the us.
we know the way forward but implementation is too slow.
let us remember that automatic information exchange has been the underlying principle of our approach since the two thousand and five savings taxation directive. i want to see this principle of automatic exchange become the standard at international level as well and we will continue to work together with international partners to keep up the momentum
last but not least we need a balanced union wide approach on using the potential of unconventional hydrocarbons such as shale gas on which the commission is preparing an initiative.
but if we are to be really effective internally and globally there is no alternative but to go all the way together and build on our common eu
first and foremost it is crucial that we complete our internal energy market by the end of next year as agreed by heads of state or government. market opening has brought prices down for consumers wherever real opening was achieved.
tomorrow at the european council i will push for a political commitment on one very simple principle that on one january two thousand and fifteen the european union should have automatic exchange of information for all forms of
we urgently need to implement the third energy package to keep prices for our consumers and businesses in check.
how can we explain to honest households and businesses feeling the squeeze yet still paying their fair share of taxes that there are other parts of society and enterprise which are deliberately avoiding paying
priority. but that is no substitute for doing our own homework namely through the adoption of the savings directive where we need all the member states to signal their agreement.
to conclude on energy the right policies are in place.
as mr emeta will explain in more detail the commission is very grateful to parliament for the strong support given in these reports to our joint efforts in this crucially important area. let us not forget that the commission has been putting these issues on the table in very concrete terms for several years
faster. i really welcome their political engagement.
let me outline a few urgent steps which i will push for at tomorrow's summit.
and with our two recommendations on tax havens and on aggressive tax planning also from last
further. that means concluding the negotiations on the revision of the savings taxation directive further closing loopholes by extending it to investment funds pensions innovative financial instruments and payments made through trusts and foundations.
but there is still plenty of room for improvement including in cross border trade integration and fair competition.
i am happy to note the adoption last week of a mandate to start negotiations on our savings agreements with switzerland liechtenstein andorra monaco and san marino and i assure you the commission will take forward these negotiations as a
second tax fraud and tax evasion where by sharpening our common european tools against the tax avoiders we can start to restore the sense of fairness that citizens and small businesses have lost as a result of the financial crisis.
internally it requires a more coordinated approach between member states on the positive rise of renewables.
gap. so our actions at national european and international levels have to be accelerated and better coordinated.
so this is above all a debate about our energy security and our competitiveness.
there is a clear cost of non europe' here.
and yes it is the same amount that i mentioned earlier the investments necessary to cover the needs in the european energy sector
at global level the upcoming g eight and g twenty summits are an excellent opportunity to make progress and the eu is taking the lead in this based on our experience and expertise.
so this is also a debate about social equity.
this includes tapping new international sources for instance through the southern gas corridor which i have been pushing hard and on which we expect decisive decisions soon.
these are the policy priorities that i will argue for tomorrow in the european council.
december and our recommendations on tax havens and aggressive tax planning.
year. let us put that into some perspective.
a stronger european energy policy is a particularly important tool to help achieve this.
member states can also devote a bigger share of their structural funds to investing in energy and energy efficiency.
we are not heading towards an age of cheap energy but we have the choice between investing scarce resources in our own sustainable and smart energy and paying for imports.
in. two thousand and eight it is more than six times the size of the annual budget of the european
they need to know that the burden of the crisis is shouldered by everyone in a fair and equitable manner and that we will act jointly and decisively against those who refuse to carry their fair share of the
we cannot single handedly change long term global trends but we can clearly influence them by stepping up our european efforts and making our energy policy more secure competitive and sustainable. of course different member states have different energy mixes.
now; with our proposal in two thousand and eight to close the gaps in the savings directive;
income. the commission will shortly table a proposal to amend the directive on administrative cooperation. this already applies an automatic exchange of information for a range of income such as employment pensions and insurance
but we must not be resigned to it.
evasion. now we need to use it as much as possible and reach agreement without delay on the proposals the commission has already made to go
on this. we can only do this if we speak with one voice if we have done our concrete homework internally if we speak and act as
at the same time we should also be clear that it is not just commodity prices but policy choices of member states like taxes levies support mechanisms etc.
up? how can we justify the fact that fiscal consolidation is requiring member states to make difficult choices to reduce expenditure yet at the same time there are whole piles of cash that should be in the public purse but are never collected?
gains. with the savings proposal on the table the existing provisions on administrative cooperation and the forthcoming commission proposal this is indeed a feasible target provided the political will
the global energy equation is changing fast and if we want to avoid losing in this race for resources we will have to step up our joint european efforts.
citizens. even more they are essential for the credibility of our efforts to fight the crisis for the political capital we are willing to invest in it and the legitimacy of the demands the crisis makes on those who struggle to pay their energy bills or their
i agree with you that tax evasion is a problem and is costing governments money but we should remember that tax avoidance is legal. the biggest reason that tax havens are allowed to prosper is that we have got this very statist mindset that we must try to get as much tax out of successful individuals as we possibly can.
if you do that and if you have a very complicated tax system people will do all they can within the law to avoid paying tax.
what makes it even more galling is that at the same time as facilitating the tax avoidance of the major corporations in the world the irish government is engaged in a campaign of threatening to rob the property tax from working people.
they all use the tax scam known as the double irish' with corporations incorporated in ireland but registered for tax in bermuda. so how can the minister seriously talk about tackling aggressive tax planning and tax avoidance when ireland itself functions as a tax haven as reported yesterday in the us senate report?
it is important to state that growth is the way to get out of this crisis.
increased public spending is not the way out of the crisis;
we must have competitive taxes and we must focus on growth here in europe.