European Elections: What they tell us about support for Brexit
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Showing posts with label EU Parliamentary Elections. Show all posts
Showing posts with label EU Parliamentary Elections. Show all posts
5/28/19
5/27/19
5/25/19
5/24/19
The Netherlands: Nationalists and populists issues lose favorability in the Netherlands
There was faltering support for the Netherlands to withdraw from the European Union, according to a survey of voters and non-voters in the Netherlands during the 2019European Parliamentary elections.
The poll, conducted by Ipsos for broadcaster NOS, also showed several nationalist issues falling out of favor with the Dutch public. Just 15 percent of people agreed with a mandate saying the Netherlands should leave the EU. That is down from 24 percent of respondents five years ago. About 65 percent disagreed with the sentiment, with the rest saying they either did not know or did not care.
Interestingly, about 60 percent of voters said the Netherlands is better as part of the European Union, while fewer than 40 percent of non-voters said the same. Still, about 69 percent want to see the EU grow even stronger because of international tensions, while only 7 percent disagreed.
5/14/19
EU: Spotlight on the EU parliamentary electons
Spotlight on EU elections: 400 million people and 28 countries prepare to vote for Parliament
With more than 400 million Europeans heading to the polls next week in all 28 EU countries, FRANCE 24 crunches the numbers and dissects the facts behind what are actually more than two dozen strikingly different elections for the European Parliament.
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5/5/19
EU : More than 450 EU candidates pledge to protect animals
More than 450 EU candidates pledge to protect animals
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5/2/19
EU parliamentary elections: Polls show losses for major parties
EU election poll: Waiting game as popular parties yet to align with Parliament groups
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4/12/19
EU - Netherlands - global warming: EU the logical place to fight global warming, says Greens frontrunner Parliamentary candidate Bas Eickhout
Watch: EU 'logical place' to fight global warming, says Greens' spitzenkandidat Bas Eickhout.
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4/2/19
EU Parliamentary elections: Eastern southern Europeans dread emigration more than immigration
EU elections: Eastern, southern Europeans dread emigration more than
immigration With just seven weeks to go before EU Parliament elections a
sweeping study shows that, despite a rise in anti-immigration rhetoric,
many Eastern and southern Europeans say they are more worried about
emigration.
3/10/19
EU: "We need to change without changing" - by Kassandra
A great deal of effort has been made by the current
leader in European political spectrum, the European People’s Party
(EPP), in trying to convince citizens and journalists that are – others
more, others less – carefully watching the campaign ahead of the May
2019 European elections, that the party has the answers for the bloc’s
future, countrary to their opposing populists, the extreme left and
extreme right.
Read more: We need to change without changing
“We are the solution,” said the President of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani
speaking in Athens at the EPP’s Group meeting. The only problem is that
at the end of an institutional term steered by the EPP, the party is
heading to elections with an opposition-styled rhetoric.
“Without us it is impossible” underlined
the European Parliament president in the Greek capital, while
explaining to his fellow Christian-democrats that Europe is under
Chinese attack and that therefore, the EU needs to change.
For the next institutional term, as he proposed, Europe needs a young Commission president – the Party’s Spitzenkandidat, Manfred Weber
– to combat populists and of course the man himself, Tajani, “to keep a
good balance, to strengthen the EU and the EPP’s position in Brussels”.
Note EU-Digest: If Europeans want continued Peace, Prosperity and Democracy to continue in the EU, they must avoid voting for so-called Populist parties. Two glaring examples of Populists disastrous political ventures include: Brexit and the demise of the US as a respected World political power as a result of the Donald Trump election.
Note EU-Digest: If Europeans want continued Peace, Prosperity and Democracy to continue in the EU, they must avoid voting for so-called Populist parties. Two glaring examples of Populists disastrous political ventures include: Brexit and the demise of the US as a respected World political power as a result of the Donald Trump election.
Read more: We need to change without changing
2/25/19
2/20/19
2/12/19
The Netherlands: Dutch newspaper AD uses misleading headline which could favor populist, nationalistic - anti-immigrant rhetoric and policies - by RM
A recent headline by Dutch newspaper Algemeen Dagblad (AD) which stated "Fuss in Germany about proposal to change English language courses in primary schools to Turkish". is misleading, especially if you just read the headline and not the whole story.
If you take the time to read the whole story - however - you quickly realize the heading is misleading.
This change of language from English to Turkish will in reality never happen in Germany or in any other country in the EU.
These kinds of headlines, however, are obviously "grist to the mill" for the nationalist, anti-immigration, populist parties in the Netherlands and Europe, which are mainly supported by people, who do not want to look any further "than their noses are long", to see the dangers of populism.
This regardless of the fact that there are plenty of examples of populist inspired and created political chaotical disasters in the world, including the emergence of a Trump in America, Orban in Hungary , Giuseppe Conte in Italy, and the Brexit drama, the supporters of the populist movement still have their head in the sand.
As the European parliamentary elections this coming May are quickly approaching, it is good to remember that famous saying "A warned person counts for two".
It is high time, that we the people of the EU stop this so-called "populist movement", before they destruct our future, and that we take our purpose of being a democratic counter-balance to the many evil forces surrounding us, more seriously
For the original AD newspaper report in Dutch click on this link Ophef in Duitsland over voorstel om Engels op basisschool te vervangen door Turks | Buitenland | AD.nl
If you take the time to read the whole story - however - you quickly realize the heading is misleading.
This change of language from English to Turkish will in reality never happen in Germany or in any other country in the EU.
These kinds of headlines, however, are obviously "grist to the mill" for the nationalist, anti-immigration, populist parties in the Netherlands and Europe, which are mainly supported by people, who do not want to look any further "than their noses are long", to see the dangers of populism.
This regardless of the fact that there are plenty of examples of populist inspired and created political chaotical disasters in the world, including the emergence of a Trump in America, Orban in Hungary , Giuseppe Conte in Italy, and the Brexit drama, the supporters of the populist movement still have their head in the sand.
As the European parliamentary elections this coming May are quickly approaching, it is good to remember that famous saying "A warned person counts for two".
It is high time, that we the people of the EU stop this so-called "populist movement", before they destruct our future, and that we take our purpose of being a democratic counter-balance to the many evil forces surrounding us, more seriously
For the original AD newspaper report in Dutch click on this link Ophef in Duitsland over voorstel om Engels op basisschool te vervangen door Turks | Buitenland | AD.nl
12/15/18
EU - Parliamentary Elections: Taking back control: How European citizens are slowly gaining power
The news site Politico Europe recently produced one of many inevitable
end-of-year rankings, “The women who shape Brussels – class of 2018”. It
was interesting to see that, in a European Union that is widely
perceived as undemocratic, MEPs were up high on this list. Among them,
the so-called “tech MEP gang” scored highest. This “sisterhood”, as
Politico calls them, includes influential MEPs such as Marietje Schaake,
Eva Kaili, Mady Delvaux, and Pilar del Castillo Vera. They help shape
European laws on robots, blockchain, intellectual property rights, and
privacy. These women are feared in Silicon Valley. And in many European
capitals too.
It is ironic that the only ones who don’t really seem to care about this powerful “gang” are the European voters they are supposed to represent, and in whose names they wage their fierce political battles. Many Europeans do not read Politico. What MEPs do – be they men or women – does not interest them in the least. Brussels, for them, is too far away. They perceive “Europe” as an elite project: “let’s take back control.”
This is a pity, because things have really changed a little in recent years. Citizens often associate MEPs with a toothless, expensive parliament that no one has any control over, but this perception is somewhat outdated. Under the 2010 Treaty of Lisbon, member states have given the EU additional powers in aspects of external relations such as trade agreements, foreign policy, and the EU’s position within the United Nations.
The European Parliament has gained power in these fields too. This follows a democratic logic: if one takes policy to a higher level, democratic control should follow. Although it is far from perfect, the treaty expanded democratic participation a little. And the “female tech gang” has made full use of it. By asking questions, vetoing draft proposals, and putting forward amendments to such proposals, MEPs from across the EU have influenced – for example – agreements on data exchange and counter-terrorism with the United States in a way that was impossible before.
According to a Eurobarometer survey published in September 2018, just 41 percent of European citizens know when the next European Parliament elections will be held (May 2019). Only 51 percent declare an interest in them. A poll taken in April this year found that “a great majority think that people would abstain [from voting in the elections] because ‘they believe that their vote will not change anything’, ‘they distrust the political system’ or ‘are not interested in politics or in elections in general’.” The prevailing assumption is still that the European Parliament is useless because citizens “aren’t heard anyway”.
European Parliament is useless because citizens “aren’t heard anyway”.
Read more: Taking back control: How European citizens are slowly gaining power | European Council on Foreign Relations
It is ironic that the only ones who don’t really seem to care about this powerful “gang” are the European voters they are supposed to represent, and in whose names they wage their fierce political battles. Many Europeans do not read Politico. What MEPs do – be they men or women – does not interest them in the least. Brussels, for them, is too far away. They perceive “Europe” as an elite project: “let’s take back control.”
This is a pity, because things have really changed a little in recent years. Citizens often associate MEPs with a toothless, expensive parliament that no one has any control over, but this perception is somewhat outdated. Under the 2010 Treaty of Lisbon, member states have given the EU additional powers in aspects of external relations such as trade agreements, foreign policy, and the EU’s position within the United Nations.
