This morning the European Economic and Social Committee’s plenary session debated and adopted three inter-related opinions on: GDP and beyond; the proposal for a Financial Transaction Tax; and the European Union’s system of own resources. The author of the first two opinions was Stefano Palmieri (Italy, Employees’ Group) – in the picture – the third was authored by Gérard Dantin (France, Employees’ Group). The FTT debate was also taking place at around the same time in Strasbourg, at the European Parliament. All three opinions are strongly argued. Palmieri drew a convincing parallel with the stance Europe had taken over climate change. Somehow, the Union’s credibility is also bound up in veing seen to have found the right answers to what has occurred over the past three or four years.