Architect behind Eurozone's biggest tax haven wants to be EC president

This is a very dangerous development. From Euractiv:

"Former Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker, the EU's longest-serving elder statesman, threw his hat into the ring yesterday (9 January) for the presidency of the European Commission to succeed José Manuel Barroso.

Juncker, 59, who governed for 19 years until a general election defeat last October and also chaired eurozone finance ministers for eight years from 2005 to 2013, told Germany's Inforadio: "I would be willing (to do the job), in principle, if the election programme and other things work out."

That is a declaration of intent, if ever there was one.

Juncker has been an appalling defender of financial secrecy in Europe, cosying up with Switzerland to help kill emerging European transparency initiatives, as we have documented on many occasions.

It would be appalling if Europe were led by an apologist for - indeed an architect of one of the world's most pernicious tax havens. Number two on our Financial Secrecy Index: just look at its record.

(Update April 2014: For background in Offshore History see here.)