Juncker: from Marx and tax havens to lecturing Italy
Respect! European Commission statement, Europa.eu, May 29:
The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, wishes to put on record his conviction that … Italy deserves respect.
Less corruption! Stephanie Kirchgaessner, The Guardian, yesterday:
Jean-Claude Juncker has said … he was in “deep love” with “bella Italia”, but … “Italians have to take care of the poor regions of Italy. That means more work; less corruption …”
Less corruption? Alice Scarsi, Daily Express, March 15:
(A) report from the European Ombudsman … (says) Mr Juncker had failed to scrutinise whether … (former European Commission president Jose Manuel Barroso’s) new job (with Goldman Sachs) undermined the trust the public has in the EU. Mr Barroso joined US bank Goldman Sachs in July 2016, less than two years after leaving his role in Brussels … (The Ombudsman dismissed) Mr Barroso’s account that his meeting in October with Jyrki Katainen was a private matter because Mr Katainen registered it in the EU public lobbying record as a meeting with “Goldman Sachs”. Mr Katainen was at the time Mr Barroso’s former member of the commission, whereas today is the vice-president under Mr Juncker …
Less corruption? Aurora Bosotti, Daily Express, March 15:
European Commission boss Jean-Claude Juncker is under fire as MEPs threaten to withdraw support after the unexpected promotion of his right-hand man Martin Selmayr to the post of secretariat-general of the commission … Dutch MEP Sophie in ’t Veld warned Jean-Claude Juncker … “Selmayrgate destroys all the credibility of the EU as a champion of integrity and transparency in public administration” … MEPs said the hiring process for his job left the EU a laughing stock
The progressive at the EU! Nick Cohen, The Guardian, July 13, 2014:
During Juncker’s reign as Luxembourg’s prime minister from 1995 to 2013, the duchy reinvented itself as Europe’s largest tax haven … Luxembourg is a far greater menace than the Caribbean laundromats. It benefits from the EU’s free movement of capital, while the Cayman Islands, say, cannot … it inspires The Netherlands, Ireland and other EU states following beggar-thy-neighbour tax policies to join it in a race to the bottom. If your services are being cut or taxes are going up, if you run a small business that cannot compete with Amazon or another large entity, the odds are that Jean-Claude Juncker’s Luxembourg has made your life harder … The European Commission he presumes to lead is investigating the Luxembourg he created. It wants to know how Amazon could put £11 billion through its Luxembourg-based subsidiary in 2013, while paying only £4 million in UK corporation tax … Ireland and The Netherlands are co-operating with the inquiry … Luxembourg … has compelled the commission to go to court to secure the relevant documents. Juncker is asking to be put in charge of a European Commission that is engaged in legal action against his tax regime. He will be supervising an investigation into deals he insisted as prime minister of Luxembourg should remain hidden … how can he be trusted … (when) the EU’s lax rules place no obligation on Juncker to declare a conflict of interest … this is the man Europe’s “progressives” want to make president of a continent.
Who better to celebrate mega Karl?
Daily Mail, April 28:
Jean-Claude Juncker … will deliver a speech at … the unveiling of an 18ft bronze statue of Marx donated by China’s ruling Communist Party.
Juncker quotes, The Telegraph (UK), July 15, 2014:
When it becomes serious, you have to lie … I’m ready to be insulted as being insufficiently democratic … I am for secret, dark debates …