I didn't blog tonight, but you can have a look at my Twitter coverage of the the European Parliament elections' night if you want to get an insight in what was going on.
Remarkable: The hashtag #eu09 made it into the global Twitter trends around 21:30, half an hour before the full results were expected to come in. At midnight, it was still there.
Several thousands of tweets in a number of different European languages have been published under this tag, and so at least some in the Twitterworld might have noticed that there was a thing called European Parliament elections. And that Europe is not monolingual, but a Union of diversity that is still able to use the same label although speaking in various languages.
Monday, 8 June 2009
Sunday, 7 June 2009
European Parliament elections 2009
Here we are. Sunday, 7 June 2009. The final day of the EP elections 2009.
In a few minutes, I will leave the house. At 7:30, I will be at the polling station. We will prepare everything. Spend the day making sure that voters can exercise their right to vote - a right for which they are envied by half of the world's population (or even more).
The same will happen all over the Union, the largest transnational democracy on earth.
This Union that is the only polity that has managed to overcome the glorious and disastrous idea of the nation state. This Union that was able to develop after the most catastrophic war in the history of mankind and that had the strength and courage to enlarge itself after the end of a cold war that had the potential to destroy the world.
We tend to forget this. We tend to take luxury and the absence of fear for granted. We are easily distracted by the ugliness of the detail instead of looking at the beauty of the whole picture.
It is a Union full of mistakes, full of shortcomings, full of stupidities. It is a Union of intertwined power games and inherent misunderstandings. It is a Union of political elites, a Union unseizable for the many who have grown up under the false and separating construction of nations. It is a Union that needs reform, that needs to find its way.
However, it is a Union that has set an example. It has set an example that we are able to overcome divisions that seemed insurmountable only a few decades ago. The sceptics say that we have given up democracy for this Union, but what we have done is to give up egoistic competencies in order to strive for common solutions.
Egoism does not disappear from today till tomorrow and so we weren't able to build a better democracy when striving for these common solutions. Because our governments and representatives think they speak in our best interest by defending national positions, we are not able to become a common European people.
As long as the German plumber fears the Bulgarian plumber coming to live alongside his family, and as long as the Polish farmer envies the Slovenian farmer for the subsidies she gets, and as long as the Swedish nurse would never go to work in a Portuguese hospital, we still have a long way to go.
What we forget is that we don't have a problem to think of these options as possibilities. There is just some discomfort with the implementation. There are just some doubts whether in practice this will work out or whether it is really necessary. But there are no doubts that it is possible.
We don't even realise that we have crossed this border a long time ago, this line that was clearly saying that these options were just not possible. But now they are.
The same with the European democracy. What most discuss is not that there should be a European democracy, the question is just about how to make it a reality. And having grown up with 27 different traditions, ideas and ideals, we haven't yet found the easy solution that fits for all. But most can imagine the possibility - and if we go back 50-60 years, only very few very visionary persons were going this far.
Now let me be very clear: I am very sure that today will be a huge disappointment.
Turnout will be low and we will lose time over the next weeks discussing whose fault this was. We spend way too much time discussing why things don't happen, wasting our efforts instead of investing time in building "a more perfect Union".
Tonight, after all the votes have been counted, all the protocols handed in, I will return and see the results coming in. I will be disappointed, although not surprised after what I have been witnessing over the last months.
There will be no reason to blog about the results, because this will be the only time when all of the continents media will spend some attention to this valuable piece of supranational democracy we were able to build. All I need to do is to listen. And watch.
And tomorrow morning I will get up and continue figuring out how we can make Europe a better place. Some will say I am a stupid idiot, and I will agree.
Then I will continue, as a stupid idiot, disappointed by the ugly details of today, but still enchanted by the beauty of the larger picture, willing to contribute to make it larger and more beautiful. Every day a little bit more.
PS.: For all those of you who have come to this blog for the first time, please see the overview article over my 120 articles published over the last 11 months on the road to the European Parliament elections 2009. Since this will be the last article dealing with the pre-electoral process, you might be interested in having a look back.
For me, this particular journey ends here; it is now time to look forward.
In a few minutes, I will leave the house. At 7:30, I will be at the polling station. We will prepare everything. Spend the day making sure that voters can exercise their right to vote - a right for which they are envied by half of the world's population (or even more).
The same will happen all over the Union, the largest transnational democracy on earth.
This Union that is the only polity that has managed to overcome the glorious and disastrous idea of the nation state. This Union that was able to develop after the most catastrophic war in the history of mankind and that had the strength and courage to enlarge itself after the end of a cold war that had the potential to destroy the world.
We tend to forget this. We tend to take luxury and the absence of fear for granted. We are easily distracted by the ugliness of the detail instead of looking at the beauty of the whole picture.
It is a Union full of mistakes, full of shortcomings, full of stupidities. It is a Union of intertwined power games and inherent misunderstandings. It is a Union of political elites, a Union unseizable for the many who have grown up under the false and separating construction of nations. It is a Union that needs reform, that needs to find its way.
However, it is a Union that has set an example. It has set an example that we are able to overcome divisions that seemed insurmountable only a few decades ago. The sceptics say that we have given up democracy for this Union, but what we have done is to give up egoistic competencies in order to strive for common solutions.
Egoism does not disappear from today till tomorrow and so we weren't able to build a better democracy when striving for these common solutions. Because our governments and representatives think they speak in our best interest by defending national positions, we are not able to become a common European people.
As long as the German plumber fears the Bulgarian plumber coming to live alongside his family, and as long as the Polish farmer envies the Slovenian farmer for the subsidies she gets, and as long as the Swedish nurse would never go to work in a Portuguese hospital, we still have a long way to go.
