ECB - European Economy: ECB braces for more money printing

The European Central Bank is prepared to resume its money-printing programme, according to its vice-president Luis de Guindos.

Meanwhile, the euro tumbled to 22-month lows against the dollar late last week, as US growth data remains robust both in terms of capital goods investment and real wage growth.

With decelerating growth and inflation in the Eurozone, de Guindos reignited speculation about the continuation of a €2.6 trillion bond-buying programme that officially ended in December 2018. Meanwhile, the forthcoming European elections in May are weighing negatively on the Eurozone’s economy, as markets expect a surge in euro-critical movements.

“Quantitative easing is something that we can use again if needed,” de Guindos told an audience in New York, although he made clear that the resumption of bond-purchases beyond the current levels has not yet been discussed. Officially, the ECB projects a rebound in Eurozone growth during the second half of 2019, but De Guindos’ announcement consolidates the overall impression that a prolonged period of subdued growth may be ahead.

Read more: ECB braces for more money printing

Britain - Brexit: European Parliamentary elections in Britain could be a turning point for Brecit

 Could it all be a question of perception?

Read more at:
https://fedtrust.co.uk/european-elections-in-the-uk-a-brexit-turning-point/

The EU Commission: Who will become the next EU President of the Commission?

Via Euronews: European Parliament elections 2019: who are the candidates for the EU’s top job?

Read more at: 

https://www.euronews.com/2019/03/23/european-parliament-elections-2019-who-are-the-candidates-for-the-eu-s-top-job

EU Parliamentary Elections: Europe dials up pressure on tech giants over election security

 The European Union has announced a package of measures intended to step up efforts and pressure on tech giants to combat democracy-denting disinformation ahead of the EU parliament elections next May.

The European Commission Action Plan, which was presented at a press briefing earlier today, has four areas of focus: 1) Improving detection of disinformation; 2) Greater co-ordination across EU Member States, including by sharing alerts about threats; 3) Increased pressure on online platforms, including to increase transparency around political ads and purge fake accounts; and 4) raising awareness and critical thinking among EU citizens.

The Commission says 67% of EU citizens are worried about their personal data being used for political targeting, and 80% want improved transparency around how much political parties spend to run campaigns on social media.

Note EU-Digest: Google, Facebook and Twitter will be required to give monthly updates to the EU on tackling fake news from Russia in the lead-up to the 2019 EU elections, European regulators said Wednesday.

Read more at: Europe dials up pressure on tech giants over election security | TechCrunch

Netherlands says No to Trump and Wilders populism in General election-as Rutte wins again - by Philip Blenkinsop

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said his VVD party was on course for victory in Dutch parliamentary elections on Wednesday in a result he declared represented a rejection of "the wrong kind of populism".

"It appears that the VVD will be the biggest party in the Netherlands for the third time in a row," a beaming Rutte told supporters at a post-election party in the Hague.

Rutte, who beat off a challenge from anti-Islam and anti-EU far-right firebrand Geert Wilders, said he had spoken to a number of European leaders already by telephone.

"It is also an evening in which the Netherlands after Brexit, after the American elections said stop to the wrong kind of populism," he said.

Read more: Dutch PM Rutte - Netherlands said no to 'the wrong kind of populism' - World | The Star Online

The Netherlands: Far-right party still leading in Dutch polls, despite leader’s criminal guilt

Volendam is a village of clogs, canals, cheese – and anger. A former fishing village-turned-tourist-haven north-east of Amsterdam on the Markermeer lake, it offered one of the country’s strongest turnouts for far-right populist Geert Wilders the last time the country went to the polls.

Wilders was found guilty of inciting discrimination at a rally where he called for “fewer Moroccans”. His supporters in this overwhelmingly white, conservative town see the trial and verdict as political persecution of a maverick anti-establishment champion.

“We don’t like what the government does so we support him,” said Wim Keizer, curator of the Volendam museum, a small building filled with tableaux of families and fishermen in traditional dress, including a dog-drawn cart and the cabin of a North Sea fishing skiff.

Wilders’ Freedom party (PVV) has risen from being a rightwing gadfly of the Dutch establishment to one of the most powerful forces in national politics, remaking the image of a nation once regarded as a beacon of liberal values. It is currently leading in polls ahead of national elections next year.