The European Parliament has gained power in these fields too. This follows a democratic logic: if one takes policy to a higher level, democratic control should follow. Although it is far from perfect, the treaty expanded democratic participation a little. And the “female tech gang” has made full use of it. By asking questions, vetoing draft proposals, and putting forward amendments to such proposals, MEPs from across the EU have influenced – for example – agreements on data exchange and counter-terrorism with the United States in a way that was impossible before.
According to a Eurobarometer survey published in September 2018, just 41 percent of European citizens know when the next European Parliament elections will be held (May 2019). Only 51 percent declare an interest in them. A poll taken in April this year found that “a great majority think that people would abstain [from voting in the elections] because ‘they believe that their vote will not change anything’, ‘they distrust the political system’ or ‘are not interested in politics or in elections in general’.” The prevailing assumption is still that the European Parliament is useless because citizens “aren’t heard anyway”.
European Parliament is useless because citizens “aren’t heard anyway”.
In a remarkable inaugural
lecture at the University of Amsterdam in early November, European law
professor Christina Eckes challenged that assumption. Eckes pointed out
that “while transferring powers to the EU limits the unilateral autonomy
of national governments, it increases control for EU citizens over
central aspects of international relations, such as the conclusion of
international agreements.” In other words: the transfer of power to
Brussels may weaken member states, but it empowers citizens. Why?
Because the European Parliament now has a key role in negotiating and
finalising international treaties. As a result, it can exercise more
control over institutions that implement these treaties – since they are
European – than national parliaments can. In this way, Eckes argues,
“European integration allows European citizens to retain control over
international policies in a globalised world.”
Read more: Taking back control: How European citizens are slowly gaining power | European Council on Foreign Relations
12/10/18
5/18/14
The Netherlands: Dutch racist Wilders targets Moroccans in EU campaign
A popular video on YouTube shows a dark-skinned young man trailing a suitcase through Dutch streets.
A popular Dutch Rapper Ali B also commented on the Wilders remarks.
"I'm going back to Morocco because they say we're not welcome any more," he tells people. "I want to say thanks for the 20 years that I've been allowed to stay in the Netherlands."
The clip, watched almost half a million times in the month since it was posted, is a TV satirist's response to a remark by Geert Wilders. The outspoken bleach-blond leader of the anti-immigration Dutch Freedom Party is one of leading anti-EU populists running in this month's European Parliament elections.
In a March speech in The Hague, Wilders - who has attracted supporters as far afield as the United States and Australia - asked the crowd if they wanted more or fewer Moroccans.
"Fewer! Fewer!" they chanted.
"Good. We'll arrange that," he said, smiling.
Criticised by some as invoking Nazi deportations of Jews during World War Two, the comment briefly hit his poll ratings. More than 5,000 complaints were filed calling for him to be prosecuted for hate speech and he lost several political allies.
But Wilders has bounced back and some of his American backers, after squirming, say they will stick by him.
About 18 percent of voters tell pollsters they will cast their ballots for his party in the EU-wide elections on May 22, ahead of the governing coalition Liberal and Labour parties and level with the centrist D66 party.
Wilders may command only minority support but his populism is a magnet for floating voters and he has set the tone of an increasingly harsh debate about immigration.
Read more: Dutch racist Wilders targets Moroccans in EU campaign | Europe | Worldbulletin News
A popular Dutch Rapper Ali B also commented on the Wilders remarks.
"I'm going back to Morocco because they say we're not welcome any more," he tells people. "I want to say thanks for the 20 years that I've been allowed to stay in the Netherlands."
The clip, watched almost half a million times in the month since it was posted, is a TV satirist's response to a remark by Geert Wilders. The outspoken bleach-blond leader of the anti-immigration Dutch Freedom Party is one of leading anti-EU populists running in this month's European Parliament elections.
In a March speech in The Hague, Wilders - who has attracted supporters as far afield as the United States and Australia - asked the crowd if they wanted more or fewer Moroccans.
"Fewer! Fewer!" they chanted.
"Good. We'll arrange that," he said, smiling.
Criticised by some as invoking Nazi deportations of Jews during World War Two, the comment briefly hit his poll ratings. More than 5,000 complaints were filed calling for him to be prosecuted for hate speech and he lost several political allies.
But Wilders has bounced back and some of his American backers, after squirming, say they will stick by him.
About 18 percent of voters tell pollsters they will cast their ballots for his party in the EU-wide elections on May 22, ahead of the governing coalition Liberal and Labour parties and level with the centrist D66 party.
Wilders may command only minority support but his populism is a magnet for floating voters and he has set the tone of an increasingly harsh debate about immigration.
Read more: Dutch racist Wilders targets Moroccans in EU campaign | Europe | Worldbulletin News
2/12/14
THE 2014 EUROPEAN ELECTIONS: THIS TIME IT’S DIFFERENT- MORE DEMOCRACY LESS BUREAUCRACY
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| Vote and let your voice be heard |
It will be the eighth Europe-wide election to the European Parliament since the first direct elections in 1979.
