Across the whole Parliament I agreed most with Kristiina OJULAND an Estonian ALDE MEP. Among the Irish MEPs Marian HARKIN (Ind, ALDE) was the MEP I agreed with most.

Before you answer the questions you can get more information on the resolution and exactly how MEPs voted. So you don’t have to know everything about EU politics to use this.

It is interesting that on the website you can see how users would have voted on the questions. It makes for an interesting analysis, when more people respond.

So who is the MEP you agree with most?

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In the European Parliament has passed a Non-legislative resolution calling for European Political Parties to get legal statue so that they can play the role set out to them under Article 10, paragraph 4 of the Lisbon Treaty whereby political parties at European level contribute to forming European political awareness and to expressing the will of citizens of the Union.

The report by Marietta Giannakou (EPP, Greece) was passed by 560 votes in favour, 93 against and 22 abstentions. The report also called for

• the possibility of direct membership of natural persons;
• the rise of the present ceiling of €12,000 per year for donations to €25,000 per year and per donator;
• the organisational convergence of political parties at EU level with the aim of the creation in the future of a transnational party system;
• the independent resources that European political parties are required to demonstrate could be reduced to 10% of their total budget, in order to further enhance their development.

The ELDR recently launched an Associate Member scheme and this enactment of this report would be the logical next step.

If the recommendations are passed into law, something which is expected as Commissioner Šefčovič expressed a will to examine and put forward the proposal of the European legal statute of EU political parties based on EU law

if this was to become the case it would allow european parties to launch national campaigns and be involved in referendum campaigns. It could open up a whole new era of politics in Europe, but will it happen?

Are you interested in the European Union? Aged between 18-26? Want to go to Strasbourg to see how the European Union really works?

Well heres your chance! Between the 19^th to 26^th March 2011 a Model European Union will take place in Strasbourg.

It will debate two topics

1. a Directive on the application of patient’s rights in cross-border healthcare and
2. a Directive on working conditions of temporary workers.

You can apply to be a MEP, a Minister in the Council, a Lobbyist, Journalist or Interpreter.

You have until 3^rd January 2011, 12 p.m. CET to apply!

Check out MEU2011.org for more information!

Also read The European Citizen’s account of MEU2010

Michael Heaver is reporting that 11 members of the European Conservatives and Reformists, those MEPs of the Polish Law and Justice, are set to leave the ECR and join the Europe of Freedom and Democracy grouping in the Parliament.

This casts the survival of the the grouping into doubt as for a group to exist it must have 25 MEPs from across seven member states to be a grouping. If the Polish MEPs leave that would leave only six member states represented in the Grouping (The UK, Netherlands, Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Czech Republic and Hungary). While the group will still have 39 members, they will no longer be considered a group by the Parliament.

This is on top of the turmoil by the ECR leader Kaminski resigning from the Law and Justice Party. He was joined by two other MEPs Marek Migalski MEP and Adam Bielan MEP vice chair of the ECR.

If of course those MEPs stay with the ECR, then it will survive.

Interesting times ahead for the ECR.

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Here is an interesting Press Release I got today from Maltese MEP Simon Busuttil of the European People’s Party.

European Union Border Guard System proposed. Simon Busuttil MEP

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“Europe can no longer look on powerless at emergency situations because it is unable to muster resources or pool assets.” Simon Busuttil MEP

Simon Busuttil MEP is proposing the establishment of a European Union Border Guard System that would bolster the EU’s external border agency, Frontex.

Busuttil presented his proposal in a draft Report on the review of the 2004 legislation that set up the Agency. The Report draws lessons from the first years of experience of the Agency and gives it a renewed mandate with more resources and tools to become more effective.

In his Report, presented last week in the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee, Busuttil tabled 68 amendments to the law.

“I welcome the Commission proposal to review Frontex and I hope to improve it through a series of amendments that are contained in my Report”, Mr Busuttil said.

“Frontex must be available at all times when needed, including in emergency situations. Europe can no longer look on powerless at emergency situations because it is unable to muster resources or pool assets. Frontex must therefore have the necessary means and equipment to deliver in a timely and efficient manner and its founding legislation must be changed to help us get there”, he said.

