The Record: Europe

30 June edition Alasdair Rendall Producer

It was a defeat on the football pitch for Germany - but was it also a defeat for the country's Chancellor, Angela Merkel, at the summit of EU leaders?

In late night talks in Brussels, the European Council agreed a new deal to provide aid to struggling banks in the eurozone.

Under heavy pressure from Spain and Italy, Mrs Merkel appeared to give ground - which some say marks a change of direction for the euro crisis.

To discuss what impact the Brussels summit could have on the fate of the eurozone, The Record Europe's Shirin Wheeler was joined by three EU-watchers, The Daily Telegraph's Bruno Waterfield,Geoff Meade from the Press Association, and Vanessa Mock from the Wall Street Journal.

Taxing reforms

As the EU's economic crisis has deepened, there have been growing calls for more to be done to tackle tax avoidance and fraud.

This week the Taxation Commissioner Algirdas Semeta announced new proposals, including minimum sanctions for business convicted of tax fraud, and a greater effort to clamp down on tax havens.

But what role should the EU be playing in tax affairs?

Shirin Wheeler spoke to three MEPs - Swedish Liberal Olle Schmidt, Roger Helmer from the UK Independence Party, and German Green, Sven Giegold.

The Record: Europe examines the key moments in the political week in Brussels and Strasbourg and focuses on the work of the European Parliament and European Commission.

It is broadcast on BBC Parliament on Saturdays at 2300 GMT, on BBC World on Saturdays and Sundays at 0630 CET and on the BBC News channel on Sundays at 0530 GMT and Mondays at 0330 GMT.

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You can also watch full coverage of the plenary sessions of the European Parliament and selected committee hearings at BBC Democracy Live.