Council of the EU

 

Press material Wednesday, 29 January 2025

● Council of the EU   29/01/2025 12:58 | Press release | Business taxation: María José Garde re-elected as chair of the code of conduct group   The code of conduct group has re-elected María José Garde (Spain) as its chair, for a second term of two years starting on 5 February 2025. María José Garde has chaired this Council preparatory body that oversees the implementation of the EU’s code of conduct on business taxation group since 2023. María José Garde is Director General of Taxation at the Ministry of Finance in Spain. She has extensive work experience in international taxation. Garde has also served as chair of the OECD Global Forum on Transparency and Exchange of Information for Tax Purposes. Background The code of conduct addresses harmful tax competition, tax evasion and tax avoidance in the EU. It is a political, intergovernmental commitment by member states to monitor possibly harmful tax measures in the EU member states and remedy tax measures that could be harmful to the tax bases of other member states. The Council's code of conduct group, established in 1998, consists of high-level taxation experts of the member states. Its work also has an international dimension: the code of conduct group aims to promote effective changes in respect of worldwide tax good governance through cooperation. It also carries out the technical work, screening and assessment leading to the regular revision by the Council of the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes. This EU list is regularly revised following an in-depth review of the implementation of commitments taken by all third-country jurisdictions that are part of the process. The chair of the group, supported by the general secretariat of the Council and with the technical assistance of the Commission, is responsible for liaising with third-country jurisdictions on the EU listing process. Short CV Code of Conduct Group (Business Taxation) EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions (background information)

● General Secretariat of the Council

New books added to the Council Library's collection - January 2025   Discover our selection of books recently added to the Council Library collection. ● Council of the EU   30/01/2025 12:31 | Press release | Armenia: Council extends the mandate of the EU civilian mission for two years   The Council today adopted a decision extending the mandate of the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) for a further two years, until 19 February 2027, with a budget allocation of over €44 million for the period from 20 February 2025 until 19 February 2027. EUMA is an essential component of the EU’s efforts in supporting peace and stability in the region. The mission is tasked with observing and reporting on the situation on the ground, contributing to human security in conflict-affected areas and supporting the confidence building between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where possible. The mandated tasks of the mission remain unchanged – EUMA is and will remain an unarmed civilian mission The mission, headed by Dr. Markus Ritter, comprises over 200 personnel including international and local staff. EUMA observers and civilian experts come from 25 EU member states and the third contributing state, Canada. EUMA was launched by the decision of the Council on 20 February 2023, when it also started its operational activities. EU Mission in Armenia (EEAS website) Armenia: EU establishes a civilian mission to contribute to stability in border areas, 23 January 2023