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Catalonia Unplugged – elections and the need for dialogue

118 views · Published 28 November 2017 · 1:58 · Indexed 22 September 2026

Channel: Euractiv · 2017 · News & Politics

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EURACTIV Reporter, Brian Maguire, met with German Die Linke MP, Fabio de Masi, in the Bundestag. Newly elected, representing a Hamburg constituency, De Masi previously served in the European Parliament, where he was tasked with finance and trade portfolios, including the Panama Papers investigation. He remains in contact with former colleagues in the European Parliament, notably, on the recent Paradise Papers scandal. 

In the Bundestag, De Masi is focused on finance. His maiden speech challenged the German government to permit Ireland a flexible approach to repaying its bank bailout – paying the IMF before other creditors, rather than treating all creditors equally – but with the condition that Ireland first collects the huge tax bill owed to by Apple. The vote split the house, and the Left, the Greens voting with the government, and Die Linke against.

De Masi remarks on the German coalition talks, including why the Greens voted to oppose Ireland’s coupling of IMF payments with its Apple tax collection; and why any grand coalition must see the Social Democrats bring the government further left this time.

He also expresses serious concern for Spain’s constitutional crisis, insisting dialogue is essential, though it requires a neutral, honest-broker – a role, he says, the European Union can no longer play, because it has definitely-sided with the Spanish government. 

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
@FabioDeMasi
@BrianMaguireEU
@GUENGL
@dieLinkeEP

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