Europe Development News |
New anti-money laundering legislation – a missed opportunity?
The European Commission’s new draft anti-money laundering legislation has been criticised by campaign groups because it does not require companies to disclose publicly who their ultimate owners are. Global Witness also says that the draft legislation is insufficiently tough on bankers, lawyers and accountants who facilitate tax evasion.
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Credit: Flickr user Images_of_money
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Making the post-2015 framework “Open for Development”
As part of its “Open for Development” campaign, which promotes the need for transparency to be a central part of the post-2015 global development framework, the advocacy organisation ONE has published a report calling for three things: an open design process, a clear monitoring framework, and open accountability portals.
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A 20th century budget fit for 20th century problems?
Although foreign assistance did not face cuts in the European Council’s budget for 2014-2020, the new EU budget is inefficient, out of date, and unfit to face the challenges of the modern age, argues European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs. He says that in 2020 just under 40% of the EU budget will continue to be spent on farm subsidies, whilst just below 6% will go towards addressing global challenges, such as global poverty, humanitarian crises and global security.
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Credit: European Commission |
Fair taxation is a problem for developing countries too
Amid public discussion of how multinational companies pay tax in OECD countries, ActionAid draws attention to the tax practices of one of the world’s largest food multinationals, Associated British Foods, not in Britain but in Zambia, where two in three people live below the poverty line. According to tax specialist Chris Jordan, tackling the problem will require action on three fronts: companies’ ingenious financial engineering, weak international tax rules, and governments’ deliberate tax policies, the report shows. |
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Should Britain give aid to India?
In a new report “In aid of India? Defining a positive role for the UK,” the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) challenges Britain’s decision to stop giving aid to India, and calls for a new role for UK aid in India to leverage other flows and support partnerships with the private sector.
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Credit:Flickr user thefluffyowl
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Center for Global Development in Europe
CGD in Europe is organizing an informal gathering on the evening on February 19th in Clerkenwell. We hope you can drop in. |
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