Charles Grant’s poor pieces yesterday about national parliaments and EU decision making set me thinking: what think tanks are there that actually are trying to come up with solutions to make EU democracy work better? Yes, I respect ECFR and Bruegel, but EU democracy is not the main focus of...
Charles Grant of the London-based think tank CER has written a piece entitled “Can national parliaments make the EU more legitimate?” Of course, having posed that question, Grant does not actually fully nail his colours to the mast as to whether he actually thinks national parliaments will help the EU...
Over a coffee after State of the Net in Trieste, Luca Conti (@pandemia on Twitter) posed me a question. “What do you [meaning non-Italians] think of Beppe Grillo?” It’s also a question that my good friend Antonella Napolitano will be trying to answer at Personal Democracy Forum France later this...
As Isabelle Philippe of Greenpeace France said to me, Greenpeace ships have some sort of mythical reputation about them. I suppose that’s why I took up the invite to go on board MY Arctic Sunrise in the first place. So what is life like on board Arctic Sunrise? You can...
As Arctic Sunrise set off from its anchor off Lyme Regis last night, all the campaigners on board knew that in Brussels it would be an important night for future of Europe’s fisheries. The main protagonists were (from the Presidency) Irish Fisheries Minister Simon Coveney, European Commissioner Maria Damanaki, and...
I put a politician and a fishing spokesperson in front of the camera to ask them about Greenpeace, and what is needed for the future of fishing policy in France. First you will see Joel Labbé (Senator for Europe Ecologie Les Verts), and then Gilles Bertrand from l’Association des Ligneurs...
Spending time on Arctic Sunrise in Saint-Malo, you gain the impression very quickly than some powers in the town are not at all content that Greenpeace is here. But of course that is precisely the reason why Greenpeace came here in the first place. Arctic Sunrise was supposed to be...
https://files.jonworth.eu/downloads/greenpeace 26 May – Arctic Sunrise allocated a berth that is hidden away in Saint-Malo 26 May – evening sunshine on Arctic Sunrise at Saint-Malo 27 May – Photosynth panorama at Saint-Malo, including projection on the wall 27 May – early light at Saint Malo 27 May – morning light...
Moored in the same basin in Saint-Malo as Greenpeace’s Arctic Sunrise is a small fishing vessel from the local industry with a banner hanging over the side saying “Greenpeace Prédateur des Emplois de la Filière Pêche” (Greenpeace Predator of the jobs in the fishing industry). The target for today, in...
The European Council elects its President by a qualified majority for a term of two and a half years, renewable once. This means that Herman Van Rompuy, the current incumbent, cannot run again. This is also the only one of the top EU positions that has no role for the...
The High Rep is appointed by the European Council, acting by qualified majority. However as the person is also a Vice President of the European Commission, their nomination has to also be approved in the same way as the rest of the College of Commissioners. If 2014 works as 2009...
Following my previous posts about likely EPP and PES candidates for President of the European Commission, what about other candidates not from either of the main political forces? With no party likely to achieve an overall majority in the European Parliament after the 2014 elections, could a compromise candidate somehow...