Reinhard Bütikofer

13.09.2018 EU Politics

The personal ethics required to become a politician are the very opposite of what the public hope to see in their politicians

Straightforward honesty, clear ethics, transparency of motives and behaviour, and an ability to acknowledge when one is wrong, are personal values I personally hold dear, and they are – I would argue – values that the general public would like

29.01.2015 EU Politics

The vexed issue of politicians on Twitter – is it really them?

I’ve never met European Commission for Trade Cecilia Malmström in person. But from tweets exchanged over the years with @MalmstromEU I have some picture of what Malmström must be like as a person. From serious discussions about the implementation of

11.02.2014 EU Politics

WePromise.EU – when ethics, parties and electoral systems collide

European Digital Rights has recently started a campaign in for the 2014 EP elections entitled “WePromise”. The basis for the campaign is a good one – it proposes a clear and simple charter of digital rights, and then asks for

15.05.2013 EU Politics

Best of the rest – candidates for President of the European Commission

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