What we forget is that we don't have a problem to think of these options as possibilities. There is just some discomfort with the implementation. There are just some doubts whether in practice this will work out or whether it is really necessary. But there are no doubts that it is possible.
We don't even realise that we have crossed this border a long time ago, this line that was clearly saying that these options were just not possible. But now they are.
The same with the European democracy. What most discuss is not that there should be a European democracy, the question is just about how to make it a reality. And having grown up with 27 different traditions, ideas and ideals, we haven't yet found the easy solution that fits for all. But most can imagine the possibility - and if we go back 50-60 years, only very few very visionary persons were going this far.
Now let me be very clear: I am very sure that today will be a huge disappointment.
Turnout will be low and we will lose time over the next weeks discussing whose fault this was. We spend way too much time discussing why things don't happen, wasting our efforts instead of investing time in building "a more perfect Union".
Tonight, after all the votes have been counted, all the protocols handed in, I will return and see the results coming in. I will be disappointed, although not surprised after what I have been witnessing over the last months.
There will be no reason to blog about the results, because this will be the only time when all of the continents media will spend some attention to this valuable piece of supranational democracy we were able to build. All I need to do is to listen. And watch.
And tomorrow morning I will get up and continue figuring out how we can make Europe a better place. Some will say I am a stupid idiot, and I will agree.
Then I will continue, as a stupid idiot, disappointed by the ugly details of today, but still enchanted by the beauty of the larger picture, willing to contribute to make it larger and more beautiful. Every day a little bit more.
PS.: For all those of you who have come to this blog for the first time, please see the overview article over my 120 articles published over the last 11 months on the road to the European Parliament elections 2009. Since this will be the last article dealing with the pre-electoral process, you might be interested in having a look back.
For me, this particular journey ends here; it is now time to look forward.
Saturday, 6 June 2009
European Parliament elections 2009 (120): Measuring disinterest via hashtags and Wikipedia statistics
One might expect that the super-doper online tool Twitter has been rocking these last days of the European Parliament elections.
But compared to the daily use of Twitter in the US or even during the recent violent protests in Moldova, the number of tweets covering the elections has been very limited, and at no point was there a risk of missing anything interesting due to an information overload.
We are only talking about hundreds or maybe thousands of tweets, most of them from a limited number of Twitter users already known before.
Just for documentary reasons, I have assembled some links (see below) to a number of relevant English language tweets on the EP elections which have appeared under the two main hashtags #ep09 and #eu09 during the last 24 hours. There were more, but from the numbers of those selected (including two from me which created reactions) you can see that the choice was rather low.
#ep09
#eu09
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
But compared to the daily use of Twitter in the US or even during the recent violent protests in Moldova, the number of tweets covering the elections has been very limited, and at no point was there a risk of missing anything interesting due to an information overload.
We are only talking about hundreds or maybe thousands of tweets, most of them from a limited number of Twitter users already known before.
Just for documentary reasons, I have assembled some links (see below) to a number of relevant English language tweets on the EP elections which have appeared under the two main hashtags #ep09 and #eu09 during the last 24 hours. There were more, but from the numbers of those selected (including two from me which created reactions) you can see that the choice was rather low.
#eu09
None of these hashtags which were used in several languages and no EP-related term has made it under the top 100 Twitter trend terms of the last week (Top 3 globally: "Google Wave", "Susan Boyle", "New Moon"). If you take the huge electorate present on the continent, this is a pretty clear indication for the interest in the elections.
The general online attention on this blog peaked on Thursday when the UK was holding its EP elections and many were looking for candidate lists. You can see this peak of interest very well in the Wikipedia statistics for the English article on the European Parliament elections, reaching around 14,700 visitors on 04 June, compared to some 600 in late February.
Still, taken together, hashtags and Wikipedia statistics before and after Thursday are just another measure for the disinterest in these elections, and the preliminary figures we get for the turnout in those countries which have already voted also support this impression.
Maybe we will see another peak of attention tomorrow evening, maybe Monday morning, but then most will forget the European Parliament for the next 4 years, 11 months and 29 days.
The European elections 2009 will go down in history as the forgotten elections - what about inventing a special hashtag for that...!?
Still, taken together, hashtags and Wikipedia statistics before and after Thursday are just another measure for the disinterest in these elections, and the preliminary figures we get for the turnout in those countries which have already voted also support this impression.
Maybe we will see another peak of attention tomorrow evening, maybe Monday morning, but then most will forget the European Parliament for the next 4 years, 11 months and 29 days.
The European elections 2009 will go down in history as the forgotten elections - what about inventing a special hashtag for that...!?
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
European Parliament election 2009 (119): On the early release of results in the Netherlands
Just if anyone asks: I don't mind that the Dutch have released their results on Thursday evening.
I agree with the argumentation that if the counting process is public - and this is a good thing - you can and should not hide the results. The Commission starting legal steps against it would be nothing but ridiculous.
In particular, since the publishing of results for the Netherlands allowed at least a little discussion on concrete issues connected to the European Parliament elections, about actual politics, the idea of winners and losers, and the impact on the European level. The discussion was small like anything we see in this campaign, but there was at least something.
In addition, I don't think that the publishing of results in one country affects the results in another country. Anyone following these elections under a transnational perspective will have noticed that there is hardly any reference to other countries in the campaigning or media coverage. If the social democrats lose in the Netherlands, this is no good or bad sign for social democrats in any other country.
The European Parliament elections are fought on the national scene, and although some European parties like the European Socialists have managed to construct the idea of a pan-European political campaign, their efforts remained in vain without an own candidate for the European Commission presidency.
