YouSaid · the spoken record

Margrethe Vestager

lines on the record: 78
first: 2016-09-20
most recent: 2016-09-20
sittings or episodes: 1
sources: podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

“Open the case, and you've been carrying them out, which is really interesting. So the U.S. Treasury also opposed what you're doing, largely because they want the money, want the money repatriated to the United States. How do you look at that, their objections?”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Because it is no secret that we've been doing state aid control for decades. What was secret was the tax rulings and the apple numbers replied. Because back then, there was very little transparency as to how the company was organized, what they generated of profits, and how they were booked and taxed. So I don't think it was possible to do the case before the US Senate hearing started because that sort of gave the concerns that my predecessor then acted upon to open the case.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And I think it is very important that you do not let the politics of the day or party politics, so affiliation, influence that. Because when you want competition on the marriage, then you have to base your casework on facts”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And that is obvious reasons for doing sort of the casework based on facts and the evidence of the case. But also in itself, I think to do a robust investigation based on the fact of the case? Well, that is the value, that's what has been going on for decades by now.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“The U.S. Treas Yes, but we can come back to that. But the thing is that any decision that we take in the Commission can be appealed to the European Court.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“But the thing is that, well, it is obvious when you do casework like this that both the country in question and the company in question, they disagree”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Than any other company, well, then obviously you have a much better position when it comes to compete with prices and everything else.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, I think that any company should compete on the quality of their products, the prices, the novelties that they can produce, the services. And I do hope that companies grow on that basis because that would be fair competition. If you are in a situation where you pay or your effective tax rate is so much lower.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And it's not the same thing in Europe. Think, well, we have another tradition and another culture, maybe also a slightly higher level of transparency. And as I said, we have a very long standing tradition for looking into whether some companies are getting selective advantages, not open to the rest of the business community.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“I think you also have sort of a different culture. I think it's, or at least I've been told, that it's much more common that you negotiate your tax arrangements in the state where you have your headquarter or your activities.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And that in combination with having access to a single market of five hundred million potential customers? Very good infrastructure, also digital infrastructure, very skilled population, both in Ireland but also in general in Europe. Very high quality of RD. So, the reasons to do business in Europe is piling up, but tax avoidance should not be one of those reasons.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Booked in Ireland. So, one thing that you said if taxes are not being paid by some, then they have to be paid by others, and that is why it is not fair competition when some member states hand out selective tax benefits. Now, Ireland has a reason for doing this. They want to attract Apple, and they have a number of U.S. companies. It's actually well known for it. They look at these, and I know Ireland is opposing what you're doing. They look at these as ways to attract investment and jobs and things like that. What do you say when they say that to you?”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“These are special tax breaks, they are selective. They give you an advantage which is not open to other companies. And this is the case in the Apple case that we find that true two tax rulings Ireland has enabled Apple to be taxed very, very lightly on the profits that they themselves made in euros.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“In Europe we have three tools when it comes to fair competition. One is antitrust. One is merger control, and the third is state aid control, and the third you don't have in the states. In the very beginning of the European community, our founding fathers found that no specific company should be able to outcompete other companies with taxpayers' money in their back.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“When you From your point of view? Well, to me, it means making sure that everyone has a fair chance of making it. To keep a level playing field, to make sure that you are challenged by quality, new products, prices, the services that you can provide. So that you have a fair chance of making it, no guarantees, of course, but that you have a fair chance of making it even if you're a small company, big company, European national, foreign, publicly owned, privately owned, so that citizen experience that their market is fair and open.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, the thing was that I had been a legislator in different positions for more than 20 years, and I found that it would be, you know, an amazing privilege to work more with enforcement. Because I, to still a large degree, I had this feeling that we put a lot of effort into creating new legislation, but too little effort into implementation. And too little effort into enforcing. And I think it takes a lot of political leadership actually to implement the And to enforce new legislation, because this is when we change. Right, right.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“In a job situation, and what we see is that also on your self-esteem, you look upon yourself, your skills, your competences, Actually, the damaging effects begin to take place already after six months. We thought from our part it was of the best of intentions, but”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“In order to sort of challenge the labor market to be more open. Because one of the worst things that can happen, at least in the Danish society, is the long-term unemployment. It gets more and more difficult to get back.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Polic Well, what was important for us was to make sure that the Danish economy was sustainable, that we could sort of stay in charge of our spending and our debts. in order not to run into a situation where other people would want to take over. So we did away on a very, very long transition period with sort of a pre retirement scheme, not for people who were, you know, run down by the job they were doing, but people who could work but who were able to retire quite earlier around the age of, I think, 60 or something like that. So gradually we did away with that. And now we have one of the lowest unemployment rates among senior members of the working community. I think the most controversial thing was that we shortened the period where you can get unemployment benefit from four years to two.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yes. Yes, and the thing is that actually it's quite a nice and accurate portrait of Danish politics. And I think also sort of the Scandinavian atmosphere when it comes to politics. And I know that a lot of people appreciate it because it's another look upon politics than what you get from House of Cards. Right.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, I was both the organizational head of the party. I did a number of different things in doing that. And then I became in 1998 the Minister of Education and Ecclesiastical Affairs Then we lost the election in 2001 and became part of the opposition. Then 2007, I became also the political head of our party. Very powerful.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Correct? Yes, and it's a society with a very short distance between people in power and the electorate. So you feel very strongly that you represent something who have a real interest in what you're doing? and where I grew up, it was a very open home. You would find anyone who would come there people who need it marriage counseling, people who wanted to get married, if there's been a sudden death, people who were very poor, people who were very well off. They would all come and be part of a very sort of lively home where you find a lot of discussions, but also a lot of engagement.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Yes, I was, and then I got sort of drawn into some more conventional politics in the Social Liberal Party in Denmark. But my background, both my father and my mother being ministers in the Danish People's Church. Sort of, you know, gave this very fundamental value that you should take part in your community.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, actually even before that, but when I was very young, I took no interest in party politics. My sort of line of interest was how can you be part of an influence the society that you live in?”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“And you know, I was running in the morning. There was no one there, and there was just this new snow that had fallen. It was still dark. and the Lincoln Memorial, it took me, so I got goosebumb and I felt, you know, this very strong presence of US history and American culture.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“No one says that. Well, because I have a trail that I jog while I'm here, and I think that the reflecting pond and the Washington Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial is some of the most beautiful movies.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“That be other regulators? That would be media, that would be people like you, because I think that any sort of finding out new things and try to breach differences is, of course, that we talk.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT
“Well, basically, I come to Washington a couple of times a year, sort of in a strictly business basis, talk to my counterparts of the Federal Trade Commission or the DOJ, given occasional talk, very often in a lawyer or academic environment. And when I'm here, of course, take the opportunity to talk to people.”
2016-09-20 · Decoder with Nilay Patel · Recode Decode: Margrethe Vestager, Commissioner for Competition, European Commission · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT