Auditing
EU auditors: Public-private partnerships suffer from widespread shortcomings
A report by the European Court of Auditors Risk on the effectiveness of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in Europe has found significant shortcomings ranging from insufficient competition and significant delays to cost increases and lack of comparative analyses.
Oettinger: EU budget should increase despite Brexit funding gap
The EU’s next seven-year budget should increase the bloc’s spending, despite the impending departure of the UK from the bloc, the EU’s budget chief said on Wednesday (14 February).
EU auditors join fight against deadly air pollution
The European Court of Auditors (ECA) will investigate the fight against air pollution, which kills half a million European citizens every year, the court announced on Friday (10 February).
Greek broadcasters want exemption from wealth declaration
TV channel owners opened a new row with the Syriza-led government when they asked the country's administrative court to exempt its top executives from filing a wealth statement, citing privacy concerns.
Spain’s banks recover but toxic assets remain
Hit by a severe crisis several years ago, Spain's banking sector has recovered, but at a cost, as thousands are laid off and it struggles to get rid of toxic assets.
Sale of small Italian banks to UBI ‘delayed’ at Commission’s request
The sale of three small Italian banks, rescued in 2015, to bigger rival UBI has been delayed by at least a week at the request of the European Commission, three sources close to the matter have told Reuters.
Unhappy birthday: EU low-key on Maastricht’s 25th anniversary
A quarter of a century after the summit in the Dutch town of Maastricht that gave birth to the euro, the EU will mark the anniversary today (9 December) with little fanfare as it battles a wave of crises.
Time for EU leaders to deliver on commitments to Greece
The Eurogroup will today (5 December) examine the progress Greece has made so far. Now the EU must deliver on their own commitments, write Dimitrios Papadimoulis, Udo Bullmann and Pervenche Berès.
Moscovici says EU and Greece ‘very close’ to opening vital debt talks
Greece and its European creditors are "very close" to an agreement that would open the way to vital debt talks, EU economy commissioner Pierre Moscovici said on Monday (28 November).
Irish parliament backs Apple tax appeal after angry debate
Ireland's parliament battled through an ill-tempered debate on Wednesday to vote in favour of appealing a European Commission ruling ordering the country to collect billions of euros in unpaid taxes from tech giant Apple.
Commission defends Greek debt data after statistics scandal
The European Commission has defended the reliability of Greek statistics on the country’s debt, and called on Athens to counter “misleading media reports” that the data was falsified.
Britain targets financial advisers with new tax-avoidance fines
Britain set out plans on Wednesday (17 August) to punish financial advisers who tell their clients how to avoid paying tax, including hefty fines designed to target what it called the "supply chain of tax avoidance".
LuxLeaks highlights need for whistleblower protection and incentives
The time has come for EU member states to decide how they will treat whistleblowers. Erika Kelton asks, will they embrace and encourage them, or will they perpetuate a culture of fear?
Panama Papers parliament committee keen to avoid LuxLeaks mistakes
The initial outrage provoked by the Panama Papers is over. Now that the dust has settled, a European Parliament committee will examine the case in detail. EURACTIV Germany reports.
State aid for Spanish football clubs was ‘illegal’, Vestager says
Some of Spain's top football teams - including Real Madrid and FC Barcelona - will have to pay back illegal public aid worth up to €70 million as it represented “an unfair advantage” versus other teams, the Commission said on Monday (4 July).
Europe should follow UK’s lead on corporate transparency
The extent to which member states make pertinent information about companies available to the public varies widely. This has to change if anything is to be learned from the Panama Papers scandal, writes Daniel Castro.
Deal on company auditing edging closer: EU lawmaker
The European Union could be less than a month away from a deal forcing the bloc's listed companies to change their accountant every decade, a senior EU lawmaker said on Monday (25 November).