Consequently, national parties belonging to a European family have not managed to explain to their voters that it is important to win not just in one country but across all countries. Very few voters of an EPP member party in their country will get exited about the victory of an EPP member in another country.
Transnational joy has not made it into the heads of most European citizens, and this applies to politics as to any socio-economic development taking place outside those borders that should have seized to be borders in a common Union.
So I don't mind any country releasing early results. This has no effect, and if it has, then it is only for the better for these commonly ignored elections!
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
I agree with the argumentation that if the counting process is public - and this is a good thing - you can and should not hide the results. The Commission starting legal steps against it would be nothing but ridiculous.
In particular, since the publishing of results for the Netherlands allowed at least a little discussion on concrete issues connected to the European Parliament elections, about actual politics, the idea of winners and losers, and the impact on the European level. The discussion was small like anything we see in this campaign, but there was at least something.
In addition, I don't think that the publishing of results in one country affects the results in another country. Anyone following these elections under a transnational perspective will have noticed that there is hardly any reference to other countries in the campaigning or media coverage. If the social democrats lose in the Netherlands, this is no good or bad sign for social democrats in any other country.
The European Parliament elections are fought on the national scene, and although some European parties like the European Socialists have managed to construct the idea of a pan-European political campaign, their efforts remained in vain without an own candidate for the European Commission presidency.
Consequently, national parties belonging to a European family have not managed to explain to their voters that it is important to win not just in one country but across all countries. Very few voters of an EPP member party in their country will get exited about the victory of an EPP member in another country.
Transnational joy has not made it into the heads of most European citizens, and this applies to politics as to any socio-economic development taking place outside those borders that should have seized to be borders in a common Union.
So I don't mind any country releasing early results. This has no effect, and if it has, then it is only for the better for these commonly ignored elections!
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
European Parliament election 2009 (118): Continued ignorance
It is the third day of the European Parliament elections 2009. The mainstream media still don't care. Major websites have the topic hidden somewhere between sports and society.
The ignorance continues.
I doubt that many voters will have got an idea of the political positions of the parties running for these elections from newspapers, news programmes, or major news sites. Instead of presenting political positions and ideological debates, we have to content ourselves with proxy discussions on national topics for which the EP elections are just a welcome occasion.
Day three of the European Parliament elections 2009, and among the most important issues is Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi (even if one may construct a connection to the EP elections) having nude young ladies around him. If this is the biggest problem we have in Europe, then maybe everything is fine.
In 36 hours we will start getting results for the next European Parliament. People will notice, but they won't care.
MEPs will go back to their little offices, their travelling circus, their lobby talks, their Brussels life. And they won't care either, as long as they are elected.
They won't care, and they will blame the media. They will stop blogging, tweeting, facebooking, because their campaigns are over. They will ignore voters' interests and media's needs, they will write their reports, ask their questions, and travel between Brussels and Strasbourg.
"Ignorance" is the word that applies to all three major sides in these European Parliament elections:
The media ignore MEPs and the necessity to inform citizens. MEPs ignore "their" citizens by using inadequate means of communication and lack a strategic approach to European and national media. Citizens ignore their MEPs because they do not appear in the main news and they ignore fringe media covering EU issues because electing a new superstar is much more fun.
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
The ignorance continues.
I doubt that many voters will have got an idea of the political positions of the parties running for these elections from newspapers, news programmes, or major news sites. Instead of presenting political positions and ideological debates, we have to content ourselves with proxy discussions on national topics for which the EP elections are just a welcome occasion.
Day three of the European Parliament elections 2009, and among the most important issues is Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi (even if one may construct a connection to the EP elections) having nude young ladies around him. If this is the biggest problem we have in Europe, then maybe everything is fine.
In 36 hours we will start getting results for the next European Parliament. People will notice, but they won't care.
MEPs will go back to their little offices, their travelling circus, their lobby talks, their Brussels life. And they won't care either, as long as they are elected.
They won't care, and they will blame the media. They will stop blogging, tweeting, facebooking, because their campaigns are over. They will ignore voters' interests and media's needs, they will write their reports, ask their questions, and travel between Brussels and Strasbourg.
"Ignorance" is the word that applies to all three major sides in these European Parliament elections:
The media ignore MEPs and the necessity to inform citizens. MEPs ignore "their" citizens by using inadequate means of communication and lack a strategic approach to European and national media. Citizens ignore their MEPs because they do not appear in the main news and they ignore fringe media covering EU issues because electing a new superstar is much more fun.
So everybody ignores everybody, and nobody notices.
We live in the Union of European Ignorance:
"But, back then, we didn't know!"
We live in the Union of European Ignorance:
- European politics are based on the ignorance of many for many, which leaves room for the few to work and decide in the name of many without being held accountable.
- The European polity is constructed so that it fosters ignorance, by making structures and process so complicated and intransparent that not even scientists know why something happens in the European, and neither do the media or the citizens.
"But, back then, we didn't know!"
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
Friday, 5 June 2009
European Parliament elections 2009 (117): EUX.TV on the UK's and the Netherlands' eurosceptic voices
Below a short film on yesterday's elections in the UK and the Netherlands by EUX.TV, but you can also read more at The European Citizen.
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
The Financial Times Europe: Serving the European elite sphere?
I have come across a scientific article covering the role of the Financial Times (FT) Europe in the EUsphere.
In the freely accessible and primarily descriptive - but not less interesting - article titled
Its journalists receive privileged access to low-, mid-, and high-level officials, leaving their jealous colleagues working for national newspapers behind.
