The European Federation of Financial Services Users (EuroFinUse), of which the Pan-Slovenian Shareholders' Association (VZMD) is also an active member, has announced the campaign »Better Finance Manifesto« in the framework of which it summons all political parties to take their stand on the four basic principles that need to be implemented in the next five years. EuroFinUse announced the campaign before the upcoming European elections. The manifesto will be presented at the international conference in the European Parliament, which will take place on March 28th in Brussels. EuroFinUse kindly invites all to join the »Better Finance Manifesto« endeavours either by directly participating at the conference, or by contributing their opinions and ideas, and by supporting the campaign via websites and Facebook.

EuroFinUse is starting the campaign with a concise and eloquent VIDEO ANNOUNCEMENT which has been prepared by the VZMD.tv and investo.tv teams. Some important points have been emphasized in the announcement, among them the fact that households are the main source of funds for financial investments. Another fact accentuated in the announcement is that trust into the financial system has been in great deal lost. It was lost after the crisis in 2008 that, in many cases, on one hand and in many cases led to »privatising profits« gained by small elite circles, and on the other hand the crisis led to »socializing losses«. It is time for European politicians and regulators to now combine their existing focus on financial stability with a new focus on fairness and on shoring up the real economy by engaging in the protection of savers.   

The four main principles of the »Better Finance Manifesto« campaign are:

FIRSTLY: Ensure households provide adequate long-term savings for the real economy

In EuroFinUse they have been warning that the ongoing destruction of the real value of households' savings has to come to an end. It is necessary to promote the role and involvement of individual shareholders in the long-term financing of the EU economy through enhancing minority shareholders' rights and facilitating the exercise of their voting rights, especially for cross border voting. It is necessary to promote equities as an adequate, simple, cheap, liquid and transparent long term investment tool. Capital markets (equities and bonds) should return to their natural participants – end investors and non-financial issuers. It is important to improve the governance of listed companies and investment intermediaries to avoid situations where executives depart with huge bonuses and non-insider shareholders and taxpayers end up with many more billions of losses.

SECONDLY: It is crucial to improve and harmonise savers' and investors' protection, whatever the product and whoever the distributor.

All EU citizens should be allowed the access to unbiased and cost-efficient financial advice, whilst at the same time ensuring direct access for citizens to capital markets. It is vital to achieve a »level playing field« for pre-contractual information for investment products, regardless of the type of the product, whether it is a simple investment or a more complex financial product.

THIRDLY: Further improvement of the European financial supervision and enforcement

FOURTHLY: Stop tax discrimination against European savers.

Individual investors and other real economy financial users have to be exempt from all FTTs (financial transaction taxes). It is necessary to put an end to the double taxation of cross-border dividends. Taxation above 100% of real income from savings has to be forbidden.


Other Related International Activities: 

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO REPORT from the awards ceremony, organised by »IFIMES« International Institute on Bled, and from the gala event accompanying an exceptional international visit with promising business, political, and diplomatic contacts (Bled, February 2013)

 

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO REPORT about the week of the MOSCOW-VIENNA-CAPETOWN conferences involving the following: active participation of the international business-investment VZMD programmes, signing a memorandum with the Russian Federation of Investors, and protection of rights of the Slovene and European shareholders at the Viennese conference »The Financial Repression of Savers and Investors« (Moscow, Vienna, Cape Town, October 2013)

MOSCOW – At the Slovenian Embassy about a joint investors’ conference in the fall – an arrangement between the Russian Federation of Investors, VZMD and the Slovenian Embassy (Moscow, June 2013)

KAZAKHSTAN – a successful visit of the Slovenian business delegation in Kazakhstan – strong interest displayed in the international investors’ programs of the PanSlovenian Shareholders’ Association (VZMD): investo.si and investo.international (Astana, Almaty, June 2013)

WORLD BANK – President of VZMD and EuroFinUse Board Member speaker of the first panel at the international conference about audit reform and the importance of audit committees (Bucharest, June 2013)

