European Parliament:
Incoming:
Xabier BENITO ZILUAGA (GUE/NGL, ES) and María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT (ALDE, ES) officially joined the Parliament on 25 November to replace Pablo IGLESIAS and Fernando MAURA BARANDIARÁN.
Members of the Committees, Subcommittees and the Delegations:
María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT (ALDE, ES) joined the Committee on Culture and Education (CULT), the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries and the Arab Maghreb Union (D-MAG) and the Delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean (D-MED).
Miguel URBÁN CRESPO (GUE/NGL, ES) left the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and joined the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) and the Subcommittee on Human Rights (DROI).
Xabier BENITO ZILUAGA (GUE/NGL, ES) joined the Committee on Industry, Research and Energy (ITRE) and the Delegation for relations with Mercosur (D-MER).
Substitutes of the Committees, Subcommittees and the Delegations:
María Teresa GIMÉNEZ BARBAT (ALDE, ES) joined the Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET), the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE), the Delegation to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (D-ACP) and the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (D-LAT).
Miguel URBÁN CRESPO (GUE/NGL, ES) left the Committee on Budgets (BUDG) and joined the Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE).
Xabier BENITO ZILUAGA (GUE/NGL, ES) joined the Committee on Budgets (BUDG), the Delegation for relations with the Federative Republic of Brazil (D-BR) and the Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (D-LAT).
Special Committees:
Special Committee on Tax Rulings and Other Measures Similar in Nature or Effect (TAXE): During the plenary session the European Parliament voted to adopt an amended Committee report drafted by Elisa FERREIRA (S&D, PT) and Michael THEURER (ALDE, DE). The Conference of Presidents decided to set up a new temporary committee to follow up on the work done by the Special Committee on Tax Rulings. The new committee will last six months and its mandate will be decided at a special meeting of the Conference of Presidents on Wednesday 2 December.
Political Parties:
ALDE: Hans VAN BAALEN (NL) elected as the new President of the Party at the Party Congress in Budapest, replacing Sir Graham WATSON (UK). MEPs FREDRICK FEDERLEY (SE), ANGELIKA MLINAR (AT) and ILHAN KYUCHYUK (BU) elected as new Vice-Presidents. During the ALDE Party Congress, Liberalisok from Hungary and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats Party (ALDE) from Romania were accepted as new ALDE Party member parties.
European Commission:
Cabinets:
Kristalina Georgieva's team: Dessislava VELINOVA joined as Member of Cabinet, replacing Dimo ILIEV.
Directorates General:
Health and Food Safety (SANTE):
Directorate E - Safety of the Food Chain: Sabine JÜLICHER appointed Director, replacing Michael FLUEH.
Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations (NEAR):
Peter WAGNER appointed Head of the Support Group for Ukraine, replacing Peter BALAS.
Directorate C - Neighbourhood East: Lawrence MEREDITH appointed Director, replacing Vassilis MARAGOS.
European External Action Service (EEAS):
Special Representatives (EUSR): Herbert SALBER’s mandate as EUSR for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia extended until 28 February 2017.
European Agencies:
European Agency for the Management of Operational Co-operation at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex): Berndt KÖRNER appointed Deputy Executive Director as of January 2016, replacing Gil ARIAS-FERNÁNDEZ.
Permanent Representations:
Latvia: President Raimonds VĒJONIS presented letters of credence to the new Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Latvia to the EU, Sanita PAVĻUTA-DESLANDES. She will take over Ilze JUHANSONE, who took up her role as Deputy Secretary-General of the European Commission on 16 November.
Public affairs:
Copa and Cogeca: Sofia BJORNSSON elected as the new President of the Rural Development Working Party.
European Privacy Association (EPA): Paolo BALBONI appointed as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors, Florian DAMAS as Mananging Director, Kate FRANCIS as Secretary-General and Geny LI as Treasurer. A scientific Director is to be appointed.
News in a nutshell:
Committee of the Regions (CoR): the plenary session will take place from 3 to 4 December.
Member states:
Denmark: A referendum will be held on 3 December on replacing Denmark's 'opt-out' on EU justice and home affairs with an 'opt-in' model.
France: MEP Aymeric CHAUPRADE (Ind, FR) who recently defected from the National Front and the ENF was put under an arrest warrant by the Dominican Republic over his role in the so-called "Air Cocaine" drug-trafficking case. Mr CHAUPRADE allegedly helped two pilots to escape the Dominican Republic.
Portugal: President CAVACO SILVA named Antonio COSTA, PS (S&D) as Prime Minister and head of the minority government which is comprised by the Socialist Party (PS), the Left Bloc (GUE/NGL) and the Communist party (GUE/NGL). The new cabinet was sworn in on Thursday 26 November. Augusto SANTOS SILVA, PS appointed Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mario CENTENO, PS as Minister for Finance and Margarida MARQUES as Secretary of State for European Affairs.
Candidate countries:
Turkey: The new cabinet of Prime Minister Ahmet DAVUTOĞLU (AKP) (AECR) took office on 24 November 2015. Mevlüt ÇAVUŞOĞLU returned as Minister for Foreign Affairs, replacing Feridun SINIRLIOĞLU (interim). Volkan BOZKIR also returned to previous position as Minister of State for the European Union Affairs and Chief Negotiator, replacing Beril DEDEOĞLU (interim) and Naci AĞBAL appointed as the new Finance Minister.
Turkish President Tayyip ERDOGAN renewed his call for a new constitution that will grant his office more executive powers. The adoption of a new presidential system is high on the priorities of the new government.
Want to know more? Click here for information on our Dods People EU service. You can also stay ahead of the game by subscribing to our weekly newsletter. Got any news you’d like included in our next newsletter? Contact Ifigenia Balkoura on dpeu.proofs@dods.eu