26-27 June 2014

The European Council will meet in Brussels on 26-27 June 2014. First order of business will be to reach agreement on the new President of the European Commission. The successful candidate must garner the backing of a qualified majority (55% of the vote in the Council and at the same time represent 65% of the European electorate). Once the agreement is reached the selected candidate will then be officially proposed to the European Parliament for confirmation.

1st July 2014

342 MEPs out of 751 (45.5% are Returning MEPs.  Germany 66 out of 96 (68.8%), Luxembourg 4 out of  6 (66.7%), Croatia 7 out of 11 (63.6%), Belgium 12 out of 21 (57%), Romania 18 out of 32 (56.3%), United Kingdom 40 out of 73 (54.8%), Austria 9 out of 18 (50%), France 37 out of 74 (50%), Latvia 4 out of 8 (50%), Malta 3 out of 6 (50%), Slovenia 4 out of 8 (50%), Sweden (10 out of 20 (50%), Denmark 6 out of 13 (46.2%), Netherlands 12 out of 26 (46.2%), Finland 6 out of 13 (46.2%), Slovakia 6 out of 13 (46.2%), Lithuania 5 out 11 (45.5%), Ireland 5 out of 11 (45.5%), Poland 22 out of 51 (43.1%

Out of the 191 seats of the S&D Group in the European Parliament 108 seats (56.54%) will be occupied by Newcomers. The largest contingent of Newcomers is from Italy (23) followed by the UK (12), Germany (10), Romania (10), Spain (8) and France (7)

Here below is the breakdown of Newcomers by Member States:

AUSTRIA (1)

1. Eugen Freund

BELGIUM (2)

1. Marie Arena
2. Hughes Bayet

BULGARIA (3)

Out of the 221 seats of the EPP Group in the European Parliament, 79 seats (35.75%) will be occupied by Newcomers. More than half of the Newcomers are from Italy (8), Poland (8), Romania (8), Czech Republic (7) and France (7).

Here below is the breakdown of Newcomers by Member States:

AUSTRIA (1 )

1. Claudia Schmidt (ÖVP, City Council of Salzburg, responsible for urban planning

BELGIUM ( 2)

Regulatory reform is unquestionably of great importance, nowher more so than at EU level given the inherent complexity of a Union of 28 member states. If the process of developing policy, particularly legislation, is sub-standard, then inevitably so will be the outcome. The EU must lead by example in ensuring that policy is fit for purpose and the member states must also recognise their responsibility and role in the process.

Incoming policy-makers need to take measures to streamline the EU including working within a ‘regulatory budget’, setting a cap on business regulation costs in Europe. Businesses need certainty and stability to secure sustainable economic growth in Europe, delivering rising living standards for all. Too much new regulation introduced too fast can overwhelm businesses, and affect their productivity levels, profits and ability to innovate. A ‘regulatory budget’ to cap the cost of new regulation.

Over-regulation, ineffective and poorly designed rules exist that are negative to enterprise and society’s efficiency. The OECD distinguishes between four different kinds of costs associated with regulatory failures:

Lobby groups carry out a range of functions. These include:

Anti-corporate activists hold that the influence of big corporations is a detriment to the public good and to the democratic process. It should be recognized, however, that the EU legislates in many ways that restrict the actions of corporations and lawbreaking companies are usually punished in the form of monetary fines. In addition, from the perspective of business ethics, the point should be made that corporations are not, inherently more evil than any other groups and are no more likely to attempt unethical or illegal activity than other interest representatives.