Charlie McCreevy, Irish Commissioner-designate for the internal market and services, faced numerous questions ranging from his views on tax harmonisation to his possible future political ambitions, and from corporate governance to the 'spare parts' directive.
Responding on what the he planned now that much of the financial services action plan was in place, Mr McCreevy outlined that 'a lot has been achieved: 39 of the 42 measures outlined in the Lisbon agenda have been. Yet I recognise that industry has expressed that it is suffering from 'fatigue' and I will take that into account. We should bed down and implement the measures taken. Some specific proposals may still be necessary. '
Asked whether he would defend the possibility of tax harmonisation or moving to Qualified Majority Voting on taxation matters, he said: 'Taxation remains a matter for the Member States. I am anti-harmonisation.' But he also mentioned that matters relating to taxation are under the portfolio of Mrs Udre, Commissioner-designate for Taxation and Customs Union. “This is not my responsibility but I have given my opinion, and I noticed that Commissioner-designate Verheugen gave a somewhat similar response during his hearing.'
On Corporate governance and disclosure of accounts Mr McCrevy stated that “We may be able to make recommendations, but I would be a little reluctant to bring forward heavy laws. Ultimately, it is up to investors to make up their own minds after clear disclosure.'
Summary
The full hearing can be downloaded from the
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