The Economic and Monetary Affairs of the European Parliament (ECON) voted yesterday on the Regulation for a Key Information Document for investment products (formerly known as “PRIPs”). EuroFinUse praises the European Parliament for voting for more consistency in summary information for investors, but is quite concerned that a majority of the critical long term and
On October 18, EuroFinUse and the Austrian Shareholder Association (IVA) held an international conference on “The Financial Repression of Savers and Investors”, in Vienna. International authorities from the private and public sectors discussed the alleged inevitability of Financial Repression and proposed solutions to face this issue. The event held at the Vienna Insurance Group was
Yesterday EuroFinUse, WWF and VoteWatch Europe were the last remaining candidates standing at the coveted European Public Affairs Awards, eagerly awaiting the announcement of the winner of the “NGO of The Year” category. The EPA awards single out organisations for excellence in their respective sector, while aiming to encourage best practice in the European public affairs
The European Federation of Financial Services Users releases its research report on the real return of pension savings. This research confirms, broadens and deepens the OECD 2012 Pensions Reportconclusions which revealed negative real returns on average for pension funds. Our research adds other pension savings than pension funds, includes France (not covered by the OECD
EuroFinUse invites you to the Conference on the BETTER FINANCE MANIFESTO which will take place at the European Parliament on March 28. Whereas there are many challenges ahead, few are as acute as dealing with the fallout of the financial crisis. In order to shore up the real economy, protect savers and investors, concentrate on long term
On 26 March, EuroFinUse, the only organisation dedicated to defend the rights of European financial services users, organised a high-level conference on the audit reform, hosted by British MEP Sajjad Karim, to discuss the proposals linked to audit tenure, non-audit services policy, quality, transparency, pricing as well as those targeting the role of audit committees
At the EuroFinUse General Assembly, on 25 March 2013, Jean Berthon was elected as President to head the one and only organization dedicated to defend the rights of financial users. On January 1st 2013, Euroshareholders and EuroFinUse – the two European organizations representing individual shareholders, investors, savers and other financial services users – merged to
EuroFinUse praises the Eurogroup statement from late Monday in favor of fully guaranteeing deposits below EUR 100,000. Moreover, we believe bank depositors should not pay for the excesses of the banking industry and or governments. Therefore, depositors should be protected from bearing the bulk of the Cypriot rescue package. Full Press Release
EuroFinuse, the European Federation of Financial Services Users, is closely following the debate onthe “UCITS V Directive” that is currently focusing on depositories’ liabilities and asset managers’remuneration.These are two major issues that have to be tackled by EU institutions, as they were exposed as theweakest part of the UCITS framework during the financial crisis. Performance
EuroFinUse is very pleased that MEP Pervenche Beres’ amendments on PRIPs match our demands in relation to the inclusion of shares and bonds and other bank savings products, life insurance products as well as the disclosure of inducements paid by the provider to the seller. Press Release
On 18 January 2013, EuroFinuse will meet with the delegation of EBA and the BEUC delegation of consumer representatives to discuss amongst other topics consumer issues, biased advice and inappropriate selling issues, the EBA mandate and its role in the banking union proposal as well as shareholder participation in EU banks governance. Conclusions of this
The IFRS Sustainability Disclosure Standards were created in 2022 by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) to serve as a global format for sustainability and climate reporting that meets the needs of CFOs and investors. While newer, and still in development, given the IFRS’s influence role in financial reporting, these standards should help connect sustainability reporting information
Legal Committee The Legal Committee (LC) assists the organisation in all legal matters related to current policy issues and activities we carry out. The LC is composed of four members and is headed by a Chairman and a Secretary General. All members of the LC are Attorneys at Law. Work Programme Committee The Work Programme
A breakthrough agreement between lawmakers from the European Parliament and EU member states on a resolution mechanism for failed banks was reached on the evening of December 11. The EU settled on the Single Resolution Mechanism according to which private investors in banks and the banking sector as a whole will be required to bear
Today, December 17, the European Commission adopted its Work Programme 2015 and announced new initiatives, withdrawals or modifications of pending proposals, REFIT actions (fixing EU law) and a list of legislation that becomes applicable law in 2015. When it comes to the withdrawals, only one of those mentioned in a leaked letter from Commissioner
In November 2011, concerns over the “domination” of the European Commission expert groups by business interests led the European Parliament to freeze the budget for expert groups. In September 2012, the Parliament released the budget on the understanding that expert groups would significantly improve based on conditions set by the EP which would ensure that MEPs and the Commission would work
