EU Commission v.President Sefcovic+Rapporteur Yanakou to EuroFora:EU Parties+Citizens for EU Debates

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- EU Citizens' role through -and together with- stronger EU Political Parties, directly engaged in Public Debates on vital European Issues, has to be resolutely developed in the next Months/Years, in the run-up to crucial June 2014 EU Elections, for an efficient Economic Governance to  to definitively overcome the Global Crisis with a necessary Political Union, replied in substance EU Commission's vice-President responsible for Institutions, Mario Cefcovic, as well as EU Parliament's Rapporteur on Political Parties, experienced former Minister Marietta Yanakou,  to "EuroFora"'s Questions succesively.
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The move significantly came the same Day that EU Commission's President, Jose Barroso, in a landmark speech at EU Parliament's Plenary in Strasbourg on "the State of the Union", stressed the need to Start preparing a strong European "Political Union" at the "Horizon", as an indispensable "Support", and for the "Democratic Legitimacy" of the "Economic and Monetary Union" which recently became Urgently necessary in order for Europe to become able to efficiently and definitively solve the current problems provoked by the Global Crisis, as several EU Leaders (including German Chancellor Angie Merkel, etc) recently invited to do :

- "The Economic and Monetary Union raises the question of a Political Union and the European Democracy that must underpin it", he explained.

=> For that purpose,  EU needs "the Development of a European Public Space, where European Issues are Discussed and Debated, from a European standpoint... This Debate has to take place in our Societies and among our Citizens", while also "strengthening the role of EU Parliament", and "promoting (its) .. Complemêntarity and Cooperation (with) National Parliaments", as Barroso topically observed in Strasbourg, just before an important PanEuropean Conference for Speakers of Parliaments organized here by the CoE Next Week..

 - "This cannot be done without Strengthening EU Political Parties", and "an important means to deepen the pan-European Political Debate would be the presentation by EU parties of their Candidate for the post of (EU) Commission President (for the next Period of 2014-2020) at EU Parliament Elections already in 2014", he proposed.
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    - "EuroFora" observed that, concerning the currently urgent "Need of a European Public Space for EU Debates", earlier highlighted both by EU Commission's President Barroso and Sefcovic himself,  in fact, "there are the (EU) Parties, but there is also the Space for Debate, for Discussions" to build, in itself, (i.e. what the famous German Philosopher Habermas, from nearby Frankfurt, calls "Offentlichkeit", etc).

    => Therefore, "do you think that it might be Useful in this Direction, to utilize all available relevant tools, taken all together, f.ex. also EU Citizens, Initiatives of EU Citizens which may result in EU Parliament's Debates, (f.ex.  if there is no Legislative possibility, as you have agreed with MEPs), as well as Other Possibilities, f.ex. by Electronic Media, by New Technologies via the Internet, to bring EU Citizens in Debates, where all Partners can participate, including EU Commission, etc.?" , we asked Sefcovic.

    + And "what about some's concrete proposal, already made earlier, to elect at least a Part of MEPs on European, not only National Lists ?", "EuroFora added.
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- "I really think that increase the Role of EU Political Parties is very Crucial for the whole process of Deepening the EU (Political Union), and, I think that, for sure, with the tools that we (EU Commission) have adopted Today, we can start having at least  a Minimum of Deep European Debates, really built on the EU level", European Commission's vice-President observed at the beginning of his Reply to "EuroFora"s question.

+ "But, I'm sure that it's also taking place in a National Context : If you look at the course of Recent National Elections in EU Countries, the European Element  was much more Present than before. And I think that many will see Now that Elections in the Next Period of Time, and, of course, specially the (forthcoming 2014) Elections to the EU Parliament, (etc), I'm Sure that Europe, Europe's Future, the Functioning of the EU, will be, very clearly, the Topics on which there wil be very Intense Political Debate, and it will involve the Citizens, National and European political Parties, etc", Sefcovic forecasted with plausible vision.

- "So, I think that our (EU's) proposal today, actually tries to Contribute to the Consolidation of the Public European Space"

 In this regard, "we (EU Commission) also want to make it clear that the European Political Party is the party which can Articulate the Concerns of EU Citizens, and can Represent them Well on EU Level. It can Express the Wishes, it can express the Interests, and, at the same time, this is a Party which Respects EU Values : This was very Important for EU Parliament as well, and I (i.e. EU Commission) think that stressing EU Values us very Important, in particular in the context of Some of the National Debates that we are witnessing accross the EU", as he said, apparently pointing at some atypical, usualy marginal parties, which are often called "Extremist", etc).

+ "Concerning the EU Citizens' Initiative, I think that this is just going, very much, in Complementarity with the Proposal that we (EU Commission) made Today, Because, Now, we (EU) are Creating the Conditions for the Better Functioning of the EU Political Party, and for the EU political Foundations, and the EU Citizens' Initiative is creating the Conditions for the Individual Citizens to become Active, to present their Views", EU, the competent EU Commissioner positively observed, adding both points together.