Read more: Far-right party still leading in Dutch polls, despite leader’s criminal guilt | World news | The Guardian

The Netherlands: Geert Wilders - PM of the Netherlands in 2017 ?

Will  Geert Wilders ever become the PM of the Netherlands?

To read the complete report click here.

German Elections: Senegal-born chemist hopes to become Germany’s first black lawmaker - by Frank Jordans

Karamba Diaby makes his way through the historic heart of Halle with the speed of a seasoned politician: slowly. More than two decades involvement in local politics means the 51-year-old immigrant can’t go more than a few steps without being stopped for a chat.

Two months before Germany’s general elections each handshake and greeting carries added significance because Diaby is intent on becoming the country’s first black member of Parliament. He listens patiently to his constituents and responds in fluent German with a strong Franco-African accent, courtesy of his Senegalese origins.

“I didn’t throw my hat in the ring,” he said, a touch apologetically. “I was asked by others.”
The decision to place him near the top of the ticket is all the more remarkable because, like other states in the former East Germany, Saxony-Anhalt has a reputation for being more hostile toward immigrants — especially those from outside Europe — than western parts of the country.

While the trained chemist is reluctant to criticize his adopted home — he moved to Halle in 1986 and gained German citizenship in 2001 — Diaby nevertheless acknowledges that he was once physically attacked because of the colour of his skin.

Read more: Senegal-born chemist hopes to become Germany’s first black lawmaker - The Globe and Mail

Georgia: Georgian tycoon expects NATO entry after poll victory

The billionaire who is likely to become Georgia's next prime minister said on Tuesday he was confident the former Soviet republic would soon join NATO.

Bidzina Ivanishvili, whose opposition coalition won a parliamentary election last week, also responded to accusations that he might let Georgia be drawn back into Moscow's orbit by underlining that relations with the West would be a priority.

"We are striving towards Europe and Georgia will definitely be able to become a member of NATO soon," Ivanishvili said after talks with President Mikheil Saakashvili.

"We talked about foreign policy, our visions and so forth. The foreign policies declared by both sides - that Europe and the Euro-Atlantic space represent our strategies - are in accord," he said.

The two rivals looked reserved as they shook hands at the presidential administration building in the capital Tbilisi, their first meeting since the October 1 election.

Read more: Georgian tycoon expects NATO entry after poll victory - World Updates | The Star Online

Dutch elections seen as a measure of volatile eurozone - by Ian Traynor

A year from retirement after decades working in a bank, Ger Coolan is contemplating the unlikeliest switch in his political conduct ever – voting for a bunch of former Maoists.

When the Dutch go to the polls on Wednesday in an early election seen across Europe as a bellwether ballot, the well-to-do, middle-class 64-year-old will embody the extreme volatility surrounding the vote.

"You've got the Germans bossing us around. Taxes are going to go up, pensions are going to be cut. And all this because of Europe. It would be much better just to let Greece leave the euro and carry on with the strong countries," he said. "The Socialists are much better for the common people."

Read more: Dutch elections seen as a measure of volatile eurozone | World news | The Guardian

Netherlands: Great debating skills of PVDA leader Diederik Samson improves party standing and image

PVDA Leader Diederik Samson

In a poll released Tuesday by TNS NIPO, Labor would win about 26 seats in the 150-member parliament, continuing its steady rise of the past four weeks, which also is seen in other polls.

The Socialist Party, which had been leading the polls for nearly two months, continued to lose territory and now would secure only 28 seats, according to TNS NIPO. One month earlier, the Socialists were set to win 37 seats and had a 20-seat lead over Labor.

The polls are closely watched as the Netherlands is an important contributor to the rescue packages for struggling southern European countries. The outgoing center-right government has been an important ally of Germany in propagating austerity as the cure for the debt crisis in the currency bloc.

Socialist leader Roemer, whose down-to-earth manner was considered part of his appeal, so far has come across as a political lightweight in the debates.

"Everyone was expecting Rutte and Roemer to clash, but it was Samsom who stood out," said Philip van Praag, a political analyst at the University of Amsterdam.

It was Samsom who ticked off the prime minister, saying: "Mr Rutte, if you want to campaign, you have to tell the truth about your own program, not lies about other parties' programs".

In a country with such a crowded political field, another coalition is certain after the election. At least 12 parties are running, including those representing devout Christians, people over the age of 50 and the interests of animals.

