PANA Committee

A group of Greens/EFA MEPs today launched EULEAKS, an online platform which will allow whistleblowers to upload documents securely and anonymously. The platform, which can be accessed via the Greens/EFA website (http://www.greens-efa.eu), went live following the first meeting of the Committee of Inquiry into Money Laundering, Tax Avoidance and Tax Evasion (PANA). The committee heard from the investigative journalists of the ICIJ who originally uncovered the Panama Papers.

Please find attached an FAQ on the EULeaks platform.

Commenting after the launch of EULeaks, Green economic and finance spokesperson, and one of twelve MEPs supporting the project, Molly Scott Cato said:

"As MEPs, we have witnessed first-hand the lack of transparency that so often plagues EU decision making. Whether we are investigating tax deals, or trying to determine whether a substance is safe for public use, we repeatedly find that we cannot access the information that we need to do our jobs properly and defend the public interest.

 "The Panama Papers offer a perfect example of how vital the role of whistleblowers can be, and the revelations of the more recent Bahamas Leaks show there's still much more to be uncovered. By launching our own platform, we want to help end the tendency towards secrecy that undermines faith in the European Union and give potential whistleblowers a safe and secure way of making vital information public."

"British overseas territories and other former colonial territories were at the heart of the Panama Papers and it is paramount that Britain's tax arrangements continue to be properly scrutinized. We must ensure that Brexit is not allowed to enable the UK to become the world's biggest tax haven."

The full list of Greens/EFA MEPs backing the platform is: Pascal Durand, Bas Eickhout, Sven Giegold, Benedek Jávor, Eva Joly, Philippe Lamberts, Ernest Maragall, Michel Reimon, Michèle Rivasi, Molly Scott Cato, Bart Staes and Ernest Urtasun.