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Hot Issue Nr. 370
EU enlargement countries:
Raise awareness of self-employment and
strengthening small and medium enterprises
In order to change the attitude towards more independence and autonomy regarding jobs among young people it is important to increase the number of small and medium enterprises (SME) in the EU candidate countries, especially in South-Eastern Europe. The ultimate goal of those young people is currently to get a position in public administration, which is unhealthy for the economy as a whole and not the solution to the youth unemployment of around 60 percent, explained IRE Chairman Franz Schausberger as a speaker at an event of the SME Europe on the topic "SME strategy of the Balkans - what is needed from Europe", on 3 December 2015 in the European Parliament in Brussels.
It is crucial for these countries to complete reforms of vocational training towards a dual training system like in Austria or Germany. As for now practical training is missing and vocational training is of poor quality, outdated and too theoretical in the South-eastern Europe. In addition, young people from the Balkans should be given more opportunities to visit and do an internship in foreign countries and companies, said Schausberger. The strengthening of small and medium enterprises would guarantee a broader and stronger middle class in society.
Progress in conducting regional and local elections
The significant progress in conducting elections in accordance with European standards in the EU enlargement countries is the result of the election observation missions of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, together with the EU Committee of the Regions and their suggestions for improvement, explained the CoR representative of Land Salzburg, Franz Schausberger, in the meeting of the Committee on December 4th 2015 in Brussels.
Proper, transparent and peaceful elections are an important sign of a functioning democracy. It is essential to contribute concrete proposals for improvement and accompany their implementation process. This also applies to the enlargement countries of the Western Balkans.
from left: Andreas Kiefer, Secretary General of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Jean-Claude Frécon, president of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council and Franz Schausberger.
1st round of regional elections in France:
Right-wing party gains votes after Paris attacks
Although President François Hollande has earned widespread approval for his handling of the terrorist attacks, and Nicolas Sarkozy, his predecessor, is still pursuing a comeback plan to propel him and his center-right party back into power, the most significant political figure in France is Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far right. Le Pen led her far-right National Front to a first-place finish in the initial round of regional elections on Sunday, a huge step forward in her plan to transform a fringe movement into a credible party of government.
Regional elections ware being held in France on 6 and 13 December 2015. At stake were the regional councils in metropolitan and overseas France as well as the Corsican Assembly and inaugural seats in the Assembly of French Guiana and Assembly of Martinique, all for a six-year term.
The Departmental Council of Mayotte, which also exercises the powers of a region, is the only region not participating in this election, having already been renewed on 2 April 2015. There are 18 Regional Presidencies at stake, with 13 in continental France and Corsica, and 5 overseas. Though they do not have legislative autonomy, these territorial collectivities manage sizable budgets. Moreover, regional elections are often taken as a mid-term opinion poll.
The election is the first held for the new regions effective from 1 January 2016, when the 26 regions of France will be reduced to 18.
 The election is held over two rounds, with majority bonus. The lists must be gender balanced by alternatively have a male candidate and a female candidate from the top to the bottom of the list.
At the decisive round (first round if a list won 50%, the second round if not), the leading list receives a premium of 25% of the seats while the remaining seats are distributed among all lists who received at least 5% of votes. Thus, the majority bonus allows a leading list to have an absolute majority of seats in the Regional Council from one third of votes in the second round. The seats are distributed among the lists at the regional level but within each list, seats are allocated by county branch in proportion to the number of votes in each department.
After the first round, the Socialist Party withdrew its lists in the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Nord-Pas-de-Calais-Picardie, where they finished in third place, in an attempt to block the Front National from winning seats in the second round due to split opposition from the centre-left and centre-right blocs. However, the Socialists chose to maintain their list in the region of Le Grand-Est, which similarly had them in third and the FN with a sizable lead after the first round.
The result left both Mr. Hollande’s Socialists and Mr. Sarkozy’s Republicans groping on Monday for ways to thwart Ms. Le Pen’s ascendance and increasingly worried that she is emerging as the candidate to beat in the presidential elections in 18 months. It also highlighted the appeal of baldly nationalist messages on both sides of the Atlantic at a time when traditional parties are struggling to address the insecurities of voters facing economic dislocation and a sense of vulnerability to terrorism.
Source: Le Monde, Le Figaro, Wikipedi, nytimes.com
EU Press Release:
EU announces more than €100 million for Ukraine to support decentralisation reform
The European Commission has adopted a major set of measures to support decentralisation reform and re-enforcement of local governance in Ukraine. A €97 million programme jointly funded by the EU (€90m), Germany (€6m) and Poland (€1m) will strengthen governance and accountability at local, regional and central levels to better respond to the needs of the population. An additional support of €10 million funded by the Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace will be allocated for the restoration of governance, reconciliation and peacebuilding in the eastern part of Ukraine, most affected by war and displacement
"Ukraine remains on the top of the EU's agenda. These programmes will play an important role in supporting Ukraine in its efforts to improve governance, including in the conflict-affected areas in the East", said the High Representative and Commission Vice-President Federica Mogherini.
"This new, significant funding - adopted on the eve of the EU-Ukraine Association Council - is a concrete example of the EU's continued and determined support for reforms in Ukraine. The implementation of these reforms in the area of decentralisation will bring visible benefits to Ukrainian citizens through access to a better service when dealing with their local or regional administration'', stated Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, Johannes Hahn.
For more information read full press release: http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-15-6263_en.htm
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