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The nominee to be the European Commission's new tax chief has said he would aim to introduce a common consolidated corporate tax base (CCCTB) in the EU as soon as possible.

Algirdas Šemeta, the commissioner-designate for taxation and customs union, audit and anti-fraud, was answering questions during a confirmation hearing at the European Parliament. Some observers felt he performed poorly during the session that went on for more than three hours.

A CCCTB would introduce one method for calculating corporate taxes in the member states that adopted it and would apportion tax revenues according to activity.

When asked about tax evasion, Šemeta, a former minister of finance in Lithuania, said he intended to initiate agreements with countries including Liechtenstein, Andorra and Switzerland to prevent tax revenue being lost. He also said that harmful practices, such as profit shifting, should be dealt with.

The nominee also promised to tackle banking secrecy. He stressed the importance of the automatic exchange of banking information and promised to try and convince the two opposing member states, Luxembourg and Austria, to change their positions.

Šemeta was vague when asked if a European tax on financial transactions was a realistic option. He said a thorough impact analysis would be needed before there could be any proposal from the commission in this area.

If he becomes the new commissioner, Šemeta said he would work to produce long-awaited proposals on green taxes. "The energy taxation directive is one of my first priorities," said Šemeta. He also promised to use the tax system to encourage innovation to strengthen energy efficiency and environmental protection.

If confirmed on January 26 after a vote of the European Parliament on all the nominees of Jose Manuel Barroso, the commission president, Šemata's duties will include combating fraud. "Efforts to tackle fraud, both in the field of EU expenditure as well as taxes or customs duties, will always be at the centre of my attention," he told MEPs.

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