BETTER FINANCE is pleased to announce a new collaboration with SASV (Schweizerischer Anlegerschutzverein), the Swiss Investor Protection Association, further expanding its pan-European network. SASV is dedicated to promoting transparency within the Swiss capital market and advancing investor rights. This partnership with BETTER FINANCE aims to bolster the representation of Swiss individual investors and shareholders on
BETTER FINANCE welcomes the European Commission’s WHT FASTER Proposal that has to potential to bring procedural progress in addressing longstanding obstacles to tax recovery for investors dealing with their cross-border investment income. We applaud an EU-wide framework to streamline withholding tax (WHT) refund modalities under common reporting, and support its digitalisation addressing the current hurdle
On Tuesday, 19 September from 15:00 to 16:30 in the European Parliament in Brussels, a public hearing on the “New EU common system for the avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax abuse in the area of withholding taxes” will take place. The hearing aims to address the burdensome withholding tax refund procedures for
BETTER FINANCE supports the recent proposal put forth by the European Commission, aimed at simplifying the reimbursement of cross-border withholding taxes. Guillaume Prache, the Managing Director of BETTER FINANCE, expresses cautious optimism and states, “This proposal, which was swiftly introduced following a joint study conducted by BETTER FINANCE and DSW – Germany’s leading association for
Many investors commonly use the strategy of investing in dividend stocks. Yet, investors holding foreign shares often have to pay additional withholding tax on dividends in the respective country. A recent survey conducted by BETTER FINANCE and DSW[1] among 3,000 investors across the EU found that withholding tax (WHT) refund procedures are cumbersome and costly,
A recent survey conducted by BETTER FINANCE and DSW among 3000 investors across the EU found that withholding tax (WHT) refund procedures are cumbersome and costly, making it difficult or financially unreasonable for non-professional investors to reclaim excess withholding tax on cross-border dividend income. More than 90% of European investors find the WHT reclaim procedure
On Thursday 13 April Ferrovial, the Spanish construction group, announced that its shareholders have approved a plan to relocate its holding company to the Netherlands through a reverse merger with its Dutch subsidiary Ferrovial International SE (FISE). The decision was made during Ferrovial’s Annual General Meeting (AGM). This strategic move aims to facilitate future listings
[ARCHIVED: This survey is now closed] The refund of withholding taxes on dividends – to avoid double taxation – can be a complicated procedure for private investors/shareholders across the European Union. Many factors must be taken into account, including the tax residence of the shareholder and the country of the issuer (the listed company), administrative
Eurozone inflation mushroomed from 3.4% to 10% in one year, further deepening Europe’s cost-of-living crisis, yet the best the European Central Bank (ECB) could muster is a late and timid hike of interest rate from 0 to 0.75%. Financial repression policies in place since the crises of 2008 and 2009 are being tightened further in
In January, BETTER FINANCE revealed its “Blueprint for the Next EU Parliament” ahead of the European Union elections scheduled for June 2024. Entitled “Sustainable Value for Money: Reconciling Individuals, Enterprises & Planet,” the manifesto advocates for consumer-centric reforms, long-term investment strategies, and enhanced corporate governance to rebuild trust in the financial sector. Both BETTER FINANCE
[The document has been updated to the final March 2024 version] The report by CFA Institute and BETTER FINANCE critically reviews the EU’s listing rules, targeting reforms to improve public market accessibility for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It aims to foster debate amidst the ongoing review of the Listing Act by the European Commission
The Retail Investment Strategy (RIS) compromise currently on the table for a European Parliament vote blatantly disregards the interests of retail investors and the establishment of a competitive Capital Markets Union (CMU). Should Ms Yon-Courtin’s proposed compromise be approved by the ECON committee on 20th March and subsequently put to a plenary vote one month
BETTER FINANCE endorses the FSUG’s call for improved ‘Value for Money’ in retail investments. The focus is on enhancing the effectiveness of packaged retail and insurance-based investment products (PRIIPs) to contribute significantly to investors’ financial well-being. The FSUG emphasises the responsibility of product manufacturers to design products that boost investors’ financial wealth and urges supervisors
⬇️ Read or download BETTER FINANCE’s Individual Investors’ Key Priorities for 2024-2029 below. ⬇️ Let’s harness the Capital Markets Union’s (CMU) potential to benefit our citizens as financial consumers, retail investors and pension savers, as well as our planet, the economy, and for future generations. This will ensure Europe’s prosperity and security in a rapidly
DG FISMA will be organising a roundtable on January 25th, 2024 at 10:00, where Aleksandra Maczynska, Acting Managing Director at BETTER FINANCE will address the panel on ‘Opportunities from a shorter settlement cycle in the EU’.
The Sustainable Finance Disclosures Regulation (SFDR) started applying in March 2021 and requires financial market participants and financial advisers to disclose at entity and product levels how they integrate sustainability risks and principal adverse impacts in their processes at both entity and product levels. It also introduces additional product disclosures for sustainable financial products making
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