Analysis - Page 16 of 24

No vote on TTIP

The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, has postponed the vote scheduled for Wednesday over recommendations which the European Parliament will submit to the Commission. These will then be taken into account in negotiating the trade and investment treaty between the European Union and the United States (TTIP). The decision has caused an angry session in Strasbourg. The United Left groups and the Greens have protested strongly and have blamed postponement of the vote on the fact that the large groups were worried that approval of a favourable position over the current TTIP negotiations would be jeopardized. The political struggle has broken out over the limits on legal protection for

G7 leaders make headway in Germany

On the 7 and 8 of June, leaders of the world’s seven leading advanced economies met in Schloss Elmau, Germany for their annual summit. These meetings are aimed at tackling the most complex challenges of our times and showing that, in the face of adversity, this powerful group of 7 stand together. With the Alpine landscape providing a stunning backdrop for the talks, this year’s gathering was by no means short of noteworthy advances. The G7 is an important political and economic gathering which attempts to address a wide range of the world’s most pressing issues. The advance of ISIS in the Middle East and the crisis in Ukraine dominated this year’s agenda with the earthquake in Nepal, the global economy

Romanian Prime Minister granted immunity

Under investigation for corruption, the Romanian Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, refuses to resign, declaring himself innocent. The National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA) announced on Friday, 5 June, that it was investigating charges of conflict of interest, money laundering, forgery and tax evasion attributed to Romania’s Prime Minister on Friday and dating back to when he was working as a lawyer before assuming public office. For the investigation to proceed, the Prime Minister’s immunity as Member of Parliament should be lifted, something only the Parliament can do. In a secret ballot, the Romanian Parliament voted to maintain Mr. Ponta’s immunity

Turkey’s AKP party loses majority in surprise result

It was surely a night to remember for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his AKP party. The ruling party is set to lose its majority in the Turkish Parliament. Ever since he took office in 2014, and even as Prime Minister before, President Erdoğan has been looking to boost his powers, hoping to turn Turkey into a presidential republic. The results of the 7 June vote sink Erdoğan’s ambitions, as he suffers probably the biggest setback in 13 years of high-level politics. His power-hungry move, reinforced Islamization and eagerness to expand his reach appear to have alienated many voters who perceive Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as a threat to a secular and democratic state

Cameron’s EU charm offensive

David Cameron has concluded a one week EU whistle-stop tour in his bid to reform the 28-nation bloc and win back powers from Brussels. Coming after a fresh win in last month’s general election, the British Prime Minister set out on a charm offensive to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the Union ahead of the 2017 in-out referendum. His handpicked stops were few but telling as to whose support David Cameron is seeking. The Prime Minister kicked off a week of talks by meeting with EU Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on 25 May. David Cameron did not miss the opportunity to “underline that the British people are not happy with the status quo and believe that the EU needs

New Finnish Government appointed

On 1 June, the President of the Republic of Finland Juha Sipila appointed the country’s 74^th government. This moment marked the dismissal of Alexander Stubb’s cabinet and the coming into office of Sipila, who will be heading the new 14-minister government. The governing coalition will now consist of the Center Party with six ministerial posts, the Finns Party and the National Coalition Party, with four ministerial posts each. After weeks of cabinet formation talks, party leaders have agreed on a lineup which welcomes the return of ex-Prime Minister Alexander Stubb as Minister of Finance. Another party boss not leaving the negotiating table empty-handed is Timo Soini from the eurosceptic Finns Party

Greece and its creditors finalise an agreement

The tremendous policy over the future of Greece is heating up. The Prime Minister, Alexis Tsipras, has submitted a proposal to break the current impasse in the negotiations, and the creditors have sent him their own proposal to unlock the funds and avoid Greece’s suspension of payments. In return, the government in Athens would have to face tough demands to reform the pension system and the labour market. The creditors’ agreement was cooked up last night in Berlin during the mini summit between German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande, President of the European Commission Jean Claude Juncker, ECB president Mario Draghi

Commission unveils draft budget for 2016

On 27 May the European Commission presented its draft budget of €143.5 billion for 2016. The proposal, which requires approval from the EU Parliament and EU member states, focuses on creating jobs and growth, boosting innovation, dealing with the migration crisis, and further strengthening the EU’s role in the world. Spending hawks in Brussels and across the EU seemed pleased with the fact that the budget remains at the same level as for the current year. Kristalina Georgieva, Commission Vice-President for Budget and Human Resources, submitted the draft for approval. The Commission adopted the proposal as the first step in a procedure

UN Secretary-General takes on migration during Brussels visit

Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon delivered a formal address to the European Parliament on Wednesday, 27 May, as part of his goodwill tour marking the 70^th anniversary of the United Nations. In his speech,he welcomed the Commission’s proposals as outlined in the Agenda on Migration, mentioning that the move to relocate 40,000 asylum seekers is a step in the right direction: “I encourage EU member states to show compassion as they consider this important proposal to share their resettlement responsibilities.” Before arriving to Brussels, the Secretary-General made a stop in Dublin where he stressed the need for renewed efforts in dealing with the migrant crisis

Red Card for FIFA

The future of the World Cup is in the air and FIFA is mired in one of its deepest crises. US justice authorities have accused nine of its executives of corruption and Switzerland is currently investigating the award of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 event to Qatar. In what could be the biggest sports scandal in history, early on Wednesday Swiss police burst into the luxury Baur au Lac Hotel in Zurich and arrested seven FIFA officials – and in the same city carried out a search at the headquarters of football’s powerful governing body. There are also five business executives involved in the plot. All are accused of fraud, conspiracy and money laundering