VIENNA – EXCLUSIVE VIDEO REPORT from the European meeting of venture and start-up capital funds and the congress of business angels’ network EBAN 2013 – an active role of VZMD and its international investors’ programs investo.si and investo.international (Vienna, May 2013)

 

VIDEO REPORT – Variegated happening at the 19th financial fair KAPITAL 2013 at Cankar Hall, along two-day presentation of the international investors’ programs and the lecture of VZMD President (Ljubljana, April 2013)

VIDEO REPORT – exclusively from the European Parliament: the EuroFinUse international conference and the Election Assembly, the announcement of the new President and Board of directors of this influential European association, into which a representative of Slovenia is also re-elected (Brussels, March 2013)

BRUSSELS – Slovenia with VZMD once more elected to the top of the European Federation of Financial Services Users – intensive international activities today continue with a conference in the European Parliament (Brussels, March 2013)

TOKYO – conclusion of the visit of Slovene economic and political delegation with Slovenian-Japanese Business & Investment Forum and the reception at Japanese investors’ association – the active role of VZMD with its international investors’ programs investo.si and investo.international(Tokyo, March 2013)

INDIA – visit of Slovenian government and business delegation – on the basis of Memorandum between ICPE and VZMD international investors' programs investo.si and investo.international also present (New Delhi, February 2013)

Memorandum of cooperation signed between the International Center for Promotion of Enterprises (ICPE) and VZMD, with additional expansion of activities within the framework of international investment programs investo.si and investo.international (Ljubljana, January, 2013)

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO REPORT of “International Conference on Benefits and Challenges of Public Private Partnerships for improving Energy Efficiency” – key statements of prominent participants (Ljubljana, October, 2012)

VIDEO REPORT - Prominent Participants of Two Key International Conferences in Bled, India and Slovenia as Business Partners and CloudForum, Show Interest in the Investors’ Week in September in Slovenia (Bled, March 2012)

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO REPORT from Slovenian - Azerbaijani Business Forum in Baku (Baku, January, 2013)

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO REPORT from EuropeanIssuers International Conference on »The future of European Equity Markets« at the Milan Stock Exchange – programs investo.si in investo.international also at the upcoming International Investors´ Conference in Wiesbaden (Milano, November 2012)

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO REPORT - Investors' week and the view of business potentials and investment opportunities during the visit of distinguished international guests at the Slovenian coast (Postojna, Koper, Piran, September, 2012)

VIDEO REPORT "Ljubljana declaration" – historic decision on unification of 50 organizations of shareholders and investors under one association and VZMD award »Polet« for »Model corporate governance in multinational corporation« to Gorenje company (Ljubljana, September 21, 2012)

Gala reception and dinner before International Conference on financial education and investors` exposition »investo Expo« (Ljubljana, September 19, 2012)

VIDEO REPORT - International Conference at the Brussels Stock Exchange Stimulated Investors' Representatives and Institutions to Participate at the Investors' Week 2012 in September in Slovenia(Brussels, March 2012)

"Slovenian Day at the Warsaw Stock Exchange (WSE)" Exceptional Interest of Funds, Investors, and the Financial Media for Slovenian Companies and Its Investment Environment - The Introduction of investo.si - Invest to Slovenia's Newly Founded Affiliate, investo.me - Invest to Montenegro (Warsaw, October 2011)

SLOVENIA PRAISED IN PARIS – acclaimed presentation of reputable Slovenian companies at the largest European investment convention, Actionaria, and the General Assembly of the World Federation of Investors Corporation (WFIC) – VZMD.TV EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST (Paris, December 2010)


www.vzmd.si – More on the VZMD – PanSlovenian Shareholders' Association

www.vzmd.tv and www.investo.tv – Over 300 videos from VZMD.TV and investo.tv

www.investo.si – More on the investo.si – Invest to Slovenia Program

www.invest-to.net – More on the network of 55 national organizations of shareholders and investors – invest-to.net