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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190601
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190604
DTSTAMP:20260507T113610
CREATED:20200204T094955Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200602T132258Z
UID:4045-1559430000-1559602799@www.formermembers.eu
SUMMARY:CAFP Annual Meeting 2019
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \nVISITING CANADA – 2 AND 3 JUNE 2019\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \nAttending the annual general meeting pf the Canadian Association of Former Parliamentarians (CAFP) has reaffirmed my conviction that establishing collaborative relationships with other organisations whose objectives are broadly aligned with our own to exchange information\, experiences\, ideas and working methods conducive to innovation and to enhance the effectiveness of our actions\, as one of the best investments we can make to ensure our association maintains its dynamism and moves forward with cohesion into the global reality of the world we live in. \nIt also reaffirmed my conviction concerning the important role that associations such as ours can play in advancing towards a better world: the knowledge\, leadership\, commitment and experience of the majority of former parliamentarians is an extremely valuable resource that should not be wasted. \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”3882″ img_size=”large”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/6″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] \nThe CAFP strives to improve democracy in the world. Some of its members\, such as its former president\, Léo Duguay\, are true experts in this field. \nThe various scheduled events\, were an opportunity to meet and talk with former MPs and senators from various parties\, and all of whom agreed that their active participation in the association enables them to continue serving their country. \nI was extremely warmly welcomed\, and everyone I met was united by their interest in current affairs in the EU: I was mainly asked about the results of the recent European elections\, the future of Brexit\, the EU’s relations with the Trump administration and the situation in Catalonia. The current CAFP President\, Dorothy Dobbie\, with whom I had dinner the night before\, gave me the opportunity to address the meeting. \nThe CAFP enjoys strong institutional support from the House of Commons and the Senate. We discussed the most topical issues for  Canada with both speakers: The problems with the USA concerning the ratification of NAFTA\, the ongoing crisis with China following the arrest of Meng Wanzhou\, the CFO of Huawei and daughter of its founder\, on accusations of violating the sanctions against Iran\, and the current situation in Quebec. \nWe also discussed the Arctic and indigenous communities\, topics of particular interest for me. Canada is one of five countries with sovereignty over the Arctic\, thus holding both the right to exploit its resources and the principal responsibility for maintaining its ecosystem. The Arctic represents 40% of Canada’s territory\, and an integral part of Canada’s identity. It is home to 115 000 people\, most of whom are indigenous and have difficulty accessing housing\, education and health care\, and\, owing to living conditions in the region\, in producing fresh food locally. The consequences of climate change in the Arctic are currently a source of both challenges and opportunities. \nThe indigenous population is growing four times more quickly than the rest of Canada’s population and indigenous languages are showing a strong resurgence. \nThe visit was extremely constructive and although some of their activities are very similar to ours – publishing the magazine Beyond the Hill\, study visits\, seminars\, conferences\, and regional meetings – I took a careful note of any elements that we could serve as a model for us too. \nLastly\, a word of remembrance for a colleague and friend\, Senator Pierre Nolin\, with I worked for long hours in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly\, who died in 2015 as Speaker of the Senate. He was greatly appreciated by all. \nTeresa Riera Madurell \n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:http://www.formermembers.eu/event/cafp-annual-meeting-2019/
LOCATION:Annual Meeting\, Bruxelles\, B-1047\, Belgium
CATEGORIES:FMA Network
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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190602
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190605
DTSTAMP:20260507T113610
CREATED:20200226T104742Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200512T120230Z
UID:4514-1559516400-1559689199@www.formermembers.eu
SUMMARY:2019 FMA Visit to Romania