Its news coverage also encompasses seemingly unimportant details of EU law-making, because these details are particularly interesting for the specific audience of the Financial Times: European political and business elites, those who care for bureaucratic details for a living.
The authors conclude that the role of the FT Europe is not that of a contributor to a general European public sphere. Precisely spoken, the FT is part of the European "elite sphere", the unaccountable network of EU administrators, specialists, and lobbyists.
Its exposed position in the wider Brussels system is grounded on this particular role and on the particular interests of its readers.
Based on these findings, Corcoran & Fahy come to much wider conclusions:
The question for me is, whether we are able to find a middle way, a communicative bridge between our individual elitist cosmopolitanism and the wider public, or whether there is no choice: We either have to be part of the EU elite sphere or to remain in the lows of the "banal nationalism".
I am afraid I know the answer, but I am still looking for another on.
In the freely accessible and primarily descriptive - but not less interesting - article titled
"Exploring the European elite sphere: The role of the Financial Times"written by Farrel Corcoran & Declan Fahy and published in Journalism Studies (Volume 10, Issue 1; 2009), the FT is depicted as the central press organ in Brussels.
Its journalists receive privileged access to low-, mid-, and high-level officials, leaving their jealous colleagues working for national newspapers behind.
Its news coverage also encompasses seemingly unimportant details of EU law-making, because these details are particularly interesting for the specific audience of the Financial Times: European political and business elites, those who care for bureaucratic details for a living.
The authors conclude that the role of the FT Europe is not that of a contributor to a general European public sphere. Precisely spoken, the FT is part of the European "elite sphere", the unaccountable network of EU administrators, specialists, and lobbyists.
Its exposed position in the wider Brussels system is grounded on this particular role and on the particular interests of its readers.
Based on these findings, Corcoran & Fahy come to much wider conclusions:
European identity may develop along two very separate tracks. One is a continuation of the ‘‘banal nationalism’’ [...] [t]he other track is towards a cosmopolitanism embedded in the transnational culture of European elites, whose material interests stretch beyond national boundaries and whose social imaginary is nourished by elite media such as the FT.This is, to a large extend, also a theme of this blog.
The question for me is, whether we are able to find a middle way, a communicative bridge between our individual elitist cosmopolitanism and the wider public, or whether there is no choice: We either have to be part of the EU elite sphere or to remain in the lows of the "banal nationalism".
I am afraid I know the answer, but I am still looking for another on.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
European Parliament elections 2009 (116): Ignorance and Obama on Day 1
It is almost 6 pm on the first day of the European Parliament elections, and neither BBC, Le Monde, or Spiegel Online have these elections visible on their main pages. I tried to find intermediate turnout figures from the UK and the Netherlands on Google News, but there is nothing to find.
International news is dominated by Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, which might change the world. At least more than these European elections, according to media attention.
Update:
Dick tells in a tweet that at 4 pm 22% of Dutch voted, which looks similar to 2004.
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
International news is dominated by Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, which might change the world. At least more than these European elections, according to media attention.
Update:
Dick tells in a tweet that at 4 pm 22% of Dutch voted, which looks similar to 2004.
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
European Parliament election 2009 (115): Finally there
I cannot believe that we are finally there, on the 4th of June, the day when the 2009 European Parliament elections start.
I feel somewhat speechless, a little fearful and a little hopeful, a little cynical and a little euphoric. Quite happy that the pre-electoral time is over, quite exhausted from thinking about the topic for 11 months.
I hope that the results of the European elections will either be catastrophic - both politically and regarding turnout - or surprisingly positive. After almost a year of coverage, I know that they have to be a wake-up call, a fanfare that raises the European spirit from the dead, either in heavenly joy or in outraged opposition.
Ignorance has to be replaced by fascination again. Apathy has to make way for ardour.
And I know many will not share this, but if you start taking democracy seriously, even in all its frightening complexity, even in its strangely distorted European version, you enter into a fantastic world of human interaction that leaves you fascinated every day.
Yes we have to reform the Union; yes we have to make it better, with better people and more transparency, with more ambitious projects that are implemented by more ambitious generations than those at work today.
Yes, we have to rethink, redo, reform, recreate, refuse.
But this is part of the fascination, part of the reason I have been caring for these elections for so long.
I have never looked at an electoral process this consciously, and I have learned more over the course of the last year about elections than my whole studies and involvement in politics could ever tell me.
But now I am glad that we are finally there, on the 4th of June, the day when the 2009 European Parliament elections start.
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
I feel somewhat speechless, a little fearful and a little hopeful, a little cynical and a little euphoric. Quite happy that the pre-electoral time is over, quite exhausted from thinking about the topic for 11 months.
I hope that the results of the European elections will either be catastrophic - both politically and regarding turnout - or surprisingly positive. After almost a year of coverage, I know that they have to be a wake-up call, a fanfare that raises the European spirit from the dead, either in heavenly joy or in outraged opposition.
Ignorance has to be replaced by fascination again. Apathy has to make way for ardour.
And I know many will not share this, but if you start taking democracy seriously, even in all its frightening complexity, even in its strangely distorted European version, you enter into a fantastic world of human interaction that leaves you fascinated every day.
Yes we have to reform the Union; yes we have to make it better, with better people and more transparency, with more ambitious projects that are implemented by more ambitious generations than those at work today.
Yes, we have to rethink, redo, reform, recreate, refuse.
But this is part of the fascination, part of the reason I have been caring for these elections for so long.
I have never looked at an electoral process this consciously, and I have learned more over the course of the last year about elections than my whole studies and involvement in politics could ever tell me.
But now I am glad that we are finally there, on the 4th of June, the day when the 2009 European Parliament elections start.
