Reports that German car-maker Volkswagen fraudulently secured €400 million in loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB) should trigger immediate inclusion on an official EU blacklist, according to Transparency International EU. The reports...
In ancient Greek mythology when Poseidon, god of the sea, lost the competition to have patronage over Athens to the wise and peaceful goddess Athena, he was furious and flooded the plains of Attica.
Today, Poseidon’s fury might have abated, but...
Today, revelations by a cross-border team of investigative journalists, that Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are allegedly using their office allowances to rent domestic office space from their own homes, political parties, or in some...
It is that time a year again here in Brussels; as predictable as the bluebells blooming in les bois bordering the city. Once again the Parliament will be voting this week on its annual financial discharge report and, once again, they will be...
The Westminster expenses scandal in the UK back in 2009 made headlines with journalists uncovering parliamentarians using their expenses to redecorate their home homes, evade taxes and one MP even used expenses to build a duck house. This lead to a...
From Budapest to Pécs in Hungary the M6 highway gradually weaves along the River Danube, through farms and vineyards. When the main stretch of the road was completed in 2010 one of several seemingly unnecessary tunnels, given the gently rolling...
This is the first comprehensive analysis of the transparency, integrity, and democratic accountability provisions in place at the European Investment Bank, the EU’s bank. The report is structured around the EIB’s independence, transparency,...
This year has seen a number of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) getting into trouble over the use of their expenses. It is time for the Parliament to put in place robust transparency rules on how MEPs spend public money.
Yesterday the European Commission effectively proposed to cancel sanctions against Spain and Portugal foreseen by EU budget rules, subject to the approval of Eurozone governments. While more flexible budget rules are welcome, their reinterpretation...