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row el_class=”download-box-list”][vc_column width=”2/3″][vc_single_image image=”7619″ img_size=”full” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/3″][vc_custom_heading text=”Files” google_fonts=”font_family:Raleway%3A100%2C200%2C300%2Cregular%2C500%2C600%2C700%2C800%2C900|font_style:800%20bold%20regular%3A800%3Anormal” custom_letter_spacing=”-1.8px”][vc_column_text] \n\nDossier\nList of Participants\nProgramme\nPhotos\nFull report\n\n[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The FMA Board member Brigitte Langenhagen led an  FMA delegation composed of 11 former MEPs from seven EU countries (DE\, ES\, FR\, IT\, LU\, NL\, and UK) and different European political families (EPP-ED\, Socialists\, Liberals and Greens)\, that visited Romania from 03 to 04 June on the occasion of the Presidency of the Council of the EU. The FMA in co-operation with the Romanian Parliament set up a programme aimed at evaluating progress towards achievements of the EU Presidency. It included official meetings with Parliament\, government as well as an open debate with university students and a visit to the Institute of Atomic Physics.[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”4521″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]One of the highlights of the visit was the meeting with representatives of the European Affairs Committees and the Foreign Affairs Committees from the Romanian Chamber of Deputies and the Romanian Senate at the premises of the Romanian Palace of Parliament. The primary subject of the dialogue featured the Romanian Presidency of the Council whose achievements and priorities were firstly presented\, followed by an exchange of views on priorities and difficulties of the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the European Union 2019. Mr Bob van den Bos evaluated the morning sessions as follows: \n“The morning sessions in the Parliament have been very valuable\, especially concerning the Romanian Presidency. We became more aware of the concrete achievements of the Romanian Presidency and also of all the obstacles the Romanians had to face. We were impressed by their cooperation with the EU Institutions and with the national Parliaments\, which was of great additional value to make the RO Presidency a success – despite all the problems they had to face\, in particular the internal instability and internal conflicts\, and of course Brexit and the EU-elections\, which meant that the Presidency in fact was only a question of two or three month instead of six.”  \nBob van den Bos \n[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”4523″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]The Delegation also had the great honour to meet Constantin Mugur Isărescu\, Governor of the National Bank of Romania\, who not only organised a visit through the prestigious premises and National Bank’s museum but also invited the delegation to a meeting to discuss primarily Romania’s financial situation and adhesion to the European Central Bank. Robert Moreland describes the visit: \n“The Governor took us on an interesting tour of the bank including some of the coins that had been used and their access to gold that has always been good. We then had a discussion with him where he outlined that Romania had had a strong banking history and was of course now preparing joining the Euro and the Central bank. He said there were some problems obviously but their growth rate has been good\, also the debt had been low – the national debt has been 40% of the GDP\, so they did fulfil some of the criteria. Their big problem was inflation that was higher than the average in Europe but they hoped to join the Euro in about 2024. He was very optimistic – indeed he used the word optimistic about the bank its management and so on forth.”  \nRobert Moreland \n[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”4525″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]The National University of Political Studies and Public Administration – SNSPA\, is one of the most prestigious Universities in Romania and most students will later on work in high ranked jobs or become politicians. The open debate organised together with one of the Vice-Rectos of the University allowed the delegation to get an in-depth insight on student’s opinions on the EU and the European Elections in Romania: \n“The visit to the National School of Political Science and Public Administration (SNSPA) began with a greeting and presentation of the delegation by Mme Brigitte Langenhagen as head of the delegation. Afterwards\, the director of the Centre dedicated a few words to the importance of the University as a training centre for future political leaders and senior officials\, both Romanian and international. Mme Erna Hennicot-Schoepges reflected on the history of the European Union and the importance of universities in the construction process. This was followed by a very interesting debate with the students\, who despite being in the examination period wanted to attend the meeting very motivated especially about the results of the last European elections and the increase in the presence of anti-European parties and whether this could block or paralyse progress in the policies of the Union. The environmental issue also came up in several questions and as well as their scepticism about the position of the Trump administration or the Brazilian president and the lack of commitments in pollution control. Finally\, Mr. Jan-Willem Bertens appealed to the European spirit and the importance of young people in the process of European construction.” – \nTeresa Domingo \n[/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”4527″ img_size=”full” add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center”][vc_column_text]A complete report on the visit will be published in the September Bulletin. Photos of the visit are available here.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:http://www.formermembers.eu/event/2019-fma-visit-to-romania/