------------------------------
Since July 2008, I have been following up national and European activities on the path to the EP elections under the category "European parliament elections 2009".
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
Wednesday, 3 June 2009
Moldova's president not elected in second round - re-elections!
Through contacts from Moldova and Moldovan news sources I learned that the Parliament of Moldova failed to elect the president in the second round, with the same result as in the first round (60 votes out of 101; presidential majority 61).
Consequently - and the president in office has already confirmed it - the parliament will be dissolved and re-elections should be scheduled in the country now hit by the financial crisis, something that should not have happened according to the campaign of the governing communists before the previous elections that led to violent protests.
I have already read messages of young Moldovans that see this result - a united, non-corruptible opposition preventing the election of the Communist president and forcing the subsequent re-elections - as a second chance. But doubts are advisable in a country that isn't known for its media freedom and its political culture.
I'll be following the process.
Consequently - and the president in office has already confirmed it - the parliament will be dissolved and re-elections should be scheduled in the country now hit by the financial crisis, something that should not have happened according to the campaign of the governing communists before the previous elections that led to violent protests.
I have already read messages of young Moldovans that see this result - a united, non-corruptible opposition preventing the election of the Communist president and forcing the subsequent re-elections - as a second chance. But doubts are advisable in a country that isn't known for its media freedom and its political culture.
I'll be following the process.
The Service Directive and European tenders: A local administration's perspective
Recently I was talking to someone I know for a long time, working on a higher level of a local administration.
We talked about changes they had to implement due to the Service Directive: The costs this implies. The argumentation process needed to convince the local councillors to actually implement the technical systems needed. The process until today.
On the administrative level, they were aware that there was something going on connected to a Service Directive for some time already, but they didn't really notice.
In the load of day-by-day work they have to deal with they were not able to follow the whole process, to care for its details, its implications. Legal and consultative documents come in by several hundred pages, who can read all of them on the local level?
Actually, they were thinking that the Service Directive was about European tender procedures. And European tender procedures were stupid anyway:
Why did they need to hold a European tender for the provision of food services in the local schools and kindergardens? Okay, Italian food for the children could be nice, but in the end, there was no company from another country reacting.
Another European tender for a fire engine had to be repeated because - if I understood correctly - the person responsible in Brussels had forgotten to publish it and when they found out, he or she was on summer holidays. No one else could do it.
European tenders were also stupid because local administrations would like to use their scarce resources to support local businesses, so important for the social structures in socially disadvantaged regions.
So they thought the Service Directive thing sounded just like the same, because it involved Europe-wide administrative procedures for something that they used to do locally. But now they know better. Now they have to implement it until the end of the year. And it is not the same as tender procedures. It is the other way round, because they will have to deal with requests from the outside (like a Portuguese woodworker wanting to offer his services in their city).
But only now they are investing time to study the directive in depth - because it has to be done. Because they realised that it is something quite different to the tender regulations. That it costs additional money, changes administrative procedures, including the introduction of a regional European coordinator they would have to report to in the future. That the preparations involve weekly meetings on the regional level for one of the staff members.
And it's fully on the shoulders of the administrators. The mayors don't care, because for them this is the work of the technical staff - until the day that investments have to made and until the mayors finds out the effects on the local budgets. And yes, the costs are coming, no matter whether it is a small or a larger administration.
If I had to summarise our discussion, I would say that for them, the European Union makes regulation that almost nobody on the local level can notice when formulated, that costs money and brings stress when it is decided, and that helps only very rare and strange cases of Europe-wide activities.
The only way to sell it to democratically elected local bodies is to tell them that these measures actually help local businesses, too - which can be true to a certain extend, although this is not the intention of the regulation.
When EU regulation is formulated, the time to react on requests for comments or amendments is usually very short. And it depends on the quality of the staff at the association of local authorities, their summaries and explanations whether the local level actually notice whether something affects them.
Having this in mind, they are not surprised that the interest in the European Parliament elections is so weak. They can already tell because the number of mail voters registered is extremely low. And only old people are showing up to register for mail voting.
When we talked about the European elections, the only party we spoke about were the "Violets", a minor German party that runs on the topic of "spiritual development" which appeared to be funny. Jointly we imagined barefooted European Commissioners smoking pot trying to reform the European Union.
So in the end of the afternoon, we had at least had a good laugh on the expenses of the European Union. The Union should take this as a success!
We talked about changes they had to implement due to the Service Directive: The costs this implies. The argumentation process needed to convince the local councillors to actually implement the technical systems needed. The process until today.
On the administrative level, they were aware that there was something going on connected to a Service Directive for some time already, but they didn't really notice.
In the load of day-by-day work they have to deal with they were not able to follow the whole process, to care for its details, its implications. Legal and consultative documents come in by several hundred pages, who can read all of them on the local level?
Actually, they were thinking that the Service Directive was about European tender procedures. And European tender procedures were stupid anyway:
Why did they need to hold a European tender for the provision of food services in the local schools and kindergardens? Okay, Italian food for the children could be nice, but in the end, there was no company from another country reacting.
Another European tender for a fire engine had to be repeated because - if I understood correctly - the person responsible in Brussels had forgotten to publish it and when they found out, he or she was on summer holidays. No one else could do it.
European tenders were also stupid because local administrations would like to use their scarce resources to support local businesses, so important for the social structures in socially disadvantaged regions.
So they thought the Service Directive thing sounded just like the same, because it involved Europe-wide administrative procedures for something that they used to do locally. But now they know better. Now they have to implement it until the end of the year. And it is not the same as tender procedures. It is the other way round, because they will have to deal with requests from the outside (like a Portuguese woodworker wanting to offer his services in their city).
