Pervenche Berès

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Pervenche Berès, MEP

Pervenche Berès (born 10 March 1957, Paris) is a French socialist MEP (since 1994) from the Socialist Party and chair of the European Parliament's Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. She is also a member of the Conference of Committee Chairmen, and a substitute member of the Committee on Legal Affairs, as well as the Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China.[1]

Berès graduated from Paris Institute of Political Studies in 1978, and has held administrative positions at the National Assembly. From 1988 to 1992, she worked as an adviser to Laurent Fabius, President of the National Assembly. She also was the Chairwoman of the French Socialist delegation in the European Parliament from 1997 to 2004.[2]


Affiliations

Record and Controversies

Declaration of Financial Interests

Financial Support Received in Connection with Political Activities:

Financial:
  • 480 euros`- granted by Caisse d’Epargne de Barcelone

Further Information:

Background of Conflicts

The main job of the European Parliament’s powerful Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, chaired by Berès, is the “regulation and supervision of financial services”. Such is the importance of this position that in 2007 Berès was named one of the 100 most powerful women in the European financial world by Dow Jones’ Financial News, and in 2008 she was in Accountancy Age’s 2008 Top 50 Power List.[4][5]

At the same time as being an influential committee Chair at the Parliament, Berès is a member of the European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum, whose official remit is to “promote integration of a single European market for financial services across national borders”.[6]

The European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum (EPFSF) includes both MEPs and industry representatives. Joint industry/ Parliamentary organisations like EPFSF have come under increased political scrutiny in recent years because, in the words of a Corpoate Europe Observatory report, “these groups are not bound by any parliamentary ethics and transparency rules. [They] are de facto lobbying vehicles for corporate interests aiming to influence EU decision-making in their favour”.[7]

So at the same time as being Chair of the most influential financial Committee in Parliament which regulates financial services, Berès is also a member of the lobbying vehicle for the financial services industry which seeks to influence that regulation, including by lobbying her own Committee.

Register of Interests

Potential Conflicts of Interest

There could be a potential conflict of interest between these two positions. This is especially so as Berès has also acted as committee Rapporteur on reports which affect the financial services industry.[8] This throws up obvious dilemmas.

For example, one of the corporate members of EPFSF is Michaela Koller of the European Insurance and Reinsurance Federation (CEA).[9] CEA would have an interest in Berès’s report on the “proposal to amend Directive 92/49/EEC on the coordination of laws, regulations and administrative provisions relating to direct insurance other than life assurance, as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission”.[10] Did Koller’s membership of EPFSF, for example, give her undue access to Berès?

When asked about her role on EPFSF, Berès responds “I'm not an active member of the EPFSF's board and therefore don't have a direct influence on its agenda and regulations. The door to my office is always open to anybody wanting to express his/her concerns. I believe that in the European legislative procedure, the consultation dimension is very important.”

She continues: “However, I deeply regret that the voice of consumers and the small ones is often too weak to be heard… I believe that listening to ‘lobbies’ doesn't prevent me from working in the interest of my voters and the general interest. My line of conduct has always been that everybody deserves to be listened to.”[11]

EPFSF: a vehicle for lobbying?

The European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum’s steering committee is made up of MEPs, while its corporate membership is made up of Europe’s financial muscle including Barclays, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, JP Morgan, Lloyds TSB, Merrill Lynch and UBS. The Chair of the financial industry members is the European Banking Federation, the “voice of the European banking sector.”[12][13]

Until early 2008, the secretariat of the EPFSF was run by John Houston, of Houston Consulting Europe, one of the leading financial PR and lobbying consultancies in Brussels.[14] In an interview with the Wall Street Journal in 2005, Houston admitted that several of his financial clients were also members of EPFSF.[15] The newspaper accused EPFSF members of watering down the EU’s “Third Money Laundering Directive”.[16]

When the decision was made in late 2007 to move the secretariat from lobbyists Houston Consulting,[17] it was the European Banking Federation, the lobbying organisation of the European banking industry that advertised the vacancy.[18]

Record of Parliamentary Votes

  • Voted in favour of the directive on "establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy" (A5-0027/2000). The directive covers all water management aspects in order to achieve a 'good status' of all waters by 2015.[19]
  • Voted against the directive on "national emission ceilings for certain atmospheric pollutants" (A5-0063/2000). The amendment allows setting less ambitious national emission ceilings for sulphur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxides (NOx), ammonia (NH3) and volatile organic compounds (VOC), which would result in more damage to human health and the environment.[20]
  • Voted against the Commission White Paper on "Strategy for a future Chemicals Policy" (A5-0356/2001). The amendment helps avoid the necessary precautionary approach towards some chemical substances that are not proven to be completely safe.[21]
  • Voted in favour of the directive on "waste electrical and electronic equipment" (A5-0100/2002). The amendment sets higher reuse and recycling rates for IT and telecommunication equipment.[22] Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
  • Voted in favour of the regulation concerning "traceability and labelling of genetically modified organisms and traceability of food and feed products produced from genetically modified organisms" (A5-0229/2002). The amendment allows customers the right to choose GM free food.[23]
  • Voted in favour of the report towards a "thematic strategy on the sustainable use of pesticides" (A5-0061/2003). The amendment proposes to ban or severely restrict use of pesticides in areas around sources of drinking water and nature protected zones.[24]
  • Voted in favour of the directive on "environmental liability with regard to the prevention and remedying of environmental damage" (A5-0145/2003). According to the amendment, polluters have to pay for environmental clean-up, and it supports an EU-wide regime which makes polluters liable for the damage they cause to wildlife, water and land.[25]
  • Voted in favour of the directive on restructuring the "Community framework for the taxation of energy products and electricity" (A5-0302/2003). The amendment aims at giving tax benefits to environmentally friendly sources of energy, which would make them cheaper and more competitive to conventional (more polluting) sources of energy. It also gives tax benefits to environmentally friendly uses of energy for transport, for instance trains.[26] Rejected due to lack of absolute majority.
  • Voted in favour of the amendment on Bulgaria’s progress towards accession (A5-0105/2004). The report objects to extending the life of the nuclear power stations in Bulgaria.[27]


