Diplomatic Courier and APCO Worldwide partner to cover the 2014 European Union elections.
Despite a period of economic and existential crisis, the European Union, and its 500 million citizens, remains a global reference point for many in the diplomatic and business community. What happens in Brussels still matters, and the changes coming up in Brussels in 2014 will shape the future of the European Union for the next five years and beyond.
In Brussels, 2014 will be a year of change. European elections will take place in May across 28 Member States, bringing 751 new Members of the European Parliament to office. In November, a new European Commission will take power, with one commissioner from each of the 28 countries. The European Council, the intergovernmental chamber uniting the 28 Heads of State or Government, will also have a new president by 1 December.
Rumours are already circulating about who will take up these important posts. Candidate lists are slowly being published for the MEP roles. The Green family of political parties has started an innovative online primary campaign to pick its candidate for the Presidency of the European Commission.
In each Member State, citizens vote to elect their MEP 22-25 May. In some countries they will vote for an MEP to represent their region or city; in others they will vote on a national list, meaning their MEPs represent the whole country rather than a smaller area. Potential MEPs will come from a wide range of political parties, from far-right to far-left, and will also include some independent candidates.
For the first time in 2014, European citizens will also be voting indirectly for the President of the European Commission. A new Treaty came into force after the last European elections in 2009, one of its provisions means the directly-elected European Parliament must approve the President of the European Commission. The major political parties are planning to publicly nominate somebody who they would propose as the President during the campaign season, and the understanding is that the largest party after the elections will get to put their candidate forward. It is not quite that straightforward in terms of what happens next, as the largest party in the Parliament is highly unlikely to have an absolute majority. Nonetheless, that publicized individual stands a very strong chance of becoming Commission President. National governments must also agree on the Commission President.
At APCO Worldwide, our European team is closely following these developments. In April 2013 we launched a dedicated Twitter account—@EPElections—to stimulate an online conversation on this topic. Our team comes from a wide range of national backgrounds, and has a unique understanding of how Brussels works and how national and European politics contribute to the complex process of picking the European Union’s leaders for the 2014-2019 Parliamentary and Commission mandates.
Over the coming weeks and months we will share our insights on who are the candidates proposed across the EU for the different posts, what are the interesting stories on the campaign trails, and how much European citizens and businesses are paying attention to this important moment.
We will provide our thoughts on a range of topics, including: the UK parties seeking to renegotiate their terms of EU membership, or leave the EU altogether; what impact the strong polling results of extreme right parties in countries such as France and Greece will have on the workings of the European Parliament; and who could succeed the Portuguese President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso.
We hope readers of the Diplomatic Courier will enjoy and appreciate our updates, and feel free to ask questions to our team which we will take into account as we write future contributions. APCO Worldwide is a communication firm that believes in online conversation as a fundamental tool of our profession. It is what we preach to our clients around the world, and we practice what we preach. We want this series of articles to answer your questions, keep you informed, and share our passion and insights. We look forward to writing for you and hearing your feedback, and hope you will also connect with our Twitter account for daily updates.
Claire Boussagol is managing director of APCO Worldwide in Brussels.
Photo copyright European Union 2013—European Parliament (cc).
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Keeping Up With the 2014 Elections in the EU
September 13, 2013
Diplomatic Courier and APCO Worldwide partner to cover the 2014 European Union elections.
Despite a period of economic and existential crisis, the European Union, and its 500 million citizens, remains a global reference point for many in the diplomatic and business community. What happens in Brussels still matters, and the changes coming up in Brussels in 2014 will shape the future of the European Union for the next five years and beyond.
In Brussels, 2014 will be a year of change. European elections will take place in May across 28 Member States, bringing 751 new Members of the European Parliament to office. In November, a new European Commission will take power, with one commissioner from each of the 28 countries. The European Council, the intergovernmental chamber uniting the 28 Heads of State or Government, will also have a new president by 1 December.
Rumours are already circulating about who will take up these important posts. Candidate lists are slowly being published for the MEP roles. The Green family of political parties has started an innovative online primary campaign to pick its candidate for the Presidency of the European Commission.
In each Member State, citizens vote to elect their MEP 22-25 May. In some countries they will vote for an MEP to represent their region or city; in others they will vote on a national list, meaning their MEPs represent the whole country rather than a smaller area. Potential MEPs will come from a wide range of political parties, from far-right to far-left, and will also include some independent candidates.
For the first time in 2014, European citizens will also be voting indirectly for the President of the European Commission. A new Treaty came into force after the last European elections in 2009, one of its provisions means the directly-elected European Parliament must approve the President of the European Commission. The major political parties are planning to publicly nominate somebody who they would propose as the President during the campaign season, and the understanding is that the largest party after the elections will get to put their candidate forward. It is not quite that straightforward in terms of what happens next, as the largest party in the Parliament is highly unlikely to have an absolute majority. Nonetheless, that publicized individual stands a very strong chance of becoming Commission President. National governments must also agree on the Commission President.
At APCO Worldwide, our European team is closely following these developments. In April 2013 we launched a dedicated Twitter account—@EPElections—to stimulate an online conversation on this topic. Our team comes from a wide range of national backgrounds, and has a unique understanding of how Brussels works and how national and European politics contribute to the complex process of picking the European Union’s leaders for the 2014-2019 Parliamentary and Commission mandates.
Over the coming weeks and months we will share our insights on who are the candidates proposed across the EU for the different posts, what are the interesting stories on the campaign trails, and how much European citizens and businesses are paying attention to this important moment.
We will provide our thoughts on a range of topics, including: the UK parties seeking to renegotiate their terms of EU membership, or leave the EU altogether; what impact the strong polling results of extreme right parties in countries such as France and Greece will have on the workings of the European Parliament; and who could succeed the Portuguese President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso.
We hope readers of the Diplomatic Courier will enjoy and appreciate our updates, and feel free to ask questions to our team which we will take into account as we write future contributions. APCO Worldwide is a communication firm that believes in online conversation as a fundamental tool of our profession. It is what we preach to our clients around the world, and we practice what we preach. We want this series of articles to answer your questions, keep you informed, and share our passion and insights. We look forward to writing for you and hearing your feedback, and hope you will also connect with our Twitter account for daily updates.
Claire Boussagol is managing director of APCO Worldwide in Brussels.
Photo copyright European Union 2013—European Parliament (cc).