But only now they are investing time to study the directive in depth - because it has to be done. Because they realised that it is something quite different to the tender regulations. That it costs additional money, changes administrative procedures, including the introduction of a regional European coordinator they would have to report to in the future. That the preparations involve weekly meetings on the regional level for one of the staff members.
And it's fully on the shoulders of the administrators. The mayors don't care, because for them this is the work of the technical staff - until the day that investments have to made and until the mayors finds out the effects on the local budgets. And yes, the costs are coming, no matter whether it is a small or a larger administration.
If I had to summarise our discussion, I would say that for them, the European Union makes regulation that almost nobody on the local level can notice when formulated, that costs money and brings stress when it is decided, and that helps only very rare and strange cases of Europe-wide activities.
The only way to sell it to democratically elected local bodies is to tell them that these measures actually help local businesses, too - which can be true to a certain extend, although this is not the intention of the regulation.
When EU regulation is formulated, the time to react on requests for comments or amendments is usually very short. And it depends on the quality of the staff at the association of local authorities, their summaries and explanations whether the local level actually notice whether something affects them.
Having this in mind, they are not surprised that the interest in the European Parliament elections is so weak. They can already tell because the number of mail voters registered is extremely low. And only old people are showing up to register for mail voting.
When we talked about the European elections, the only party we spoke about were the "Violets", a minor German party that runs on the topic of "spiritual development" which appeared to be funny. Jointly we imagined barefooted European Commissioners smoking pot trying to reform the European Union.
So in the end of the afternoon, we had at least had a good laugh on the expenses of the European Union. The Union should take this as a success!
Tuesday, 2 June 2009
Europe in blogs (1)
The Lobby reveals that the youngest candidate for the EP elections is a Swedish Pirate while Europe de la Defense notices that the European elections started in Afghanistan.
The blogging Eurocrat scrutinises the two-class system created by "contract agents" in the European institutions while the free speech law blog finds that the European Court of Human Rights is close to accepting the right to access to information being guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
EU lobbying continues its coverage of MEPs turned into lobbyists with Pat Cox while Grahnlaw delivers the news about the "Directory of European Community legislation in preparation" (via Kosmopolit).
Nicu Popescu on Neighbourhood compares the different degree of high-level attention of European leaders to the two regional projects "Mediterranean Union" and "Eastern Partnership" while in Behind the Scenes bloggers get an insight into the EU-journalist's press secrets.
La Oreja de Europa finds herself on TV very late at night and shares this destiny with Jean Quatremer as we learn from eurosocialiste (who also looks back at the PES Odyssey).
EUX.TV is not allowed to cover the EP election night from inside the European Parliament and in Bulgaria only nationalists care about European issues tells Христо Христов (also here).
Frank Schnittger asks the pertinent question about what will happen with "TH!NK ABOUT IT" after the European Parliament elections and Stergios Mavrikis seems to have found the answer in Plato (although I don't understand the message of his post).
Hungarian Spectrum devotes a long article to the campaign in Hungary and Jon Worth is sharing slides about the use of technology for politcs (so is Bente Kalsnes).
And last but not least, Hauptstadtblog is happy about remixes of EU-electoral billboards in Berlin while The Czech World Daily reports about the "African Czech" Raymond Asuquo running for the EP elections (via Veronica Khokhlova).
---------------
This could become a new category. I will experiment with the short coverage of other European blogs' articles, trying to find a style for "Europe in blogs".
The blogging Eurocrat scrutinises the two-class system created by "contract agents" in the European institutions while the free speech law blog finds that the European Court of Human Rights is close to accepting the right to access to information being guaranteed by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
EU lobbying continues its coverage of MEPs turned into lobbyists with Pat Cox while Grahnlaw delivers the news about the "Directory of European Community legislation in preparation" (via Kosmopolit).
Nicu Popescu on Neighbourhood compares the different degree of high-level attention of European leaders to the two regional projects "Mediterranean Union" and "Eastern Partnership" while in Behind the Scenes bloggers get an insight into the EU-journalist's press secrets.
La Oreja de Europa finds herself on TV very late at night and shares this destiny with Jean Quatremer as we learn from eurosocialiste (who also looks back at the PES Odyssey).
EUX.TV is not allowed to cover the EP election night from inside the European Parliament and in Bulgaria only nationalists care about European issues tells Христо Христов (also here).
Frank Schnittger asks the pertinent question about what will happen with "TH!NK ABOUT IT" after the European Parliament elections and Stergios Mavrikis seems to have found the answer in Plato (although I don't understand the message of his post).
Hungarian Spectrum devotes a long article to the campaign in Hungary and Jon Worth is sharing slides about the use of technology for politcs (so is Bente Kalsnes).
And last but not least, Hauptstadtblog is happy about remixes of EU-electoral billboards in Berlin while The Czech World Daily reports about the "African Czech" Raymond Asuquo running for the EP elections (via Veronica Khokhlova).
---------------
This could become a new category. I will experiment with the short coverage of other European blogs' articles, trying to find a style for "Europe in blogs".
Where I won't be on EP election day: Daugavpils
Due to a short-notice, work-related meeting I need to attend I won't be able to travel to Daugavpils to report from there about the European Parliament elections 2009. :-(
Since I will be home on Sunday then, I have just offered the district administration to be a voluntary electoral assistant (poll support) because they were looking for those over the last weeks. If they'll need my help, I will be working on Sunday, if not I will try to report live about what is going on in Berlin and Germany.
And that is the difference between a private blogger and a journalist:
Blogging and reporting about what is going on around has to be behind work on the priority list.