Personal Information

Curriculum Vitae

  • Graduate of the Paris Institute of Political Studies (1978).
  • Administrator at the National Assembly, first with the Delegation for the European Communities (1981-1983), then with the Committee on Foreign Affairs (1983-1986).
  • Adviser to Laurent Fabius, President of the National Assembly (1988-1992).
  • Socialist Party national secretary responsible for development cooperation (1993-1995).
  • Member of the Socialist Party national bureau (1993-2004).
  • President of Gauche européenne - France (European Left - France) (since 1995).
  • First Vice-President of the European Movement - France (since 1995).
  • Member of Sèvres Municipal Council (since 2001).
  • Member of the European Parliament (since 1994).
  • Chairwoman of the French Socialist delegation in the European Parliament (1997-2004).
  • Vice-Chairwoman of the European Parliament's delegation to the Convention for the drawing up of a draft Charter of fundamental rights of the European Union (1999).
  • Substitute member of the Convention on the future of the European Union (2002-2003).

Contact

Address:
Parlement européen
Bât. Altiero Spinelli
14G206
60, rue Wiertz / Wiertzstraat 60
B-1047 Bruxelles/Brussel
Phone:
+32 (0)2 28 45777
Fax:
+32 (0)2 28 49777
Email:
pervenche.beres@europarl.europa.eu
Website:
http://www.pervenche-beres.fr
EU Insigna.png This article is part of the MEPedia project of Spinwatch.



Resources

Notes

  1. ↑ European Parliament, MEP Directory: Pervenche Berès, accessed 11 November 2008.
  2. ↑ European Parliament, MEP Directory: Pervenche Berès, accessed 11 November 2008.
  3. ↑ European Parliament, Déclaration des Intérêts financiers des députés: Pervenche Berès, 15 November 2008, accessed 28 March 2009.
  4. ↑ Financial News Online, 100 Most Influential Women in Finance, 2007, accessed 11 November 2008.
  5. ↑ The Press Trust of India, “Three Indians Among Europe's 100 power-women bankers,” 4 November 2007; Accountancy Age, Financial Power List 2008, 7 January 2008, cited in Rowell, Andy, "Too Close for Comfort?" Spinwatch, July 2008.
  6. ↑ EPFSF, EPFSF Statutes, Articles Of Association Of The European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum Association, accessed 11 November 2008.
  7. ↑ Corporate Europe Observatory, Transparency Boost Needed for European Parliament Cross-Party Groups, October 2006, cited in Rowell, Andy, "Too Close for Comfort?" Spinwatch, July 2008.
  8. ↑ European Parlaiment, Report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2004/39/EC relating to markets in financial instruments as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission, by Pervenche Berès, Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, 07 November 2007, accessed 11 November 2008.
  9. ↑ EPFSF, Financial Industry Members, accessed 11 November 2008.
  10. ↑ European Parliament, Report on the proposal for a directive of the European Parliament and of the Council amending Directive 2004/39/EC relating to markets in financial instruments as regards the implementing powers conferred on the Commission, by Pervenche Berès, Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs, 07 November 2007, accessed 11 November 2008.
  11. ↑ Pervenche Berès, Communication with Andy Rowell, June 2008, cited in Rowell, Andy, "Too Close for Comfort?" Spinwatch, July 2008.
  12. ↑ EPFSF, Financial Industry Members, accessed 11 November 2008.
  13. ↑ European Banking Federation, Mission Statement, accessed 11 November 2008.
  14. ↑ European Parliamentary Financial Services, Secretariat, Web Archive, accessed 11 November 2008.
  15. ↑ European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum, Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Measures, Undated, cited in Rowell, Andy, "Too Close for Comfort?" Spinwatch, July 2008.
  16. ↑ Glenn R. Simpson, “Finance Lobby Puts Its Fist Down; Legislators With Close Ties To Industry Water Down Money Laundering Rules,” Wall Street Journal, 24 May 2005, cited in Rowell, Andy, "Too Close for Comfort?" Spinwatch, July 2008.
  17. ↑ EU Business, Director, European Parliamentary Financial Services Forum, accessed 11 November 2008.
  18. ↑ European Banking Federation, Jobs, October 2007, cited in Rowell, Andy, "Too Close for Comfort?" Spinwatch, July 2008.
  19. ↑ Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
  20. ↑ Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
  21. ↑ Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
  22. ↑ Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
  23. ↑ Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
  24. ↑ Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
  25. ↑ Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
  26. ↑ Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
  27. ↑ Friends of the Earth, EU Vote Watch, accessed 02 February 2009.
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