The next European elections will take place on 4th and 7th June 2009. Within this context and the increasing power enjoyed by the European Parliament, the only institution elected by universal suffrage, the issue of French influence in the European Parliament will be the source of continued attention - awareness of this was first raised during the European elections 2004. This week the Robert Schuman Foundation has published the first part of this European Issue by Thierry Chopin and Claire Dhéret. The authors draw up an overview of the end of the 6th term in office (2004-2009), before putting forward (next week) ways to consolidate this influence with the European elections 2009 in view.
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According to still incomplete results (end of morning 1st December) the Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L) led by President of the Republic Traian Basescu has won the parliamentary elections in Romania that took place on 30th November with 34.7% of the vote ahead by a narrow margin of the main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party (PSD) led by Mircea Geoana, allied to the Conservative Party (PC) led by Dan Voiculescu, which is said to have won 33.36% of the vote. The National Liberal Party (PNL) led by outgoing Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu is said to have come third with 18.18% of the vote.
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The European agriculture and fisheries ministers met on 28 November in Brussels to discuss the follow-up to the informal meeting on the future of the common agricultural policy after 2013 and solidarity and openness in agriculture. On this questions, the Robert Schuman Foundation has published a study by Nicolas-Jean Bréhon, a teacher of public finance at the University of Paris I - Sorbonne - he also had a column in "Monde de l'économie" from 1999 to 2008. The study is entitled "The time for European Agriculture to make a choice: why should we believe in the CAP?" This study is available on-line in French (in paper form or PDF) for a sum of 10€.
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