100 posts
The EU Parliament Rebels
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The European Council finally approved an austerity budget after lengthy negotiations, only to have the four main parliamentary groups announce shortly thereafter that they would not vote to approve it. Now what? I don't know. But there's a blizzard h...
No secret ballot in the European Parliament on the EU budget vote!
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So it looks like the European Council has agreed a real-terms cut in the EU budget for the 2014-2020 period. This has, understandably, been labelled unacceptable by the 4 largest...
After Cameron’s speech, it’s Farage vs. Verhofstadt
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Ukip leader Nigel Farage at a European Parliament session in Strasbourg last year Following prime minister David Cameron’s address on Britain’s EU future, there may not be two politicians in Europe spoiling for a fight more than the two m...
Ségolène Royal, future chairwoman of the European Parliament?
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According to some French media, Ségolène Royal, ex-PS candidate for the 2007 presidential election, would be interested to be the next European Parliament chairwoman, after being defeated in the French legislative elections six months ago and fores...
MEPs adopt revised 2013 calendar after France wins appeal against cost-saving amendment
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Following the European Court of Justice ruling of 13 December 2012 that annulled the cost-saving Amendment proposed by South West Conservative MEP Ashley Fox, MEPs have today approved a revised calendar of plenary meetings, ensuring the 'travelling c...
Polish MEPs and their personal job creation schemes – 1 MEP employs 19, 2 each employ 17
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A couple of weeks ago on Twitter, @euro_jonathan and I were debating the staff budgets allocated to MEPs, and stumbled across some Polish MEPs who seemed to be employing abnormally...
Joined Cases C‑237/11 and C‑238/11, France and Luxembourg v. Parliament
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Court annuls votes of European Parliament concerning Parliament’s calendar of periods of part-sessions for 2012 and 2013, on the ground that those periods, split into two parts by the Parliament, cannot be regarded individually as periods of monthl...
BIG NEWS: SW MEP Ashley Fox left ‘bitterly disappointed’ as ECJ rejects move to reduce number of Strasbourg sessions
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The European Court of Justice has today rejected and annulled the Fox Amendment that sought to change the Parliamentary calendar to reduce the number of trips MEPs must make to Strasbourg each year, ruling it as unconstitutional and leaving , a rulin...
The EGP on its way to Athens!
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The Individual’s Supporters Network (ISN) of the European Green Party (EGP), together with the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG) and the ENGS (European Network of Green Seniors), is doing its way to the EGP Autumn council (Athens, 9-11...
Why I want to Be an MEP
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Today ballot papers started arriving at the homes of Liberal Democrat members in London so they can choose the order of the list of candidates for the European elections in 2014. There are nine candidates for eight places (a tenth, Elaine Bagshawe, h...
The week on the EP Library’s blog: Something for everybody
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The week was slightly calmer in the European Parliament. Truly well-deserved after two busy plenary sessions last week. Thus, after a policy overflow we finally had a chance to balance our posts and prepare something for (almost) everybody. We promis...
The endless controversy about the EP’s single seat
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Important: the opinions defended throughout this article are mine and not Europe’s Café point of view. On the 24th of October, the MEPs meeting in plenary session voted in favour of an amendment asking for a single seat for the … Continue re...
The endless single seat controversy
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On the last 24th of October, MEPs, in plenary session, voted in favour an amendment for the European Parliament single seat, based in Brussels by preference. The amendment was backed by 518 MEPs against 149 only. The resolution has no … Continu...
Characteristics of both parliamentary chambers
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In the last post devoted to the federal parliament, I will deal with special characteristics of its individual chambers (houses). I will discuss both chambers altogether in one post because provisions about both of them will be similar.I begin with a...
A Luxembourg, la Bibliothèque du PE est ouverte au public
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Saviez-vous qu’à Luxembourg, la Bibliothèque du Parlement européen est maintenant accessible à tout citoyen qui voudrait l’utiliser ? N’hésitez pas à venir la découvrir : bus : arrêts “Philharmonie/MUDAM” (1, 16...
Parliament’s Gossip
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During the month October, two plenary sessions were held (on 22/23 and 25/26 October). This has happened to make sure the European Parliament lives up to the promise of 12 plenaries a year. As you can imagine, this is not … Continue reading ...
IFLA Code of Ethics for Librarians and other Information Workers
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Librarians all over the world are well aware of their profession’s ethical implications. In more than 60 countries library associations have developed and approved a national code of ethics for librarians. During 2011 and 2012 a working group f...
European Parliament tries to block appointment of ECB board member
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This week the European Parliament has voted against the appointment of Yves Mersch to the board of the European Central Bank by 325 to 300 votes. The reason is that Mersch is a man. The national governments of the eurozone have been repeatedly appoin...
The EU Is Collapsing
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Or at any rate, the EU Parliament building in Strasbourg is. The ceiling and supporting structures have developed cracks. Here is Deputy Mélenchon's characteristically mordant account:J’étais à Strasbourg lundi et mardi. J’y retourne jeudi et...
