Archive for January, 2014

31
Jan

Europe Decides Weekly – 31 January

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Read more in Europe Decides Weekly, 31 January 2014

Top stories: 25-31 January 2014

  • Bové and Keller to lead Greens’ campaign: MEPs Ska Keller (Germany) and José Bové (France) have won the Green Primary, the first ever Europe-wide online vote to select leading candidates for the European elections. Keller narrowly won, with both candidates taking around 11,000 votes. Parliamentary group leader Rebecca Harms finished third and Monica Frassoni fourth. European Greens News; European Voice; EU Business
  • We have four candidates for Commission president, says Daul: EPP President Joseph Daul has said he is gauging support for four possible centre-right candidates for the European Commission presidency. He named the Finnish prime minister, Jyrki Katainen, the former PMs of Latvia and Luxembourg, Valdis Dombrovskis and Jean-Claude Juncker respectively, and European commissioner Michel Barnier. Nominations open on 13 February and the EPP candidate will be chosen on 7 March. EurActiv; Europolitics
  • Martin Schulz wins overwhelming SPD support: European Parliament President and Party of European Socialists lead candidate-designate Martin Schulz was officially endorsed as the head of the German Socialist Democrats’ list for the European Parliament election. Schulz highlighted the need to connect with European citizens in a speech at the SPD Europe congress in Berlin. PES news; PES news; EurActiv

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26
Jan

Weekend round-up: Schulz heads German Social Democrats list

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Germany’s Social Democrats have unsurprisingly chosen Martin Schulz, the Party of European Socialists‘ candidate-designate for the European Commission presidency, as their lead candidate for the European Parliament elections.

At a meeting in Berlin on Sunday, Schulz won the backing of 97% of delegates to lead the SPD list. The list features 16 other members of the current SPD delegation in the European Parliament, as well as Sylvia-Yvonne Kaufmann, a former vice-president of the European Parliament when she represented The Left (Linke).

This weekend also saw the confirmation of the Christian Social Union (CSU) list. Seven current MEPs top the list, with the lead candidate being Markus Ferber MEP.

Alternative for Germany (AfD) – the anti-euro party that polls suggest could win seven per cent of the vote in the elections – selected its candidates, headed by Bernd Lucke, an economist who leads the AfD.

Click to see the list of candidates in Germany

Elsewhere, the national council of France’s main centre-right party, the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), confirmed the lead candidates agreed by a party committee last week. The party also backed Michel Barnier for the presidency of the Commission.

Slovakia’s Christian Democratic Movement (KDH) chose its candidates, with current MEPs Anna Záborská and Miroslav Mikolášik topping the list.

In Lithuania, another member of the Group of the European People’s Party (EPP), Homeland Union – Lithuanian Christian Democrats (TS-LKD), selected its candidates. Three of the party’s current MEPs are in the top four places, with new candidate, Gabrielius Landsbergis – grandson of current MEP Vytautas Landsbergis – positioned at number 3.

Hungary’s Politics Can Be Different (LMP) party also chose its candidates, and in Ireland Mary Fitzpatrick – a Dublin city councillor – was selected as the candidate in the Dublin constituency for Fianna Fáil, which sits in the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Group.

Finally, Arlene McCarthy – a former chair of the Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection – decided to stand down at the end of her fourth term. Her place at the top of the British Labour Party‘s list in North West England will be taken by Theresa Griffin.

Click to see our country-by-country guide to European Parliament election candidates

 

24
Jan

Europe Decides Weekly – 24 January

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Read more in Europe Decides Weekly, 24 January 2014

Top stories: 18-24 January 2014

  • Liberal candidates reach deal; Verhofstadt to be candidate for Commission presidency: On 20 January the ALDE Party announced a compromise between its two nominees to be candidate for the Commission presidency. Guy Verhofstadt, the Liberal leader in the European Parliament, will be the candidate while Olli Rehn will be in line for a senior EU economic or foreign affairs post. The pair will co-lead ALDE’s campaign. EurActiv; ALDE Party; European Voice; Europolitics
  • EU election is a top concern for CEOs in Davos: A group of global companies’ CEOs, meeting at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, stated their concerns about the emergence of extremist and anti-EU politicians at the European Parliament elections. Delegates also highlighted the fear that gains for non-mainstream parties may undermine recent progress made by governments and the ECB to stabilise the situation. Reuters; The Guardian; EUobserver
  • French centre-right selects European Parliament candidates: France’s Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) has chosen its lead candidates for the European Parliament election. The selections followed often acrimonious battles between leading party figures and disputes over placing former ministers and senior party figures ahead of established MEPs. The full lists will be endorsed at the UMP’s National Council on Saturday 25 January. European Voice

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23
Jan

Candidates sending 2,000 tweets a day – but what are they saying?