As a private blogger, I cannot guarantee to be somewhere, to report about everything important. I can just try. This is why we will need professional journalists today as we will need them in the future: To ensure continuous coverage of politics and society.
Still, it is a pity that I won't be able to be in Daugavpils this weekend.
What I can do as a compensation is to offer to anyone living or being in Daugavpils to publish an article about the elections here on my blog.
You would be the replacement for my eyes and ears, but you may take whatever perspective you like, pro- or anti-EU, socialist, liberal, conservative or undecided. If you want to connect this with an advertisement for your business, your project, your region etc. I am open to include this, too!
Just contact me and tell me who you are, what you do, and what you would like to write about!
Since I will be home on Sunday then, I have just offered the district administration to be a voluntary electoral assistant (poll support) because they were looking for those over the last weeks. If they'll need my help, I will be working on Sunday, if not I will try to report live about what is going on in Berlin and Germany.
And that is the difference between a private blogger and a journalist:
Blogging and reporting about what is going on around has to be behind work on the priority list.
As a private blogger, I cannot guarantee to be somewhere, to report about everything important. I can just try. This is why we will need professional journalists today as we will need them in the future: To ensure continuous coverage of politics and society.
Still, it is a pity that I won't be able to be in Daugavpils this weekend.
What I can do as a compensation is to offer to anyone living or being in Daugavpils to publish an article about the elections here on my blog.
You would be the replacement for my eyes and ears, but you may take whatever perspective you like, pro- or anti-EU, socialist, liberal, conservative or undecided. If you want to connect this with an advertisement for your business, your project, your region etc. I am open to include this, too!
Just contact me and tell me who you are, what you do, and what you would like to write about!
Saturday, 30 May 2009
Absence
I am not sure how much blogging there will be over the next 10 days. I am busy travelling around and might not find much time to blog.
Friday, 29 May 2009
Video: Youth delegates at the United Nations
The Now-Secretary-General of the European Youth Forum, Guiseppe Porcaro, has directed a 30 minutes long film on (European) youth delegates at the United Nations, titled "The yoUNg"
It is nicely done, although I still don't really get what the role and influence of youth delegates is. But I really like the poem at the end.
Funnily, I've even met one of the people interviewed in the film. Europe is a village. So is the world of young people:
It is nicely done, although I still don't really get what the role and influence of youth delegates is. But I really like the poem at the end.
Funnily, I've even met one of the people interviewed in the film. Europe is a village. So is the world of young people:
The YoUNg from Giuseppe Porcaro on Vimeo.
European Parliament election 2009 (114): Criticising the critics: Hat tip to Charlemagne
Charlemagne on the Economist.com has published a wonderful article in which he criticises the PES for criticising the Romanian politician Monica Macovei on its website.
This is one of the few examples of a European news source or blog actually taking up a political statement published by a European Party, and, based on intelligent and thorough argumentation, making a strong and yet pan-European point:
Update: And I just saw at the Nosemonkey that this was already the second marvellous piece of journalism by Charlemagne in a day. Respect!
------------------------------
Under the category "European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009.
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
For the five newest post see also the sidebar.
This is one of the few examples of a European news source or blog actually taking up a political statement published by a European Party, and, based on intelligent and thorough argumentation, making a strong and yet pan-European point:
"[...] So it is not, on the face of it, shocking to turn to the campaign website of the main centre-left block, the Party of European Socialists, and find a feature denouncing 12 “terrible” candidates from rival parties [...]This is the kind of journalism the European Parliament elections need!
Nick Griffin, leader of the British National Party, a racist, extreme right-wing outfit, is also singled out for his horrid views, and that is fair enough. [...]
But then comes an astonishing choice: Monica Macovei, the former Romanian justice minister. Talk to senior EU officials and European diplomats who worked on Romania’s accession to the union, and they call Ms Macovei an heroic figure, and pretty much the only reason Romania achieved entry into the EU in 2007. [...]
This attack on Monica Macovei reads—not least because of the stilted apparatchikese in which it is written—as if it were dictated by Romania’s socialists. They certainly do not like Ms Macovei: after all, she tried to prosecute several of them, starting with Mr Nastase.
But the website belongs to the PES headquarters. So they have ended up bundling a brave reformer and fighter against crippling corruption with a British racist, as one of the 12 worst candidates for the European Parliament.
What on earth were they thinking?"
Update: And I just saw at the Nosemonkey that this was already the second marvellous piece of journalism by Charlemagne in a day. Respect!
------------------------------
Under the category "European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009.
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
For the five newest post see also the sidebar.
Thursday, 28 May 2009
Brussels-based think tank Bruegel coined the term "Blue Card"
On Monday, the EU Council agreed on a directive introducing an EU "Blue Card", which is supposed to be comparable to the US-American "Green Card" (press release), easing the access of highly qualified third-country (non-EU) workers to the EU countries.
Today I learned that the term "Blue Card" was initially coined by Jakob von Weizsäcker, a German economist working for the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel. I just briefly checked and so far, the first time I could find the term in the context of EU-policy was indeed in a 2006 publication (PDF) by Bruegel.
Hearing the author personally today, he told that although the EU institutions have used the term he has been proposing, the final result of the directive is far away from the think tank's proposals, being much more restrictive than initially advised.
von Weizäcker stressed in particular that theGreen Blue Card would not be fully valid across all member states, so that somebody receiving it for country A would have to go through almost the full application procedure if he wants to work in country B.
I am not an expert in this issue, but I have just seen that there is a specialised blog on the "Blue Card" policy process, so anyone interested in more details should check it out!
