TOP STORIES : 1-6 September 2013
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Voters want European parties to name candidates for Commission President: A majority of EU citizens would be more inclined to vote in the May 2014 European elections if political families named their candidates for the next Commission President, says a new "Eurobarometer" survey, published on 6 September. Link: Europarl
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Seizing the big day in 2014, a speech by Viviane Reding: On 3rd of September, Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding gave a speech at the Union of European Federalists (UEF) Summer Reception in Brussels. According to her, the format of the 2014 European elections is a unique opportunity to give an answer to the two in three Europeans who currently think their voice does not count in the EU. She also called for Herman Van Rompuy to be appointed as a mediator following next year’s EU elections to try to form a Parliament coalition that will back the next president of the European Commission. Link: Europa.eu; Euractiv; Europolitics
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Green European party leaders move elections campaign forward - call for candidates is on: Member Parties can nominate candidates between September 4 and October 20. Candidates must acquire the support of at least four and maximum eight of the 33 European Green Party Member Parties from the EU. Between November and the end of January 2014, everyone living in the EU above the age of 16 who shares Green values will then be able to directly chose the two leading Green candidates who will serve as the heart and face of their campaign across the EU. Link: European Greens; Euractiv
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One candidate per party for Commission president, ministers agree: Major European parties nominating a candidate for European Commission president is now a given for European Affairs Ministers. Yet despite this official consensus amongst the member states, some of them are reluctant. The UK, has been working behind the scenes to make sure that the European Council is not bound by the names of the candidates proposed by the parties. Link: Europolitics
ALSO IN THE NEWS GENERAL MONITORING Live chat - national elections in Europe: On 10 September, 14h00, S&D Group President Hannes Swoboda will be online to answer questions and share his vision on some of the key topics that face Europe's leaders today – and whoever is in power after the elections. Link to live chat: http://ow.ly/oAg6v Cameron faces eurosceptic backlash over new Brussels ambassador: An influential committee in the British Parliament will complain about the appointment of Ivan Rogers, as Britain's permanent representative to the European Union in Brussels after its request to interview him was rebuffed. Link: EurActiv European and local elections will present opportunity to test Fianna Fáil recovery: If Ireland has 12 seats in the current European Parliament; it will have only 11 in the next. The loss of a seat necessitates a large redrawing of Ireland’s European constituencies. A constituency boundary commission is sitting and is expected to report within weeks. It seems likely that the current Ireland East constituency is going to disappear. Link: Irish Times Wilfried Martens’ hospitalisation opens EPP leadership succession race: After Wilfried Martens, the long-serving president of the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), was admitted to hospital, discrete talks have began about his succession despite his expected recovery. Link: Euractiv
GERMAN ELECTIONS German elections TV duel produces no winner: The TV debate opposing Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Social Democrat challenger Peer Seinbrück produced no clear winner. The TV debate was watched by an estimated 15 million viewers. A poll by Infratest Dimap conducted after the debate gave Steinbrück the edge, with 49% of respondents saying he won and 44% backing Merkel. Another poll by Forsa put Merkel slightly ahead, 44% versus 43%. Link: Euractiv Steinbrück challenges Merkel on euro policy: Three weeks before the German general elections, Merkel and her challenger made clear in a TV debate that their plans to resolve the euro crisis differ substantially. Merkel said that she planned to continue to impose reforms on the South of Europe, while Peer Seinbrück, argued that the way Merkel had managed the euro crisis has had negative influence on German savers. Link: Europolitics: New Europe Merkel clashes with rival on euro-rescue, US spying: In the TV debate, opposing Merkel and Steinbrueck, there were some tense exchanges on the US spying scandal and the eurozone crisis. Steinbrueck, criticised Merkel for calling a press conference about the US mass surveillance of Germans only to say “let’s wait” to act afterwards. Link: Euobserver Peer Steinbrück aims at being chancellor: The opinion polls are against him, but Peer Steinbrück still believes he can win: "Things looked worse than this for the SPD before the 2005 election, and then they turned out better” the SDP candidate commented. He is looking to the Greens as a possible coalition partner. Link: DW Satire party pokes fun at German politics: Die Partei (The Party) events mostly poke fun at the other parties and at right-wing prejudice in German society. Despite this, the Federal Election Committee earlier this summer registered it as one of the 38 parties eligible to run in the 22 September elections. Head of the Die Partei, Martin Sonnerborn, is also the party’s top candidate for EU elections in May 2014. Link: Euobserver Merkel the European will wake up – once Germany's elections are over: So far, the German elections campaign has been oddly detached from the debate on Europe. However, in the likely event that Merkel is re-elected, there will be a silent turn to a politics of more Europe. If she is not, a red-green government would take the initiative to correct the design flaw of European monetary union. Link: The Guardian German elections to set EU agenda in coming months: The German federal elections on 22 September are keenly awaited in Brussels, as several key dossiers - notably on banking union - are on hold until a new government is formed in Berlin. After the October elections, Merkel, or her rival Peer Steinbrueck will have to deliver on the promise of allowing banks to be recapitalised directly by the eurozone fund once a supervisory board for the 150 largest banks in the eurozone is set up within the European Central Bank. Link: Euobserver