 

 - "And I'm very Glad that we are Progressing on Both Fronts, because we Need more Inclusion of EU Citizens into the European Debate, and, Now, we are Creating much Better Conditions for that than what it just was a couple of Months ago".
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+ But, "about the (Electoral) Lists (See supra), I think that the Proposal for a Trans-National List, which is the other Question that  You entered, it was Discussed at great Length, here, at EU Parliament, and we'll shall just have to Wait until the Conclusion of these Debates, because It still needs some Internal Deliberations (i.e. among MEPS), and, once EU Parliament's position is made clear, then, I'm sure that it will generate also discussions at the level of National Parliaments", he carefully pointed out.
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+ On "Small" Groups potential :
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+ Moreover, even "Small" Groupings could become officially recognized "European Political Parties", much more earier than in the Past, but on the condition to play the EU Democratic Game, Sefcovic replied in substance to more "EuroFora"s Questions :
 - In particular, referring to some Critics of the Past, a supplementary question about whether there is a Fair Chance also for Small Groupings or Parties, which might be attracted into the mainstream EU Political Game, or make Coalitions with bigger parties, etc., f.ex., by Simplifying Rules, etc., was  raised by "EuroFora" to EU Commission's vice-President Sefcovic :

- "I think that's what we (EU) are achieving with this Proposal : .. We are making the Conditions for becoming an EU Political Party much more Clear, and Simplier than before", EU Commmission's v ice-President positively replied to "EuroFora"s question.
- But, "at the same time, they are much more Demanding" on the substance,

"because, actually, in the field of Defending Values (as Human Rights, Democracy, etc), in the field of Financial Management Disclosure, f.ex. of Donations, all these Annual Reports, ;etc., it's quite clear that now there are much Higher Demands on Democracy", Sefcovic warned

- Moreover, "there is also a Regime of Sanctions, if Parties don't adhere to the Commitments they undertook when they received the Legal Status of being a European Political Party", he added.

+ "We (EU) changed also the Funding Rules for the Political Parties, and we have, also through this Regulation, established a very clear Link between Political Foundations and Political Parties : It makes it very clear to which Political Parties is  linked a Foundation", as he observed.

 - "Once this is done, I think, then, of course, it's up to the Activities of the Political Parties, depending on the political Support that they will get in the Free EU Parliament Elections,  and up to the Leaders of these Political Parties to Decide if they want to represent the Interests of their Voters as a Single EU Party, or if they prefer to Cooperate with others in some kind of political Group, in which they would work Togeher".

=> - "So, I think that this depends very much on Election Results, and on Decisions of the Leadership of these Parties, how they want to progress", Sefcovic concluded.
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+ EU Parliament's twice Rapporteur, MEP Yanakou to "EuroFora" :
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Meanwhile, experienced EU Parliament's Rapporteur on EU Political Parties, former Minister and  Head of the National Delegation of MEPs from the New Governing ChristianDemocrat/EPP party in Greece, Marietta Gianakou, (whose initial 2011 Report was mentioned by EU Commission's vice-President Sefcovic twice during his earlier meeting with Strasbourg's Journalists, expressing the Hope that she will take over also the New Report on the Proposals adopted here by EU Commission Today), said that she was "Glad" that several among her suggestions have Now been Endorsed also by the Collective Commissioners' body, particulalry at this crucial juncture when Leaders have just felt the need to boost a much stronger EU Political Union.  

- Speaking later to "EuroFora", Yanakou reminded also that the possibilities for EU Parties to "freely choose any EU Country and/or City for their "Headquarters", as well as "for EU Citizens to be able to be registered DIRECTLY to any EU Party they wish, (etc), are included in a series of Concrete Suggestions already made by her Initial 2011 Report, aiming to ease political EU Integration, as well as several Rules on EU Parties' specific Legal Personality and Financial Funding, (f.ex. about political Foundations, the 25.000 € "ceiling", etc) which have just been adopted Today by the 2012 EU Commission's Legislative proposal.

Already, some 13 EU political Parties share a 31 Millions € overall Budget in 2012, administered by EU Parliament.

Sefcovic's New, 2012 Legislative Proposal, augments both Transparency and Funding possibilities, by obliging EU political parties to Declare every Donation over 1.000 €, together with the Name of the contributor, but also lifts the Ceiling for their Maximum Individual Funding up to 25.000 € per person in 1 year, (instead of only 12.000 € until now).

Both the competent EU Commissioner and EU Parliament's Rapporteur agreed that their joint Aim is to try to have the New Measures, (drafted suring the current Cyprus' EU rotating Presidency of 7-12/2012), should be definitively adopted before July 2013, (i.e. during the forthcoming, Irish EU rotating Presidency of 1-6/2013), so that everything would be Ready for the exceptionaly important 2014 EU Elections.
On that purpose, Commissioner Sefcovic smiled spontaneously and agreed with "EuroFora" that it was, in principle, a good, Symbolic coincidence in the fact that the forthcoming June 2014 EU Parliament's Elections are scheduled to take place under the Rotating EU Chairmanship by the New Government in Greece, the Country where the Modern European Ideals of "Democracy" (both Representative and Direct), as well as for the Political (even Moral and Scientific) Value of Rational Public "Debates",  open to all Citizens, on the most important Issues for the People and the Society, were Historically born.