International

At a meeting of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, which brings together wealthy industrialised countries, SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong proposed the establishment of an inter-parliamentary group to keep up the pressure for application of the G20 initiatives to counter tax evasion. The proposal was accepted by the OECD, with the result that such a network will be established in the near future. ‘The OECD does all of the preparatory work for the G20 and is as things stand the place where the struggle against tax evasion is carried out on an international level,’ explains De Jong, adding that this means that ‘it’s important that national MPs as well MEPs are informed about the latest developments and also that they can act as a sounding board for the OECD itself. Otherwise there’s a danger that negotiations between the OECD member states will suffer serious delays. It’s our task, as well as that of the NGOs, to stay on top of matters here.’