Far Left parties put EPP at stake

Intense internal debate to understand how to deal with the new emerging political forces, with S&D at the window ready to change alliances. What future for the traditional European right-wing political class?

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by Emanuele Bonini

European right is concerned about the rise of the far left parties all across the Old Continent. Syriza in Greece first, then Podemos in Spain. Political balance is changing in Europe, and with it also the political agenda can change. The future of Europe is at stake, and that is something in Brussels know very well. It is not a case if EPP members held «an intense internal debate» on the outcome of recent elections in Spain and Poland. The untold truth is the European Popular Party starts to consider itself in danger.
   EPP officials stressed that MEPs fear the allies from the left. Socialists & Democrats are now in coalition with EPP, granting the majority into the Parliament. But - that is what EPP MEPs are worried about - S&D could look to the far left parties with sympathy, searching for understanding on different files. That would mean the end of the EPP leadership, and here we have what politicians from the right don't want to officially admit. «It has to be clear that Podemos as well as Syriza represent a challenge for everybody», people say from EPP, showing all the anxiety animating the main European party.
  The truth is people from the traditional right are afraid of being overthrown by all the other parties. In some how, the EPP members see the national elections all across Europe as a test against the actual political class. EPP has been criticized for the austerity measures, has been considered as the main responsible for the social crisis in Greece. After the European election of May 2014, EPP has obliged to abandon the severity which has characterized last years, opening to the flexibility so desired by the left. Such a change was a political defeat for the European right, since flexibility was an unavoidable concession in order to maintain the leadership in the plenary. The European Popular Party has the problem to still be the first party in Europe in a very weak condition.

Hungary defies Europe with ethical relativism

Prime minister Viktor Orban is criticising the single model using the doctrine according to which nothing is universal and, so, unchangeable

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Opinion

Everything is possible, because laws are written by men and men can always reconsider the principle behind any law. Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban's theory could finish to enlarge the gap between his country and international partners. Orban went to Strasbourg during last plenary session of the European Parliament to have an exchange of views to MEPs, who quizzed the head of government on the Hungarian internal affairs. Orban's extreme-right positions don't like in Europe, especially that one in favour of the death penalty. There Orban unveiled his plans, saying he wants Europe to rethink its legal framework. «I asked a question. I asked whether the death penalty could an instrument good to see law respected and safe life», said Orban. «We are not talking about revenge, we are talking about a proportionate punishment to the committed crime». Preliminary reactions to these words are very superficial. It seems Orban wants an eye for an eye regime, a law of retaliation as a basic principle for the society. The truth is the Hungarian prime minister goes beyond all that through a vision of ethical relativism, by which there are no universal, permanent criteria to determine what may be right or not. So, nothing is forever. We are in front of a hidden critic to the European system, always seen with a certain suspicion in the former Communist part of the EU. An opportunity, of course, but at the same time a reason to be nervous.

Quotes

«Growth is not a goal itself, growth is the question of how redistribute wealth».
Alexander de Croo, Belgian minister for Development cooperation (Brussels, 26th of May, 2015)

MEPs not in favour of a Turkish membership

Despite optimism by the EU Commission, the Parliament is not ready to step up negotiations

by Emanuele Bonini

Europe can wait. Despite optimism showed by some member of the European Commission, Turkey is not a country considered to get EU membership. Listening to the debate in the European Parliament allowed to better understand how sensible is this file, with the majority of the political groups against the idea of a Turkish access. EPP, ECR, EFDD and NI don't believe Ankara deserves to see new negotiating chapters opened, with a part of the ALDE sceptic too, for the non-existing progress on the path of the European basic values. The Euro-Asiatic country is not evolving in the sense of the Copenhagen criteria, which set the conditions for EU membership. Only Greens and part of the European left are in favour of incentives. They are sure this could help Turkey in make that changes required in order to became part of the single project. The problems is Turkey has not enough supporters in Strasbourg, so the plenary session decided to postpone the vote on Turkey's 2014 reform progress report. The point is at this stage progress are not seen by anybody, or just by few MEPs, thus there is nothing but the political message sent to the Turkish government: it's necessary «to accelerate the pace of accession negotiations and to commit unequivocally to respect democratic values and principles, which are at the heart of the European Union».
   It has to be said that Recep Tayyip Erdogan is helping the European institutions to form its position, since the current Turkish government seems to have lost its appetite for EU-related reforms. The point is another. With the European Council divided and not unanimously ready to welcome Turkey (Austria, Germany, France, Cyprus and Greece are not in favour), a European Parliament critic or skeptic doesn't help the dialogue. With two EU institutions out of three, only the European Commission can be optimistic. But it is alone.

Related articles

- EU Turkey membership process to step up

EU Turkey membership process to step up

A new negotiating chapter to be opened «very soon», according to commissioner Hahn

by Emanuele Bonini

The Turkish accession process to the EU could mark a small progress as the European Commission announced possible negotiations on economic issues, the so called chapter seventeen. «I do believe chapter seventeen can be opened very soon», said Johannes Hahn, EU commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy & Enlargement Negotiations. Talking at the end of the EU-Turkey association council meeting, Hahn clarified that «the progress report on Turkey will be submitted at the Council at the latest by the end of June», and in that occasion the EU member States will «hopefully» decide to open a new negotiating chapter. In Ankara they are waiting for that, as stressed by the Foreign minister of Turkey. «The ongoing dialogue can't replace the accession process», said Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu in Brussels. «Accession remains on our political agenda, and we remain committed on the reform process». Improvements are now expected, since «the country has been showing to be patient».
   Turkey opened the first negotiating chapter in 2005, and currently is negotiating on fourteen chapters. The entire accession process to the EU will be concluded only when all the thirty five negotiating chapters will be closed.