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Today Europe Decides launches a series of Twitter lists curating the accounts of more than 500 confirmed candidates for the European Parliament elections.

These lists already reveal some interesting insights. One thing is certain: expect many more Marietje Schaakes and Sophie in ‘t Velds in the next parliament.

Over the past five days, almost 10,000 tweets have been sent. Some candidates are particularly prolific: Oliver Rosengren, a candidate for the Swedish Moderate Party, has posted 300 tweets in just five days.

However, surprisingly few of these 10,000 tweets – about 300 – directly mention the European Parliament elections. Instead, candidates are talking about (and positioning themselves on) issues ranging from Ukraine, Syria and Iran to the economy, healthcare, energy and opinion polls.

View our candidates lists on Twitter

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22
Jan

The mother of all elections – the mother of all headaches?

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In Belgium, nothing is simple when it comes to politics – and in May 2014, that statement will be truer than ever.

Not only will Belgium hold its European Parliament election on 25 May, it will also hold elections to the powerful regions and the federal parliament on the same day. (The last federal election, in 2010, was the start of a world-record 541-day wait for a government.)

The composition of these different parliaments is set to result in a power struggle between political parties at the different levels of government.

And in the wake of the ‘mother of all elections’, the choice of a nominee for the European Commission will be far from simple.

 

Read our full profiles of the potential nominees for the Commission from Belgium

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21
Jan

Sobotka named PM as Czech Republic edges closer to new government

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Nearly three months after the Czech Republic‘s parliamentary elections, the country’s President, Miloš Zeman, has appointed Bohuslav Sobotka as the next prime minister.

Sobotka, who is the Chair of the Czech Social Democratic Party (ČSSD), will lead a coalition government comprising that includes the ANO 2011 movement and the Christian Democrats (KDU-ČSL).

The ČSSD, which topped October’s polls, will have eight ministers in the new government, including the post of prime minister. ANO 2011, a Liberal centre-right grouping that surprisingly finished second in the election, will have six ministers. Three posts will go to the Christian Democrats.

The heads of all three parties will be cabinet members. In addition to Sobotka the leader of ANO 2011, Andrej Babiš – a billionaire agrochemical entrepreneur and media tycoon – will become finance minister and deputy prime minister responsible for economic affairs. KDU-ČSL leader Pavel Bělobrádek, will take the science and innovation postfolio.

Some of the other ministries allocated include:

  • ČSSD: interior; trade and industry; health
  • ANO 2011: defence; environment
  • KDU-ČSL: culture; agriculture

President Zeman received the list of ministerial candidates on Monday 20 January and will start interviews with the ministerial candidates on Wednesday.

The President, whose fractious relationship with the new prime minister has led to long delays in the appointment of a new government, has already objected to some nominees, in particular the ČSSD candidates for the roles of interior minister and trade and industry minister.

However, the new PM claims that in spite of the president’s objections, he is not going to make any changes.

A new government is expected to be confirmed by the end of the month.

Marek Nemeth - Merit Government Relations, Prague
Merit GR is part of Bison & Rose, Burson-Marsteller’s affiliate in the Czech Republic. For more information, go to merit-gr.cz and bisonrose.cz.

 

20
Jan

Weekend round-up: German Liberals pick candidates

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The Liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP) has selected 20 candidates for the European Parliament election in Germany at a congress in Bonn.

The list, which features seven of the party’s current 12 MEPs, is headed by Alexander Graf Lambsdorff MEP. The party will hope to bounce back from its defeat in the German federal elections in September, when it lost its representation in the Bundestag.

The centre-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in Saxony also selected its candidates, picking current MEPs Hermann Winkler and Peter Jahr at the top of the list.

A draft version of the Christian Social Union (CSU) list has been published, with seven current MEPs standing. The Bavarian party’s list, which is set to be finalised next weekend, is headed by Markus Ferber MEP.

The last of Germany’s traditional main parties – the Social Democrats – will finalise its list next weekend, with Martin Schulz, the Party of European Socialists‘ candidate-designate for the Commission presidency, set to be the lead candidate.

Click to see the list of candidates in Germany

In Spain, two parties in Catalonia as well as the Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) party have also named candidates. Pirate parties in Luxembourg and Finland have also chosen their lists for the May elections.

In Austria, it has been agreed that the Pirates will stand on a common list with the Communists and Der Wandel, a left-wing party.

Click to see our country-by-country guide to European Parliament election candidates

Finally, there was sad news from Afghanistan where Del Singh – a Labour candidate in the South East of England – was killed in a bomb attack on Friday. Singh had been working as a consultant advising the Afghan government’s budget ministry.

