By Huw Jones
LONDON, April 1 (Reuters) - Countries that fail to cooperate in tracking down tax dodgers should be named in the G20 summit conclusions, European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Wednesday.
Switzerland, Austria, Luxembourg, Monaco and other countries signed up to internationally-agreed OECD rules on sharing information in recent weeks but some countries have still not, Barroso said.
Tackling tax havens is one of the subjects that will be discussed by a G20 group of industrialised and emerging market nations in London on Thursday as governments come under pressure to look for additional revenues amid a severe economic downturn.
EU diplomats said there was heated debate among G20 members on whether countries that have not agreed to cooperate should be named in the summit's conclusions.
"Countries that do not accept to cooperate, yes, they should be named," Barroso told Reuters in an interview on a Eurostar train bound for London to attend the summit.
Diplomats said debate was focused not just on whether there should be a "blacklist" of countries that do not cooperate, but also a "greylist" of those who have signed up to international rules but have yet to introduce them.
A British government source said Switzerland, for example, could take a long time to introduce new information sharing rules.
Barroso said there should be "meaningful consequences" for countries that do not sign up to tax cooperation agreements as the time of bank secrecy without limits was over.
EU diplomats said sanctions could include a ban on travel in the EU or revoking the licences of financial institutions from uncooperative tax havens operating in the 27-nation bloc.
Chasing tax havens has been criticised as an easy target but Barroso said it was an important element in a core concept the G20 will adopt, namely that all parts of world's financial markets must be regulated and supervised in some way.
"BIG" TRADE FINANCE BOOST
Barroso played down any differences among the G20 members over how to pull the global economy out of its downturn but said Europe was focused on applying stimulus packages already agreed rather than adding to them.
"I believe that we in Europe are doing a lot in terms of fiscal effort. I remain confident that a strong, robust consensus both on stimulus to the economy and the regulatory and supervision approach. It's not a question of either/or but both," he said.
He also expected a strong deal to boost the finance needed to revive global trade but declined to give any figures as to what the EU would be offering to plug the gap. "I hope certainly to have a big figure at the end in trade finance, not just Europe but the others as well," Barroso said.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, host of the summit, has also been pressing for agreement on a $100 billion expansion of trade finance.
The success of the summit will hinge on applying what is agreed, he said.
"I hope there will be follow up mechanisms and, if needed, a new meeting before the end of the year so it keeps the pressure for real delivery of our conclusions." (Reporting by Huw Jones, editing by Mike Peacock)