CATEGORIES:Visit to National Parliaments
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BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20190630
DTEND;VALUE=DATE:20190801
DTSTAMP:20260507T113610
CREATED:20190701T124045Z
LAST-MODIFIED:20200618T153624Z
UID:5477-1561935600-1564613999@www.formermembers.eu
SUMMARY:ITALY- LUISS GUIDO CARLI UNIVERSITY - Enrique BARON CRESPO
DESCRIPTION:[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]A former member was invited to participate to the Summer Programme on “Parliamentary democracy in Europe”\, which was devoted to Parliamentary Elections and Democratic Accountability in the Age of Populism. The event was attended by our member Enrique Barón Crespo. Here below you can read his report that was published on the September 2019 FMA Bulletin.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Luiss Summer School- July 2019:\nReport on the Summer Programme at the University LUISS Guido Carli” font_container=”tag:h2|text_align:left|color:%23001fad” google_fonts=”font_family:Raleway%3A100%2C200%2C300%2Cregular%2C500%2C600%2C700%2C800%2C900|font_style:800%20bold%20regular%3A800%3Anormal”][vc_column_text]To wrap up the eighth edition of the LUISS Summer School ‘Parliamentary Democracy in Europe’\, the topic for which was ‘Parliamentary Elections and Democratic Accountability in the Era of Populism’\, on 19 July 2019\, a conference was held at the University LUISS Guido Carli in Rome on ‘Euroscepticism and the “new” European Parliament: what will happen after the 2019 elections?’. \nOn account of its speakers\, interest in the conference was high: former EP President Enrique Barón Crespo; Nicola Lupo\, a lecturer at LUISS; and Jan Wouters\, a lecturer at KU Leuven. Cristina Fasone\, Director of the Jean Monnet Programme supported by the FMA\, introduced subjects such as the challenges to be addressed in the next parliamentary term; the future role of Eurosceptic groups in Europe; the influence of Eurosceptic MEPs on the legislative procedure and interinstitutional relations after Brexit; potential opportunities for the Eurosceptics and nationalists. \nWhen presenting his positive vision for Europe\, President Barón Crespo pointed out that\, despite the wide range of electoral systems had been used\, turnout at the European elections had been high (+10%) and it was not the euro but the strengthening of borders that had been the focus of discussions: the values and principles of the Lisbon Treaty have been completely overridden by the ‘Fiscal Compact’. ‘The challenges ahead are: cooperation\, immigration\, the budget\, foreign policy\, defence and security\, unemployment\, climate change (to be tackled by means of a ‘Green Deal’)\, and trade agreements such as the recent EU-Mercosur agreement; but the real revolution will be to achieve gender parity\, as new Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said. And the codecision procedure is fundamental in a European Parliament that is increasingly politicised\, as reflected in inappropriate calls for voting by secret ballot\, and which the British do not seem to want to leave\, having continued to play a key role in the election of Parliament’s President and in the Committees’. \n \nAll the speakers noted the Eurosceptics’ desire to obstruct integration of any kind\, by slowing the pace of reforms and decision-making\, and considered how majorities would be formed\, depending on the subjects under discussion in the European Parliament\, during a term which would be anything but boring. \nAfter the conference\, we took part in the General Assembly of the Centre for Parliamentary Studies\, chaired by Andrea Manzella\, who in his address spoke of the unpredictable phenomenon of emotions-based populism and – as he stated in Il Parlamento europeo\, una introduzione (The European Parliament: an Introduction)\, which he co-authored with Nicola Lupo – he believes that a sovereigntist presence in Parliament is ‘useful\, if not essential’ because it provides ‘internal opposition to the system’. It is a minority which can stimulate a response and is not a hostile force large enough to block European integration: it will\, therefore\, be necessary to step up joint action by the European Parliament and national parliaments to bring about parliamentary cooperation\, as laid down in the Treaties establishing the European Union\, where the sovereigntists are recognised as the official opposition in an internal European area. Marta Dassù\, Director of Aspenia\, shares these views. She believes that changing the rules is essential to prevent the emergence of entrenched policy positions that are not open to challenge\, and that Parliament should be able to initiate legislation with a view to bolstering common foreign and defence policy\, on the basis of the economy and security\, and regaining trust in the Member States. Personally\, I believe that the role of the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy will also be decisive. \nBy Monica Baldi[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
URL:http://www.formermembers.eu/event/italy-luiss-guido-carli-university-july-2019/
CATEGORIES:EP to campus
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