‘Another European summit for the photo’

Notwithstanding the “very nice atmosphere at the European summit on tax evasion and avoidance” on May 22, the event has left us with “few reasons to celebrate” —

Determined words were not able to hide the fact that member states are mainly passing the buck. Ireland believes that it has nothing to ashamed of in the Apple [tax optimisation] affair, and Luxembourg and Austria do not want to exchange their banking information if Switzerland refuses to do the same.

At the same time, Herman Van Rompuy’s declaration on the joint “fight against despicable practices” was “not greeted with much enthusiasm,” points out De Morgen.