About of a thousand business and political leaders of Latin America, the Caribbean (CELAC) and the European Union (EU), met for three days (24, 25 and 26 of January) in Santiago, Chile to share points of views on how integrate the economic growth with the social inclusion, the environment and the human capital development.
 

The appoinment was the IV CELAC-EU Business Summit 2013 and was held in the frame of the meeting of leaders of the member countries of both regional blocs, also held in late January in Chile.
 

The annual "Trust Barometer" survey published by Edelman reports widespread scepticism about the ethics practised by political and business leaders. The lowest scores were when those surveyed were asked if they trust leaders to “tell the truth, regardless of how complex or unpopular it is”: only 18% trusted business leaders, whilst government leaders scored a yet more miserable 13%.

The Davos Summit counts 2,600 participants (lobbyists, journalists, captains of industry and economists) from 100 countries and includes 45 Heads of States or Government and more  than 900 top business executives

28 percent of CEOs said they expected the world economy to decline further in 2013, against 48 percent last year, while 52 percent expected it to remain stable. But only 36 percent said they were "very confident" in their companies' growth prospects in the next 12 months, down from 40 percent last year and 48 percent in 2011.

Making information publicly available (e.g. EU Transparency Register) does not automatically make information useful. For transparency policy to be effective, the information must be both easy to understand and easy to utilize. Users must be able to register their choices clearly and disclosers must have the ability and incentive to respond meaningfully. Citizens need to know who is advocating for what and why and how.

The 2013 EU budget amounts to € 132.8 billion. The European Parliament's budget represents 1.3% of the total EU budget or € 1,7 billion.

37% of the EP's budget (€ 629 million) is for staff expenses, mainly salaries for the 6000 officials working in the General Secretariat and in the Political Groups. Moreover, this expenditures covers interpretation costs, the costs of external translation and staff mission expenses.
 

The European Union already in effect has two legislative bodies: The European Parliament itself and the Council when acting in a legislative capacity (co-decision), although the Council does not do so in the formally open manner usually associated with a parliament.

The total amount of French tax evasion is estimated at € 50 billions per year according to the French Senate Enquiry Committee. Fraud is estimated at € 2 billions. The total amount of French assets in tax havens is estimated at no less than € 600 billions.

A cold war on banking secrecy is turning hot. Tax evasion costs governments $3.1 trillion annually, according to Tax Justice Network, a lobby group. Swiss law entrenched bank secrecy in 1934, making it a criminal offence to reveal a client's identity. This has created the world's biggest tax haven: Switzerland's banks house around $2.1 trillion, or 27%, of offshore wealth.

President Barak Obama has argued that the major problems with Congress stem from interest groups and lobbyists. This was revealed in 2008 when Candidate Obama made this promise to the public: " I intend to tell the corporate lobbyists that their days in setting the agenda in Washington are over, that they had not funded my campaigns, and from my first day as president, I will launch the most sweeping ethics reform in U.S. history.

The issue of trust transcends the mere balancing of budgets. There is a growing awareness that the U.S. government is overextended, making promises it can't reasonably expect to keep. Essential services are perceived as being at risk -- now and in the future -- and the public seems skeptical of the competence and integrity of their public leaders.