DataharvestEIJC2020

When large investigations like LuxLeaks about tax avoidance hit the front pages, political promises are given galore. So the Commission wrote a draft law about public country by country reporting on taxes. And then...  the work in the Investigate Europe team started. A long-term research project, the Secrets of the Council investigation deals with the hidden procedures of law making in the European Union's main legislative body: the council of ministers. The first investigation within the project focuses on the draft EU tax transparency law, which was blocked in the council last year. The investigation shows that some of the blocking EU governments were acting without the knowledge or support from their national parliaments. It also shows that the EU governments that hold the rotating presidency and should act as an honest broker, can abuse its agenda-setting power to block laws. Sigrid Melchior and Harald Schumann, both experienced journalists with a particular knowledge of covering European affairs, will describe how they get closer to the opaque decision making of the Council by following one topic of public interest.