This Wednesday sees L’Affaire Barroso reach a climax when the College of European Commissioners, some of whom were his former colleagues, decide whether to sanction or absolve the former President for his decision to join Goldman Sachs as a...
Another day, another leak. Another kick to the rotting, crumbling edifice of the offshore world. BahamaLeaks, the latest scoop from the ICIJ, may not have the global repercussions of its big brother, the Panama Papers, but it does herald some good...
Today’s leak by the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) of the directors of companies registered in the Bahamas, including that of former EU Commissioner Neelie Kroes, shows the need to end secret companies and for greater...
Transparency International EU welcomes the decision by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker to refer Jose Manuel Barroso’s move through the revolving door to Goldman Sachs to the Commission’s ad hoc ethical committee. Following the...
There have been howls of indignation across Europe since former European Commission President José Manuel Barroso’s spectacularly ill-timed announcement that he is to join Goldman Sachs as a non-executive chairman and advisor on Brexit.
Judges have a hard time second-guessing monetary policy decisions. But judicial review remains an important check on the ECB’s far-reaching independence, as the saga over Outright Monetary Transactions Programme, or OMT, highlights.
The term “expert group” evokes images of scientists in white coats with test tubes explaining complex equations to politicians in suits. The reality is quite different. Expert groups are a mix of industry lobbyists, NGOs, trade unions and other...
Today marks five years since the Sunday Times broke the ‘Cash-for-Amendments’ scandal. Back in 2011, British undercover reporters recorded three MEPs who willingly accepted money for submitting amendments to EU legislation. The scandal led Mr...
Spring is around the corner, or so they keep saying in spite of the cold and the grey. It’s the time of year for a spring clean, when we do away with the cobwebs and dust in dark corners. Today the European Commission is looking into doing its own...