On Friday 10 October, in Luxembourg, the Ecofin Council adopted the European Union’s revised ‘black’ list of uncooperative jurisdictions in tax matters and the EU’s ‘grey’ list of jurisdictions that have made commitments in terms of good tax governance (see EUROPE 13582/18). While the first remains unchanged, the second has seen the addition of four new jurisdictions: Jordan, Montenegro, Morocco and Greenland. The latter is being added as an autonomous constituent territory of Denmark, which currently holds the Presidency of the EU Council.
As a result, the ‘black’ list still includes 11 jurisdictions: Anguilla, Fiji, Guam, the US Virgin Islands, Palau, Panama, the Russian Federation, Samoa, American Samoa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Vanuatu.
Vietnam has been removed from the ‘grey’ list. On the list since October 2023, first for its preferential tax regime, then to prevent tax base erosion and profit shifting, the country has fulfilled its commitment to implement country-by-country reporting standards for multinational enterprises.
However, Jordan, Montenegro, Greenland and Morocco have joined Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, Brunei Darussalam, Eswatini, the British Virgin Islands, Seychelles and Turkey on the list.
Jordan, Greenland and Morocco were singled out for prevention of tax base erosion and profit shifting. The countries have undertaken to remedy the shortcomings identified in their national country-by-country reporting (CbCR) frameworks by autumn 2026.
The EU also criticises Jordan, Montenegro, Antigua and Barbuda, Belize, the British Virgin Islands, the Seychelles and Turkey for their lack of transparency regarding the exchange of information.
Finally, as in February, Brunei Darussalam and Eswatini have been listed because they maintain harmful preferential tax regimes.
Link to the Council’s conclusions on the list: https://aeur.eu/f/iw7 (Original version in French by Anne Damiani)