Today I learned that the term "Blue Card" was initially coined by Jakob von Weizsäcker, a German economist working for the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel. I just briefly checked and so far, the first time I could find the term in the context of EU-policy was indeed in a 2006 publication (PDF) by Bruegel.
Hearing the author personally today, he told that although the EU institutions have used the term he has been proposing, the final result of the directive is far away from the think tank's proposals, being much more restrictive than initially advised.
von Weizäcker stressed in particular that the
I am not an expert in this issue, but I have just seen that there is a specialised blog on the "Blue Card" policy process, so anyone interested in more details should check it out!
EuroparlTV: How much lobbyism in the European Parliament?
On EuroparlTV, Dominika Pszczółkowska, Polish journalist and blogger writing the Poland in the EU blog, and Mariane Dony, professor at the Free University of Brussels, are discussing the role of the European Parliament, the amount of lobbyism MEPs are confronted with, and the changes in the salary scheme of MEPs.
It's not a big debate, but still worth watching - if not for the reflective atmosphere then maybe just to see a fellow blogger live and in action:
PS: Recommendation: Erik's very critical comment to this discussion.
It's not a big debate, but still worth watching - if not for the reflective atmosphere then maybe just to see a fellow blogger live and in action:
PS: Recommendation: Erik's very critical comment to this discussion.
Wednesday, 27 May 2009
European Parliament elections 2009 (113): The turnout panic ends - and nothing has changed
Sorry, but anyone putting any particular weight into the latest public opinion survey results showing that 49% of EU citizens plan to vote (instead of 34% in April) in the upcoming elections is not taking her/his job seriously.
When the last Eurobarometer results were published, announcing record low turnout intentions, and everyone (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here) was writing like hell about it, I made a remark, saying that the survey was conducted at a time where the campaign activities were so low, that the results necessarily had to be low, too.
Since then, this initial panic around the alleged record low turnout has remained the most important issue in many media and blog reports.
It has been this dominant, that I would recommend that, next time, the political parties should have a political position on turnout, so that they'll have at least something to campaign on with media attention.
Now, one week before the elections, with most member states being in the full campaign (although "full" sounds rather sarcastic in this context), with most initiatives having reached out to parts of the public, with most media having at least some basic coverage of EU- and EP-related issues in the context of the European Parliament elections, it is no surprise that the figures are "better" than they were in April (which covered a period in late January/early February).
If we reach 49% turnout Europe-wide, this would still be very low. But it sounds realistic. But now all the media and blogs finally have something to report on, again. First, they create a panic and now they can express relief. Isn't that beautiful?
More important is the question: Did it change anything? My answer: No!
Maybe some people were more motivated to motivate others, maybe some have become aware of the upcoming elections just by this kind of panic.
But the campaign has not been better thanks to this media herd instinct. Instead of making a better campaign, the parties have kept it low key. Instead of pushing the parties into better campaigns, the media have kept it low key.
So, now we have spent a lot of valuable time on discussing a hypothetical turnout - which still can be record low and which still can be average - instead of discussing actual campaigns.
Bravo, that was really helpful!
------------------------------
Under the category "European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009.
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
For the five newest post see also the sidebar.
When the last Eurobarometer results were published, announcing record low turnout intentions, and everyone (here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here) was writing like hell about it, I made a remark, saying that the survey was conducted at a time where the campaign activities were so low, that the results necessarily had to be low, too.
Since then, this initial panic around the alleged record low turnout has remained the most important issue in many media and blog reports.
It has been this dominant, that I would recommend that, next time, the political parties should have a political position on turnout, so that they'll have at least something to campaign on with media attention.
Now, one week before the elections, with most member states being in the full campaign (although "full" sounds rather sarcastic in this context), with most initiatives having reached out to parts of the public, with most media having at least some basic coverage of EU- and EP-related issues in the context of the European Parliament elections, it is no surprise that the figures are "better" than they were in April (which covered a period in late January/early February).
If we reach 49% turnout Europe-wide, this would still be very low. But it sounds realistic. But now all the media and blogs finally have something to report on, again. First, they create a panic and now they can express relief. Isn't that beautiful?
More important is the question: Did it change anything? My answer: No!
Maybe some people were more motivated to motivate others, maybe some have become aware of the upcoming elections just by this kind of panic.
But the campaign has not been better thanks to this media herd instinct. Instead of making a better campaign, the parties have kept it low key. Instead of pushing the parties into better campaigns, the media have kept it low key.
So, now we have spent a lot of valuable time on discussing a hypothetical turnout - which still can be record low and which still can be average - instead of discussing actual campaigns.
Bravo, that was really helpful!
------------------------------
Under the category "European parliament elections 2009" I am following up national and European activities on the path to the European Parliament elections 2009.
For an overview over all articles in this category have a look at the overview article.
For the five newest post see also the sidebar.
Recommended: "MEP-turned-lobbyist shuns voluntary register"
Brussels Sunshine, a very good lobby watch blog, has published an article on MEPs who changed from the European Parliament into lobby and consultancy firms and whose names do not figure in the lobby register:
"A few weeks ago, in our ‘Inside the Brussels Bubble’ blog, we wondered how many of the MEPs not standing for re-election would go through the revolving door into new jobs as industry lobbyists.That is indeed a very interesting topic, one that I think I will keep an eye on after the elections, too.
Some high-profile MEPs went through the revolving doors to join Brussels lobby consultancy firms after the 2004 elections [...]. None of these ex-MEPs feature in the Commission's lobby transparency register, because the Commission – astonishingly – does not ask for lobbyists’ names to be disclosed. One can only hope that the Commission remedies this blunder when the register is reviewed next month. [...]"
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