Busuttil’s most noteworthy political initiative is his proposal to establish a European Union Border Guard System. This would be composed of all national border guards who participate in Frontex missions, such as joint operations and rapid intervention teams. The EU Border Guard System would also include border guards who are seconded by individual Member States. On their part, EU countries will be obliged, by law, to participate in the system under the principle of ‘compulsory solidarity’.

In his Report, Busuttil also supports the European Commission’s proposal to grant Frontex the power to purchase or lease its own equipment in order to enable it to better respond to challenges at the Union’s external borders. Moreover, he proposes to grant the Agency the power to process personal data collected during its operations in order to help it play a stronger role in combating cross-border crime and illegal immigration.

He full proposals are available in this PDF.

Personally I don’t see this happening. I can’t see the UK agreeing to the ‘compulsory solidarity’. I would think other member states may have issues on that also.

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The Spanish Presidency of the European Union on Wednesday will begin an Intergovernmental Conference to amend the Governing Treaties of the European Union to allow 18 MEPs to take their seats in the European Parliament under the Lisbon Treaty as elections took place under Nice Treaty rules.

This new treaty will not greatly effect Ireland unless they decide to go changing other things.

The following countries will gain MEP’s under the new Treaty:

* Bulgaria 1
* Netherlands 1
* Spain 4
* Austria 2
* France 2
* Poland 1
* Italy 1
* Latvia 1
* Sweden 2
* Malta 1
* United Kingdom 1

We may not have to have a referendum if the treaty in Ireland if the Treaty does not transfer powers to the EU. That would respect the Crotty Judgement.

It will be interesting to see what emerges in the next few months.

Hattip Julien Frisch

Originally posted on The Political Gay

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Today I had the joy of joining members of the European Movement Ireland in part of their schools roadshow on the European Union. Today we visited Colaiste Mhuire in Crosshaven. Leading the show was Andrea Pappin, the Executive Director, and she was joined with by Billie Sparks, the Education and Advocacy Director. I stood quiet in the coner!

We were dealing with transition year students. Andrea started off the workshop by explaining about the history of the EU and the rights we have as EU citizens. She did all this in ordinary English!

Then the main part got under way. The class were split into four groups:

• The European Commission
• The European Parliament
• Council of Ministers
• Lobby Groups

The Council of Ministers were split between the French, Irish and Polish Delegations. The Lobby Groups were split into The Nuclear Energy Association, The Irish Gas Company, The Farmers Association of Ireland.

They were then, after watching a short video on Climate Change, tasked with drafting the EU’s Energy Policy. The Commission had to choose between which should compose the majority of the sources of Energy (Fossil, Renewable, Nuclear). Once they decided, it was sent to the Parliament who, after hearing from the Lobby Groups,  decided on the percentages for each type of energy. After that it was sent to the Council of Ministers who worked out any caveats and add ons to the law.

It was interesting to see how EU law was worked out in a simplified way. That is comparison to Conor’s experience at MEU!

The students seemed to have enjoyed it and I hope they learned from it. I know I did!

Well done to the European Movement for organising this. I hope more schools take them on this.

For more information of the European Movement, do check out their website. For more information on the Roadshows check out My Vision For Europe

Many thanks to the European Movement Ireland Team for allowing me to come along and experience this.

My last post had a quick look at what the Con/Lib Agreement said on Political Reform. Now look at what should be a what the Agreement says on the EU. As a Euroblogger I probably should have done this first!

The UK will not join the Euro. No surprise there.

They will try to limit the Working Time Directive in its application to the UK.

The 1972 European Communities Act will be amended so that any proposed future Treaty that transferred areas of power, or competences, would be subject to a referendum on that Treaty. Basically the idea of the Irish Crotty Judgement incorporated into UK Law.

The Sovereignty Bill is only a maybe. The basis will be “examined”

They will press for the European Parliament only to have one seat, in Brussels. I hope they will push hard on this!

Thay have agreed that that all forthcoming legislation in the area of criminal justice will be judged on a case by case basis, with a view to maximising our country’s security and protecting Britain’s civil liberties. Britain will not participate in the establishment of any European Public Prosecutor.

It is an interesting agreement on Europe and it looks like the Liberal Democrats managed to hold back the Conservatives on some of the most europhobic parts of the party.

