22/01/2021 (Agence Europe) – The meeting of national experts of the Council of the EU on Friday 22 January did not reach the conclusion that there was a qualified majority in favour of the proposal for tax transparency on a country-by-country basis (‘reporting’) that would oblige companies to make public certain accounting data such as their turnover, according to a European source. During the tour de table, some Member States reportedly changed their position, but to indicate that they were now prepared to abstain rather than vote against the text. In its work programme, the Portuguese Presidency of the Council undertook to try to “create the conditions” for a political agreement between the Member States on this dossier (see EUROPE 12628/20). Without the guarantee of a qualified majority, the Presidency therefore has no basis for going further and taking the matter up to the level of the Member States' ambassadors to the EU (Coreper) or the EU Council, explained the same source. (MF)