Daily Archives: 25 May, 2015

Challenges and opportunities for EU-Mexico trade relations

By Evelyn Luz Acevedo Bravo

In early May, the renowned Brussels think tank CEPS (Centre for European Policy Studies), in collaboration with the bank BBVA, organised a meeting among high-level representatives from the EU and Mexico aiming to provide an overall review of the EU-Mexico trade relationship. The conference highlighted and discussed new opportunities, in light of progress and advances made by both, to revisit and enhance the EU-Mexico Free Trade Agreement so that each party is better served and may prosper to an even greater extent.

Andrzej Duda wins Polish presidential election

Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski conceded defeat in Sunday’s presidential elections. The exit polls showed him trailing his main challenger, Andrzej Duda, who managed to win 53% of the votes. The result marks a significant blow to the ruling Civic Platform and its leader and Prime Minister, Ewa Kopacz. Ripple effects are expected to be felt in the more important parliamentary elections due later this year. In Poland the Head of State has limited powers in comparison to the Prime Minister but Andrzej Duda may well promote a more skeptical approach towards the European Union and lay the groundwork for a right-wing win in the upcoming parliamentary elections

European Citizens’ Initiative: the deflating of direct democracy

By Manuel Ruiz Rico

In 2012, the European Union adopted a mechanism for citizens to exercise direct democracy and promote EU directives: the European Citizens’ Initiative. However, three years after its entry into force, the high expectations it created among ordinary citizens have not been met. Just three of the 31 initiatives have come to fruition and, of these, so far only one – on public water management – has succeeded in getting the European Commission to start moving its bureaucratic legal machinery so that its content can materialize into some form of European standard in the future.

What does the emergence of Podemos in Spain mean?

Candidates supported by this party but running under different banners (mainly popular formations that work somehow independently in each municipality) are likely to govern Madrid and Barcelona, the two most important cities. Historically, whenever a major shift in politics has taken place nationwide, it has begun in these two cities. Additionally, Podemos is likely to be instrumental in establishing governments in many autonomous regions -in which it competed with this name.

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