Listening to Foreign Min @TyttiTup explain the Finnish priorities for its presidency of the EU, I can only wonder... how do we continue to tolerate the rotating presidency of the @EUCouncil?! What gives Finland (or any country) the legitimacy to impose... 1/4 #eu2019fi
its priorities on the whole of the EU? These governments may be elected at home, but not at the EU level. Their only claim to these responsibilities is an agreement among Member States that completely bypasses any principle of democracy and accountability. 2/4 #eu2019fi
Although the Finnish priorities themselves sound good, the country holding the Presidency has no particular sway over the Council of the EU, and the six-months duration ensures that no significant policy can be conducted. It is high time for #EUreform. 3/4 #eu2019fi
For comparison, let's imagine that, every 6 months, a different #US State was to decide of the country's priorities. Or a Land of #Germany. This is no way to create a coherent set of priorities and policies, and no way to lead a durable project. 4/4 #eu2019fi
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Over the past several years, @EDC_eudemocracy has made many, many requests to the European Parliament to access decisions by its Bureau on the funding of #europeanparties. These included decisions for funding (for the coming year) and final accounts (which wrap up the process).
Invariably, these documents were provided with heavy redactions over the parts covering the EP's reasoning for its decisions: we could see the outcome (amounts), but not how decisions were made. Until yesterday, the latest full document related to funding for 2015 -- 8 years ago.
To be clear, the point of this thread is *not* to argue that TNLs will make our common election less European, simply that they will not remedy the election's core deficiency (that national parties are in control) and that, therefore, they are not the right way forward. 3/25
Of course, "the @EU_Commission shall be completely independent" and "the members of the Commission shall neither seek nor take instructions from any Government". (Art. 17.3 TEU #LisbonTreaty). So there should be no need for #1country1commissioner rule. #IamEuropean 🇪🇺
Furthermore, "As from 1/11/2014, the @EU_Commission shall consist of a number of members [equal to] two thirds of the number of Member States" (Art. 17.5 TEU #LisbonTreaty)..... "unless the @EUCouncil [...] decides to alter this number". Which it did right away. #IamEuropean 🇪🇺
When we talk about simplifying administrative processes (#smartstate), we don't mean "big" things, just a collection of small things that contribute to making people's lives needlessly more complicated, especially abroad. Here's a silly example with a birth registration. 👇 1/7
A child is born in #Austria and registered with local authorities. Local authorities issue, for free, an original Austrian birth certificate in German and are thoughtful enough to include, for free, an original international birth certificate in multiple languages. 2/7
However, #French authorities will not accept the international birth certificate because it says "extract"; instead, they want a full version, even just in German. This requires us to book an appointment with local authorities and, this time, pay for a new original. 3/7