Labour leader Ed Miliband said “My thoughts – and the thoughts of the Labour Party – are with the family and friends of Mr Singh. He dedicated his life to working with people across the world who needed his support.”

 

17
Jan

Europe Decides Weekly – 17 January

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Read more in Europe Decides Weekly, 17 January 2014

Top stories: 11-17 January 2014

  • Stubb to run for European Parliament seat: Finland’s EU affairs minister Alexander Stubb on Friday announced his decision to run for a seat in May’s European Parliament elections for the conservative National Coalition Party. Stubb was a member of the European Parliament between 2004 and 2008 and later also served as Finnish foreign minister. EUObserver
  • Barnier ready to run for Commission President: Michel Barnier, the internal market commissioner, told Le Figaro he is ready to ‘engage’ should the European People’s Party appoint him as its candidate for the Commission presidency. His priorities include industrial strategy, infrastructure policies, the single market, security and immigration. Le Figaro
  • David McAllister tops German centre-right list: David McAllister, Prime Minister of Lower Saxony will be appointed as the CDU’s top candidate for the European Parliament elections. Although rumoured for months, the official appointment will take place at the CDU’s executive meeting on 7-8 February. EurActiv

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15
Jan

Countdown to Dublin: who will be the EPP candidate?

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11449097146_83a4e8dd2b_hIn 50 days’ time, the European People’s Party will open its electoral congress in Dublin and select its common lead candidate for the European Parliament elections.

While the Socialists, Liberals, Greens and Left have all selected their lead candidates for the position of President of the European Commission (or at least have a selection process ongoing), the field for the EPP nomination is wide open. The EPP President, Joseph Daul, noted in December that there are “about six people who are interested” in the job.

So who are the contenders?

We have run the rule over the chances of a handful of potential centre-right candidates for the Commission presidency:

Jyrki Katainen – Prime Minister of Finland
Michel Barnier – European Commissioner for the Internal Market and Services
Enda Kenny – Prime Minister of Ireland
Jean-Claude Juncker – former prime minister of Luxembourg
Christine Lagarde – Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Fredrik Reinfeldt – Prime Minister of Sweden
Viviane Reding – Vice President of the European Commission responsible for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship

[Note - 28 January 2014: Viviane Reding has stated that she will not participate in the contest, adding that there is 'no room for two Luxembourgers in the race' and expressing support for Jean-Claude Juncker.]

Other candidates may emerge too – Valdis Dombrovskis, who resigned as Latvia’s prime minister in November – has also been mentioned, as have Poland’s PM Donald Tusk (in spite of his clear statement that he will remain in Polish politics at least until the 2015 parliamentary elections) and Lithuania’s President, Dalia Grybauskaitė.

And in our poll, you said – by a small margin – that Jean-Claude Juncker would be picked as the EPP candidate.

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12
Jan

Europe Decides Weekly – 10 January

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Read more in Europe Decides Weekly, 10 January 2014

Top stories: 21 December 2013 to 10 January 2014

  • Juncker eyes Commission presidency: Jean-Claude Juncker, who ended an 18-year spell as Luxembourg’s Prime Minister in December 2013, has thrown his hat into the ring to succeed José Manuel Barroso as Commission President. EU centre-right leaders have said they will decide on their candidate at the European People’s Party congress in March in Dublin. Juncker may not, however, receive the crucial support of Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, who is reported to be more interested in supporting Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund. Euractiv; EUObserver
  • French opposition leader makes u-turn to back Barnier: Jean François Copé, the leader of the French centre-right opposition UMP, has surprisingly declared his support for the EU’s Commissioner for the Internal Market, Michel Barnier, to be the lead candidate for the EPP for the European Parliament elections. The UMP had previously shown little enthusiasm for Barnier’s candidacy, considering the current Commissioner to be too federalist. EurActiv
  • The year the EU sets its future course: A number of media outlets and other organisations published articles previewing Europe’s year of change. EUObserver highlights that EU politicians are hoping to avoid a further downward slide in turnout at the European Parliament elections, adding that a further decline would undermine arguments the assembly is able to fill the Union’s democratic gap and hold the European Commission – newly empowered to pick apart national budgets – to account. European Voice agrees that the measure of success will be whether the EU is considered more or less democratic. It adds that another measure will be whether the people put in place after the elections are a plausible response to those election results, and whether citizens have any greater understanding of the EU, what it does, and why.Other publications note that anti-establishment parties, keen to make the elections a de facto referendum on the EU have been polling strongly. While they have very different agendas, most of them are anti-immigrant, anti-euro, anti-austerity and anti-Brussels. If they win more than 30% of the seats in the Parliament, they could seriously disrupt the working of an increasingly important institution. BBC; Global Post; Europe Online Magazine; Carnegie Europe; EUObserver; European Voice

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