Read my latest analysis of possible implications of the change of Polish government on the C4EP website:
https://c4ep.eu/not-that-pissed-up-anymore-implications-of-the-2023-polish-elections-on-the-eu/
Kategória: English
“European Elections through Young Eyes” – C4EP event yesterday in Brussels
Even though we had a rocky start with our first C4EP event this fall – I managed to catch a bad cold, while I was assigned to be the moderator of the event, one of our speakers indicated that he might be late because of work, and another one cancelling just before the event because of urgent obligations related to the upcoming EU Summit – we are pleased with how our „European Elections through Young Eyes” event turned out.
We have addressed many topics from the participation of youth in the elections through the Spitzenkandidaten process, even to the „F” word, dreaded all around the EU bubble of Brussels (in this case: the federalisation of the European Union).
It was great to cooperate with our invited speakers, Krisztina and Ivan from the European Parliament, but also our audience for being with us yesterday and staying with us after the event for a cool chat with some wine. We hope that You will join us in our next events, too! Additionally, we are grateful to Press Club Brussels to make sure that everything was working without an itch. We will be back!
A detailed report on the event will follow on the C4EP website, until then You can find some more photos on its Instagram and Facebook profiles!
The one to call if You want to talk to Europe? – the President of the European Commission
Read my current C4EP analysis on the current state of the position, partly using the current “State of the European Union” address and also make an educated guess on the future of the position with or without the current President, Ursula von der Leyen.
It is also to be published in the next C4EPIECE Newsletter during this week.
Check it out here:
Some thoughts about the plans of the president of the European Council…
Charles Michel, the president of the European Council has addressed the participants of the prestigious Bled Strategic Forum. He is responsible for close cooperation with heads of states and governments of the EU member states, thus his ideas are worthy of attention as those presumably well-founded and formulated while understanding the positions of these leaders and their respective states.
I have prepared a short analysis of his speech to the C4EP Website (later to be included in its C4EPIECE Newsletter), trying to draw conclusions about the reality of those ideas and the possibility of implementing those during the time left of Michel’s term, ending in 2025.
Read it here!
Veto power – not the tool we love, but the tool we need?
The issue of the veto power has recently come to the forefront of attention and debate both on global and European level. This usually happens when current political events draw attention to something. Today this is related to the Russian aggression against Ukraine (reviving the debate earlier related to other issues): among the debates within the European Union, its operation and future, the question of the right of veto belonging to individual member states had already featured prominently in the decision-making process of the EU, but the need for unanimity with regard to sanctions against Russia gives it a special relevance.
I have prepared an analysis on the subject to the C4EP website, later to be included in its C4EPIECE Newsletter.
Read it here!
C4EPIECE 1/2023
The first edition of the newsletter of the Centre for European Progression titled C4EPIECE is out now. The focus of the current edition is the struggle over the presidency of the Council of the European Union, but we bring You other important subjects as well from member states and the global theater.
You can read it here.
Register on the C4EP website to receive it directly every time a new edition being published!
C4EP reinventing itself
Our Brussels-based organisation, Centre for European Progression (C4EP) is in the middle of reinventing itself!
- By original weekly content: C4EPoll, Quote and Fun Fact
- By once again offering a publication opportunity
- By relaunching Young Speakers’ Corner
- By organising though-provoking conferences
- By restarting the Newsletter in a brand new form
We want to hear what young professionals have to say!
We want to hear what YOU have to say!
Check out our website and social media pages and be part of the process!
Let me help You understand what an “infringement procedure” in the EU practically means
According to the founding treaties of the EU, the European Commission may take action against an EU member state that fails to implement EU law or violates its obligations under EU membership in any form. It is possible that the Commission refers the case to the European Court of Justice, which may impose financial sanctions in case of non-compliance of the member state.
Read more here: https://commission.europa.eu/law/law-…
A few words to Euronews about the EP corruption scandle
Today the Brussels-based Euronews has asked my opinion about some of the legal questions related to the ongoing corruption scandle in the European Parliament. Their report can be found here, but You can be sure that the story is far from being closed.
The legal situation is not that simple, as neither the European Parliament nor the European Union in general has any kind of set of legal rules applicable to situations like these. Therefore, the local Belgian authorities have conducted investigations related to a crime that allegedly was targeted against the EU or one of its institutions, based on classical territorial jurisdiction, as the crime was committed in Belgium. As the European Parliament was quick to offer its full cooperation, including lifting the immunity of the MEPs involved, seemingly more serious legal-political complications will be avoided.
But the situation may not always be that simple. The famous – at least for Hungarians – case of “KGBéla” (a former MEP from the extreme-right wing party Jobbik, who was allegedly cooperating with the Russian intelligence) has opened up a question, for which I still have not found the proper answer – even if I may be the only person interested in that. This question is, if a member state is allowed to create a crime in its own legal system (see the crime of “Espionage against the institutions of the European Union” added into section 261/A of the Hungarian Criminal Code at that time) without any Union-level legal provision and any demand or request for that from the EU or its institutions. Can a member state “protect” EU institutions with its own domestic penal legislative measures? I will definitely come back to this at a later point.
Anyway, I think that to avoid these kind of problems in the future, the European Union shall turn its attention to try to settle this question.
CEELI Institute’s “Legal Skills in a Time of War” programme
During the past week I have had the honour of having been invited to and of participating at the CEELI Institute’s “Legal Skills in a Time of War” programme in Prague.
The two-weeks programme has collected a very strong international faculty and its goal was to give knowledge and information to a group of pre-selected Ukrainian students and young experts, dealing with legal questions related to the ongoing war on the territory of Ukraine. The participants of the programme have been extremely interested in the subject-matter and highly engaged in conversations and debates.
I have covered the subjects of use of force in international law, international humanitarian law and war crimes. Additionally, I have also assisted in the preparation of a mock trial practice, preparing participants to test their ideas and arguments.
I was very happy and grateful being involved in this project, and I am looking forward to further cooperation with CEELI and the colleauges working there and those I have met now for the first time. It was an honour of being a part of a group of a great international faculty from Estonia, UK and the USA, representing my country with not the best reputation these days when it comes to relationship with Russia, especially with the people of Ukraine.
Lattmann Tamás honlapja 