There are about 150 main banks in Luxembourg including both local and foreign banks. The full list of banks are listed below.

1. There are 50,000 registered holding companies in Luxembourg, most of which have foreign parents.
2. The financial-services sector account for 36% of Luxembourg's economy and has made the population 550,000, the world's richest country on a per capita basis. The wealth is rooted in thousands of jobs for bankers, lawyers and auditors.
3. Luxembourg generates an estimated € 1.5 billion in annual corporate tax revenue.

The Euro Area is the second largest economy in the world and if it was a country it would be the fourth most populous with 330 million inhabitants. France, Germany, Italy and Spain are the most important economies accounting for over 74 percent of the Union’s GDP.

Definitions

Greater openness and transparency on public policy formulation, development and decision-making is considered central to securing more effective public governance.

1. Does the definition of lobbyist adequately cover the type of lobbyist whose conduct or involvement is most likely to affect public perceptions as to transparency, accountability and fairness of decision-making?
2. To what extent does indirect lobbying occur in your country ?
3. Are there any recent examples of indirect lobbying in your country?
4. Is there any evidence of “astroturf lobbying” in your country?
5. What role do lobbyists play in your country ?

According to Transparency International (TI) EU Office, Members of the European Parliament must be more transparent about the on-the side activities they do while in public office. The findings come from the new EU Integrity Watch database which will for the first time collect all available information on the outside activities and incomes of MEPs. The database provides a comprehensive overview of MEP's outside revenues.

Interel has just announced the opening a new office in Beijing, China. This office will be led by Managing Partner, Mark Pinner. We reproduce hereunder an article written by Mr. Mark Pinner on Public Affairs in China. The opinions expressed in this article are only those of Mr. Mark Pinner.

What if it is impossible for governments in France and Italy to abide by EU budget rules, because raising taxes and cutting public spending would crush economic activity and thus widen budget deficits instead of reducing them? What if electorates refuse to accept a decade of austerity and stagnation simply for the sake of preserving the EU monetary and fiscal rules?

Summary

• Gender: 9 women, 19 Men
• Groups: 14 EPP, 8 S&D, 5 ALDE, 1 ECR
• Commissioners: 7 Returning, 4 Former Prime Ministers
• European Parliament: 423 Votes in favour, 209 Votes against, 67 Abstentions

In Office as of 1st November 2014