Another interesting part of this is that Nick Clegg may actually have more influence before a European Council then David Cameron. I am sure he will be ensuring that he attends the get togethers of the Liberal Leaders before summits, David Cameron on the other hand has no one to meet in the ECR, the Conservatives grouping in the European Parliament.

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That is of course dependent on Turkey being integrated into the EU’s structures as that itself will involve reform of the institutions. Turkey if its joins will be the second largest EU member state in terms of population, second only to that of Germany. This will mean that voting weights and seats in the European Parliament will have to be moved around to satisfy the older member states. The accession, or possible accession of, Croatia, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, Iceland, Albania, Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, do not present the same challenges to the EU institutions and can easily be absorbed into the institutions, though maybe not all at once.

But after Turkey will the EU expand beyond the Balkans? Will the Ukraine or Belarus (both with large populations) apply to join? Belarus may be a long way off, but Ukraine may apply before negotiations with Turkey finish. Will the Europe Union start looking beyond Europe for members? Will Morocco reapply? Could Cape Verde, due to its close ties to the EU and proximity to the Canary Islands, apply?

These are the challenges that face the EU after it deals with the issue of Turkish accession. That is dependent of course on there being an appetite for the further expansion of the European Union. Older Member States seem reluctant to expand the EU further. Opposition to Turkish accession seems to be strongest in the likes of Germany and France. There is a quasi racism to this opposition, but also there is a weariness of expansion. This is evidenced by the fears of the “Plombier polonaise”, Polish Plumber, in France after the accession of Poland and the other Central and Eastern European States in 2004.

Beyond France the limits on the immigration of workers from Bulgaria and Romania after accession in most EU member states shows the unwillingness of member states to completely open up to new members of the union.  This shows the reluctance of member states to fully open up to new members. This in the future translate could translate to the end of enlargement of the European Union after the accession of the current candidate states.

The accession of more states from Eastern Europe and the Balkans will mean a further move of power away from Western Europe. Upon the accession of the Balkans, they will be a formidable Eastern European bloc within the EU. This will again see more changes being made to the institutions of the EU. Again the interplay here with Turkey on its accession with other member states and would it be more Eastern or Western in its outlook is what has most political leaders worried.

Another issue at stake is the feelings of ordinary European Citizens. While citizens of applicant states get a say in whether or not a country joins the EU, normally through referenda,  the citizens of countries already members have no say. There is growing resentment to this situation and this in turn fuels far rights groups as they promise referenda on future EU enlargement, often though this has been offered by not so far right groups in ordinary to entice voters back!

EU enlargement is turning into a minefield and the EU, member states and applicant states must be cautious on how they approach it.

The European Parliament has created a new website to highlight the details of the confirmation of the new commission which will take place early in the new year. There is more information on the candidates as well as the procedure of how they will be confirmed.

Here is the step by step procdure as on the website:

1. Parliament receives the Commissioner-designates’ curriculum vitae and their declarations of financial interests.
2. Parliament puts to the Commissioners-designate a series of written questions dealing mainly with the candidates’ policy priorities in their respective fields of responsibility. The candidates’ written replies provide the basis for the oral stage – the hearings.
3. Each Commissioner-designate is invited to a three-hour public hearing with the parliamentary committee(s) responsible for the portfolio concerned. These hearings enable the committees to get to know the personalities of the Commissioners-designate and have a detailed exchange of views with the various candidates on their priorities in their prospective areas of responsibility.
4. The committees then evaluate each of the Commissioners-designate. They check that the Commissioners-designate have the skills required not only to be Members of the Commission in general, but also to be in charge of a particular portfolio.
5. The results of the hearings are sent to the President of Parliament and considered by the Conference of Presidents, comprising the President and all political group leaders, and by the Conference of Committee Chairs.
6. The Commission President presents the College of Commissioners-designate and their programme to a plenary sitting of Parliament which the Council of the EU is invited to attend. This presentation is followed by a debate.
7. Lastly, Parliament votes on approval of the whole European Commission as a body. The new Commission can then be formally appointed by the European Council, acting by a qualified majority.

This is a great idea by the Parliament to creat the website and hopefully other events and procedures that the Parliament have powers over will be covered in this way. Maybe other EU Institutions can follow?

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