The strong pressure exerted in recent days by the European Parliament (see EUROPE 12356/10) and civil society to move the lines within the EU Council on the proposal for country-by-country fiscal transparency ('reporting') has not been enough. On Friday 25 October, the status quo held firm in the EU Council's Company Law Working Group.
According to our information, the meeting did not indicate any major change in position, either on the part of the Member States or the EU Council's legal service, compared with the last meeting in January (see EUROPE 12179/21). Consequently the blockage remains in place.
The reason is still the same: the questioning by several Member States of the legal basis chosen by the Commission (see EUROPE 11758/9). Several countries (Cyprus, Malta, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Estonia, Luxembourg, Latvia, Ireland, Poland, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Portugal, Croatia and Lithuania) still consider that the text should be negotiated as a tax text, on a unanimous basis and by straightforward consultation of the European Parliament. A line that is confirmed by the EU Council's Legal Service. However, unanimity of the Member States is required to agree on a change of legal basis.
Germany - to whom all eyes were turned after the announcement in September by German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz of an agreement with the other SPD government ministers to support this proposal (see EUROPE 12328/26) - therefore maintained its reservation.
On Tuesday 22 October, meeting with MEPs, the Finnish Presidency of the Council of the EU undertook to do its best to try to move the matter forward, but pointed to "unresolved political issues that prevent agreement in the Council" and considered that the EU Council should take more time to clarify its position (see EUROPE 12355/7).
After this meeting, the Presidency is now reflecting on "possible next steps", we are told. (Original version in French by Marion Fontana)