The countdown has started: there are 100 days to go until the first polling stations open for the 2014 European elections. In this second biggest democratic exercise in the world, close to 500 million people can cast their vote for a new European Parliament. The 751 MEPs taking up their seats in July will not only set the course of European policies for the next five years but also elect the leader of the EU's executive body, the European Commission President.
For the first time, the composition of the new European Parliament will determine who will lead the next European Commission, the EU's executive body, which initiates legislation and supervises its implementation. Under the new rules, EU government leaders, who will propose a candidate for the post of the future Commission President, must do so on the basis of the election results.
The European Parliament will elect the new Commission President by a majority of the component members, i.e. at least half of the 751 MEPs to be elected (376). European political parties will therefore, or have already, put forward their candidates for this leading position in the EU before the European elections, thus allowing citizens to have a say over next Commission President.
The new political majority emerging from the elections will also shape European legislation over the next five years in areas from the single market to civil liberties.
The Parliament - the only directly elected EU institution - is now a linchpin of the European decision-making system and has an equal say with national governments on virtually all EU laws. Voters will be more influential than ever.
If you are an EU national living in another EU country, you have the right to vote and stand as a candidate for the European Parliament elections in that country. Check for details with your Embassy or Consulate.
Vote and let your voice be heard. The EU Belongs to all of us.
To get a Press kit click here.
EU-Digest
1/22/14
Switzerland: EU parliamentary election tops Europe concerns for CEOs in Davos
he risk of a lurch to the right in May's European parliamentary election
is vexing top global chief executives, who worry that the vote will
make the bloc harder to govern just as they want it to reform.
High unemployment, austerity fatigue and still anemic growth offer the perfect backdrop for fringe parties to prosper at the election.
Some pundits predict a group of anti-euro parties including the National Front in France, Britain's UKIP, Syriza in Greece and the Dutch Freedom Party could capture 20 percent or more of the seats.
That could pressure the European Union's main party groups to tack right and challenge Europe's ability to integrate further, given new powers the parliament will have to rule on the majority of EU legislation.
For CEOs at the annual gathering of the global elite in Davos, the May election looms as a big risk for Europe's economic outlook even if a euro zone break-up has been averted.
"True tail risk has disappeared. However there is a risk that there may be some risk coming back this year," Axel Weber, UBS chairman and former Bundesbank president, told a session at the forum on Wednesday entitled "Is Europe back?"
Weber cited potential gains by Eurosceptics in the elections as a risk, which he said could complicate the political process in the EU. "Just think of how the Tea Party has made governance difficult in the U.S."
Recent polls show France's anti-immigrant National Front has gained support since the 2012 presidential election in which party leader Marine Le Pen came third with 17.90 percent of the vote, the best first-round score in its history.
However, Finland's Europe minister said a surge in support for anti-European populist parties in the European election has been exaggerated and will not prevent a "moderate majority" from moving forward with EU integration.
Note EU-Digest: Corporate influence in politics should also be a major agenda point in Davpos, but so far it hasn't been.
Read more: EU parliamentary election tops Europe concerns for CEOs in Davos - chicagotribune.com
High unemployment, austerity fatigue and still anemic growth offer the perfect backdrop for fringe parties to prosper at the election.
Some pundits predict a group of anti-euro parties including the National Front in France, Britain's UKIP, Syriza in Greece and the Dutch Freedom Party could capture 20 percent or more of the seats.
That could pressure the European Union's main party groups to tack right and challenge Europe's ability to integrate further, given new powers the parliament will have to rule on the majority of EU legislation.
For CEOs at the annual gathering of the global elite in Davos, the May election looms as a big risk for Europe's economic outlook even if a euro zone break-up has been averted.
"True tail risk has disappeared. However there is a risk that there may be some risk coming back this year," Axel Weber, UBS chairman and former Bundesbank president, told a session at the forum on Wednesday entitled "Is Europe back?"
Weber cited potential gains by Eurosceptics in the elections as a risk, which he said could complicate the political process in the EU. "Just think of how the Tea Party has made governance difficult in the U.S."
Recent polls show France's anti-immigrant National Front has gained support since the 2012 presidential election in which party leader Marine Le Pen came third with 17.90 percent of the vote, the best first-round score in its history.
However, Finland's Europe minister said a surge in support for anti-European populist parties in the European election has been exaggerated and will not prevent a "moderate majority" from moving forward with EU integration.
Note EU-Digest: Corporate influence in politics should also be a major agenda point in Davpos, but so far it hasn't been.
Read more: EU parliamentary election tops Europe concerns for CEOs in Davos - chicagotribune.com
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