Brussels, 09/12/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 8 December, the finance ministers called upon the high-level working group on tax questions at the Council to “finalise the reform of the 'Code of conduct' group under the Dutch Presidency” of the Council of the EU.
The reflection will cover the need to reinforce the governance, transparency and working methods of the group, and ways of making it more visible. Although Ecofin authorises the publication of the group's six-monthly reports, it insists on the confidentiality of the discussions within the group, with the aim of protecting public interests as regards the economic policies of the member states, maintaining the effectiveness of the assessment process and tackling risks of aggressive tax planning.
The aim, first of all, is to make better use of the group's existing mandate and to examine the options and conditions to extend this mandate. Changes to the group's governance was also discussed. When the OECD's recommendations on the fight against aggressive tax planning are not covered by European rules, the group is called upon to ensure, through general guidance, effective implementation of these at EU level.
On the issue of effective taxation, a point which remained open to discussions at Ecofin, the Council's working group is called upon to revise the mandate “in relation to the concept that profits are subject, as appropriate, to an effective level of tax within the EU”. (Original version in French by Elodie Lamer)