However, only leaders of the biggest parties contested the debates, and Samsom took a different line when the discussion turned to the bailout for Greece, which is unpopular with Dutch voters.

The other leaders swore they would not pay another euro to support the Greeks. But Samsom took a softer line on a Greek government request that it be allowed more time to meet budget targets set by its international lenders.

"If we want to give Greece a chance, then it may be ... that they'll ask if they can have another half year, and if it leads to a stronger Europe, I'll say yes," Samson said in the debate. "We have to make Europe more than a market and a currency."

Labour leader Diederik Samsom was judged the winner of the second television debate of the election campaign by both viewers and experts on Thursday night.

Samsom took 40% of the viewers’ vote, followed by Mark Rutte, prime minister and leader of the right-wing VVD, with 23%.   Samsom was also declared the winner of the first debate last weekend.

A mother of 4 who was watching the debate said about Samson: "he would be the best Son in Law any mother could ask for." 

EU-Digest

Socialist party (SP) now the largest party in the Netherlands says poll

Emile Roemer leader of the SP

According to the latest poll by the Maurice de Hond polling center the SP ( Dutch Socialist Party) would be getting most of the votes in the upcoming September national elections in the Netherlands. It would consequently become the largest party in parliament with 32 seats, one more than the present ruling  conservative VVD. The SP gained this seat, at the expense of the PvdA (Labor Party), which now would have 18 seats.

The shift of one seat from the Labor Party to the SP is the only change from last week's poll.  Other parties listed are Geert Wilders PVV (19),  Christian Democrats CDA (14), Democratic Party D66 (15), Greens party (5), Christian Union (7),   Christian SGP (3) and the Party for Animals (3) remain the same.

Read more: PowNed : SP weer de grootste

Libya's Islamists count on independents to get a majority

Libya's Islamists said on Tuesday they should be able to control the new national congress through alliances with like-minded independents even though liberals appear to be doing well in seats reserved for parties.

Preliminary results of Libya's first election since last year's fall of Moamer Kadhafi suggest that the National Forces Alliance (NFA), a broad coalition of parties rallying behind wartime prime minister Mahmud Jibril, will leave Islamist parties in the dust on the party side.

But parties will hold only 80 out of 200 seats in the incoming congress, with the remainder open to individual candidates, some of whom are genuine independents and others who have ties to specific parties.

"We expect to have a very large presence in the congress," said Mohammed Sawan, head of the Justice and Construction Party, an Islamist party spawned by the Muslim Brotherhood.

Libyans voted for the congress, a 200-member legislative assembly that will steer the country through a transition. Turnout was above 60 percent, the electoral commission said.

Read more: AFP: Libya's Islamists count on independents to get a majority

Dutch Muslim Party announces participation in Parliamentary elections

The Dutch Muslim Party, an Islamist political party in the Netherlands, has announced its intention to compete for seats in the nation’s parliament. Given the success of the party in several smaller political campaigns — securing offices in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and other Dutch cities — it is possible that a party, which targets the approximately 6 percent of the nation’s population that identifies itself as Muslim, may find it has sufficient support to gain influence in the Dutch parliament.

For more: Dutch Muslim Party Opposed Free Speech

Egypt's Islamists sweep 75 percent of Egyptian parliament

Final election results on Saturday showed that Islamist parties won nearly three-quarters of the seats in the Egyptian parliament following the first elections since the ouster of authoritarian president Hosni Mubarak, according to local election officials and political groups.

In the vote for the lower house of parliament, a coalition led by the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood won 47 percent, or 235 seats in the 498-seat parliament. The ultraconservative Al-Nour Party was second with 25 percent, or 125 seats. The Salafi Al-Nour wants to impose strict Islamic law in Egypt, while the more moderate Brotherhood, the country's best-known and organized party, has said publicly that it does not seek to force its views about an appropriate Islamic lifestyle on Egyptians.

The Egyptian bloc, which is headed by a party founded by Christian telecom tycoon Naguib Sawiris, said it won 9 percent of the seats in parliament. Egypt's oldest secular party, the Wafd, also won around 9 percent. Newer parties, such as the liberal Revolution Continues Party won 2 percent, as did the Islamist Center Party, which had been banned from politics under Mubarak.

It is expected that the Muslim Brotherhood will seek a coalition with one of the smaller more liberal parties and not with the more radical Salafi Al-Nour.

EU-Digest