Juuso Järviniemi

The great realignment: Who will own the cosmopolitan side of the debate?

Many say that the great Western political conflict of the 21st century won’t be over economic redistribution, but between cosmopolitanism and nationalism, or between modern and “traditional” values. The argument goes that as voters have more food on the table, they start paying more attention to immaterial questions like same-sex marriage and refugee rights.

Alle Parteien außer der AfD betroffen

Ein groß angelegter Datenklau betrifft persönliche Informationen von mehreren Abgeordneten aller Parteien des Bundestags außer der Rechtsaußen-Partei AfD. Zu den Informationen, die im Internet veröffentlicht wurden, gehören Telefonnummern, Kreditkartendaten, private Unterhaltungen und (...)

Data breach hits all German Bundestag parties except AfD

A large-scale data breach has revealed personal information of German politicians from all parties in the Bundestag, apart from the far-right AfD. Among other information, the published data includes phone numbers, credit card data, addresses, private conversations and party membership lists.

In May, will Europeans get what they vote for? There’s reason to believe the answer is yes

As the European elections are coming up, campaigns are again calling for the people to have their say on the EU’s future. The picture isn’t as clear as it is in national-level elections, however. European integration is not yet at the point where we vote for European-level parties that will then represent us in Brussels and Strasbourg: instead, the link between national-level and European-level parties is unclear to many citizens. Moreover, we’re not sure if the elections decide the Commission President.

While problems remain, there’s reason for optimism too: on questions of European integration, what if European Parliament groups better reflect the views of voters than national-level parties do?

Pourquoi plus d’Européens devraient se présenter aux élections européennes en dehors de leur pays natal

Il est plus ou moins commun que des candidats provenant d’une certaine partie d’un pays se présentent à une élection dans une autre circonscription. Pour ceux d’entre vous familiers de la politique finlandaise, Paavo Väyrynen est un bon exemple : d’origine lapone, Väyrynen s’est fait élire député aussi bien en Laponie qu’en Uusimaa, une circonscription située près d’Helsinki. Ce genre de mobilité commence maintenant à se développer à l’échelle européenne, une tendance dont nous devons nous réjouir.

How to leave the EU without making a mess of it (and why it’s still not worth it)

As Brexit is destroying the UK’s economy, national unity and international reputation, many have correctly pointed out that observing today’s British politics deters other countries from packing their bags and leaving the EU. If a former great power like the UK is imploding like this before it has even left, a smaller country should not even think about it, the reasoning goes.

Anti-Brexit protest intensifies as UK politics is heading for chaos

This week has seen a rapidly evolving and confusing flurry of Brexit news. First, the much-anticipated parliamentary vote on Theresa May’s Brexit deal was postponedat the last minute as the Prime Minister understood that she was going to lose heavily. Then, Conservative MPs tabled a motion of no-confidence against Theresa May, triggering a vote on her leadership among the Conservative parliamentary group. Having won the vote by 200 votes to 117, Theresa May remains the party leader and Prime Minister.

Why more Europeans should run for European Parliament outside their home country

It’s rather normal for candidates hailing from one part of a country to stand for election in another. For those familiar with Finnish politics, Paavo Väyrynen is a good example: originally from Lapland, Väyrynen has successfully run for Finnish Parliament in both Lapland and the Uusimaa (...)

Permettre au peuple de voter sur l’accord du Brexit n’a rien d’antidémocratique

Précédemment dans Le Taurillon, Lukas Martini a affirmé que « tenir un deuxième référendum sur le Brexit serait intrinsèquement antidémocratique ». Il écrivait qu’un nouveau référendum souffrirait des mêmes problèmes que le référendum du 23 juin, à savoir que le public n’était pas suffisamment informé pour pouvoir prendre une décision sur un sujet aussi complexe que le Brexit. Il a également averti du risque d’un « cercle vicieux » des demandes continuelles pour un nouveau référendum du côté du camp perdant. Il a plutôt suggéré une élection législative, et de faire du lobbying auprès des députés actuels pour les convaincre de stopper le Brexit. Je ne suis pas d’accord. S’il existe de vraies réserves quant à l’idée d’un People’s Vote sur l’accord du Brexit, il n’en demeure pas moins la façon la plus légitime et la plus faisable de sortir de l’impasse actuelle dans laquelle se trouve la politique britannique.

JEF-France calls on France’s UN Security Council seat to be turned into EU seat

Les Jeunes Européens – France, the French section of the Young European Federalists (JEF-Europe), backs the idea of France giving up its permanent seat in the United Nations Security Council. In a press release, the organisation calls for the seat to be given to “a European Union equipped with the means to build a real common diplomacy”, one that promotes a “peaceful and democratic world”.

Union of European Federalists elects Sandro Gozi as new president

At its Congress in Vienna, the Union of European Federalists (UEF) has elected Sandro Gozi as its new President. Gozi, 50, was a member of the Italian Chamber of Deputies from 2006 to 2018, and served as the Europe minister between 2014 and 2018. Sandro Gozi replaces Elmar Brok, the German MEP who had held the UEF presidency since 2013.