Related articles:

- Turkey still a cause of division for the EU

- FACT SHEET / EU-Turkey negotiations

Migrants can hide terrorists, warns NATO chief

Jens Stoltenberg clearly said this is one of the problems linked to immigration issues. The EU gives the green light to a military operation in the Mediterannean sea

by Emanuele Bonini

Migration flows can represent a serious threat to the European security, warned today the Secretary general of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, in the margin of the joint meeting of the Defence and Foreign affairs council where the EU ministers gave their green light to an EU military operation - EUNAVFOR Med -  to break the business model of smugglers and traffickers of people in the Mediterranean. Talking about migrants coming from the southern shore of the Mediterranean sea, «one of the problems is that foreign fighters or terrorists could be hidden among these migrants», pointed out Stoltenberg, who said the Alliance «stands ready to support the European military mission in case of request by our partners» of the EU. Among the EU member States Italy shares Stoltenberg's concerns. «We have no information about the presence of terrorist infiltration within the arriving migrants at this stage, but we cannot rule this chance out, especially when we think to large numbers», stated the Italian minister of Defence, Roberta Pinotti. That's the reason why Italy called for an EU-NATO partnership in the Mediterranean. «A NATO anti-terrorist operation exists since long time, and I do believe that a coordination is desirable», she said referring to the Active Endeavour operation. Pinotti recalled that the Italian position is not a new one. «Our country asked already such a coordination, because we had guessed that the southern shore of the Mediterranean could represent risks».

bLOGBOOK - The man with the suitcase

A special section dedicated to special people and special memories. A book might not be enough, but collecting some words doesn't hurts

 Chapter 1: Frank

He was said "the man with the suitcase", and not without reason I would say. He was always somewhere around the world, and every time he finally set foot at home, it was just for changing cloths and leaving again. Even when he remained in his native continent, he was used to move from a place to another. Maybe "gipsy" could be the right way to refer to him, but of course "the man with the suitcase" well describes the person we are talking about. Despite he has a name, as every person has, he's constantly called for his surname. Now, the fact his surname means "blind" was often the reason for several nick-names or very funny situation. I remember when he went to pay visit to my office. Unfortunately that day I was out, chasing who knows which news. And I can remember our editorial assistant informing telling me that a person came stating to be a friend of mine, a person whose name was difficult to remember. «I think he didn't use his name. I think he said his name was Scarred» 
«Was the name "Blind"?»
 We always laugh about at any occasion. And here we come to our problem, to our Hamletic doubt: are we going to meet, one day? In some how, once the only problem was him and his travelling. That made difficult to meet. But it's also true that today all of us are men with a suitcase, displaced in a world where living is getting more and more complicated. But this is another story, and maybe some one will tell in the future. There are many moments I could recall, but right now what I have in mind was our last night together. Let explain, otherwise somebody could misunderstand. He had to join people in Rome. After having spent a day with us, he had to get into the car and driving in order to say goodbye to other folks. He asked me to go. I remember I didn't feel like, and he had to insist before I decided to get into that car. Now I think I didn't really had any idea of the situation, as usually happens to me. We listened to the music. It was an Italian singer, someone I never considered one of my favourite music makers. Today I listened to an old album from another Italian singer, the same LP we decided to play in a private concert night. I still have to understand if there are any pictures of that night...

bLOGBOOK - Spotted in Brussels

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Teaching is a “special cake” with bloggingclass

Welcome to the new generation education platform developed in a primary school in the center of Italy. To be discovered

by Emanuele Bonini

Teaching is a not a piece of cake. "Teaching is a special cake", as Silvia said. Who is Silvia?, you will probably ask. She's the director of an exciting experience where students are the main characters. We are talking about the young boys from Ippolito Nievo primary school in Santa Maria delle Mole (Rome). Teaching is challenge, we said. It is a huge and difficult challenge. It requires ability, passion, time, patience and much more. Teaching is not a game, although is something to play with in a sweet and funny way, if you know how to do. Silvia knows, and she shaped the school she had in mind since she was a child. She was able to blog together with the class she's responsible for, and the final result is Bloggingclass, a multimedia space for young students made by young students. Bloggingclass, as the name suggests, is the blog of the class, the web space where all scholar activities are posted, shared and update. Video making, audio-visual activities, debates, forums, nursery rhymes: blogginclass left the business as usual in order to offer a new, modern way of thinking education. A real multidisciplinary platform to learn, grow and develop skills. In digital era and with digital agenda in the priority list of the EU policy agenda, this project represents a real innovative idea. Suddenly school becomes more attractive and more interesting, and students can explore a new dimension never experienced before. How can be? Easy. Here's the Silvia's recipe. "Preparing carefully, pondering, promoting participation and creativity so that kids are free to cook every time their special cake".
  Bloggingclass is a made in Italy good, so it is in Italian. Don't worry: if you understand Italian or you want try to use free web translators please visit this special blog. You could have some inspiration for the next generation, and maybe rediscover the pleasure of school even if for you school time was over long time ago. Of course, if you believe time to learn has deadline. Personally I believe there is always something to learn about, and bloggingclass is a clear example of this. I can't say how this idea will develop, I can't say whether this project will become something bigger or it will remain just an isolated project, but I really believe this worthy blog deserves to be encouraged and sustained.