On Tuesday 17 September, Members of the European Parliament debated the results of the G20 ministerial meeting held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) from Monday 22 to Friday 26 July.
The fight against inequality was at the heart of the discussions, which focused in particular on the taxation of the ultra-rich, while the European Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, highlighted the effectiveness of European development projects (see EUROPE 13460/22).
On Tuesday, the European Commissioner for Equality, Helena Dalli, mentioned the results achieved by the EU in reducing inequality, thanks in particular to the ‘Inequality Marker’ (I-Marker), the first results of which were published in July (see EUROPE 13445/1).
Kathleen van Brempt MEP (S&D, Belgian) welcomed the initiative for a Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty presented during the meeting (see EUROPE 13461/8).
MEPs also discussed the commitment made by Finance Ministers to “cooperate to ensure that the very wealthy are effectively taxed” (see EUROPE 13463/5).
Rasmus Andresen (Greens/EFA, German) described the proposal to introduce a 2% international tax on personal wealth in excess of one billion dollars as a “step in the right direction”. “The European Union should support the initiative rather than block it”, he added. (Original version in French by Anne Damiani & Bernard Denuit)