A hearty round of applause to Ashley Fox – the British Tory MEP who addressed the European Parliament entirely in French
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Today in Strasbourg, South West Conservative MEP Ashley Fox delivered a speech in the chamber of the European Parliament. While that fact in itself may be unexceptional, the fact he decided to deliver it entirely in French is. In the presence of th...
Homophobic Nick Griffin may face European Parliament sanctions
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Labour Members of the European Parliament have formally reported Nick Griffin’s controversial tweets to the President of the European Parliament. The BNP leader faces possible sanctions under Parliament rules. On Thursday last week, British Na...
Euroopan parlamentti komission työohjelmasta 2013
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Kahden hieman erilaisen yleisesittelyn jälkeen (englanniksi ja suomeksi) kiikaroimme Strasbourgiin, jonne Euroopan parlamentti oli jälleen matkannut täysistuntoviikkoa viettämään. Eräänä aiheena oli vuoden 2013 työohjelma, jonka komissio hy...
Russian Riled By Parliament
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Russian parliamentarian vents about the European Parliament, but says the Commission is pragmatic.
Lägg ner EU-parlamentets flyttcirkus!
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Den här veckan är EU-parlamentet i Strasbourg igen — EU’s månatliga besvär. Det är EU-fördragen som kräver att parlamentet ska flytta från Bryssel till Strasbourg 12 gånger per år, och i första hand Frankrike som kategoriskt mo...
Multi-annual Financial Framework: There are no sacred cows
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The European Parliament meeting during the Strasbourg plenary session has expressed concern about the progress of negotiations in the Council on the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2014-2020). The European Parliament understands that given...
MEP hides secret finance firm while sitting on Euro monetary committee
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A UKIP MEP is sitting on the European Parliament’s top finance committee without declaring a potentially conflicting interest in a secret company, Political Scrapbook can reveal. UKIP’s Godfrey Bloom, a member the influential Committee on...
The structure of EU politics: Story-telling about European Parliament committees
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Trying to make sense of EU politics is quite difficult. Good story-telling is almost impossible because too many people are involved in too many issues. Convincing analysis is hard because the amount of time you have to invest in research is often no...
Book Review: After the Third Way: The Future of Social Democracy in Europe
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Electorally marginalised, seemingly ideologically exhausted and often out-of-step with the contemporary zeitgeist, many commentators believe that European social democracy is currently in profound need of revision and renewal. This book marks a serio...
The race for the 2014 EP Elections begins: the Convention of the EUROPEAN FEDERALIST PARTY
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THE BEGINNING OF THE 2014 ELECTION CAMPAIGN. At a time when talking about European federalism is no more a taboo, the European Federalist Party is organising its European Convention which will take place in Rome at the Hotel Dei Congressi on Novemb...
Vad Piratpartiet har gjort i EU-parlamentet
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Rick skriver en utmärkt sammanfanttande bloggpost (på engelska) om vad Piratpartiet har gjort hittills i EU-parlamentet. Telekompaketet 2009, att vi fick stopp på ACTA 2012, att Gröna gruppen antog Piratpartiets program för legaliserad fildelnin...
Activity Report of the Socialists and Democrats
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At the PES Congress the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament submitted its activity report (PDF). It gives an interesting snapshot of how the parliamentary party views itself, as a party of opposition within the EU institutions.T...
A self-adminstered pat-on-the-back
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Congratulations to the Dutch/Flemish association of investigative journalists, the VVOJ, who emerge in a European Parliament report today as the champions of truth and light, bestrid their noble charger of probity, spearing with their lance of virtue...
PES Congress 2012
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Last week the Party of European Socialists (which sits in the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament) held its 2012 Congress in Brussels. There they adopted a resolution "Together for the Europe we need" (PDF). The resolution set o...
EU Parliament is shooting itself in the foot
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David Gow Friday, 05 October 2012 The European Parliament is shooting itself in the foot by reversing national government cuts in the EU budget. MEPs, already under fire for their own excessive salaries, expens...
Political Parties Must Nominate European Commission President
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Article by Wilfried Martens published on Public Service Europe, 1 October 2012 Let us seize the moment to create a genuine European public space – the EU will never succeed if it does not become a truly democratic union – writes European Peop...
As MEPs remain in Brussels this week, SW MEP Fox revels in saving taxpayer €15m
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Traditionally MEPs would this week be working from Strasbourg to fulfil their obligation under the European Treaties of sit twelve times a year in the French city. However, this is not the case this year and South West MEP Ashley Fox is revelling in...
SLD’s Economic Programme Offers an Example for the European Left
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On the one hand austerity and on the other…. well what exactly?This is the dilemma that is posed for the left in Europe today. Is there a viable alternative to the policies of the neo-liberal right, who propose yet more cuts and liberalisation as a...
Parliament Protects Inducements
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The practice of providing inducements for salespeople to sell financial products looks like it's here to stay in most of Europe--as a bloc of lawmakers shits its stance.
