Polish Duda Rises Over Brussels the Election of a Euroskeptical President Raises Pressing Questions About Warsaw’S Sway in the EU
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VOL. 1 NO. 6 THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015 POLITICO.EU Polish Duda rises over Brussels The election of a Euroskeptical president raises pressing questions about Warsaw’s sway in the EU By JAN CIENSKI factored in a second term for in- of a more socially conservative — into parliamentary elections Warsaw as the leading EU power cumbent Bronisław Komorows- and Euroskeptical strand of Pol- in autumn. Komorowski’s loss east of Germany. The surprise victory of Andrzej ki. Dismissed as an unknown and ish politics. reflected voter fatigue with his “Duda is a representative of Duda in Poland’s presidential long-shot, Duda triumphed in The 43-year-old lawyer comes centrist Civic Platform (PO), the Kaczyński movement, which runo was greeted with shock Sunday’s elections by three per- from the Law and Justice (PiS) which has ruled Poland since was very critical of the common in Brussels, and raised pressing centage points, bloc of Jarosław Kaczyński, a 2007 and comes into the election European approach and has a questions about the future of heralding former prime minister who campaign on a weaker foot. This very nationalistic background,” Warsaw’s policies toward as well the re- will lead the party — now unexpected political shift is also said Manfred Weber, president as influence in the EU. sur- brimming with momen- forcing a rethink of Poland by its The European capital had long gence tum and confidence main EU partners, which view POLAND: PAGE 21 The reign The Queen in Spain is does CREDIT no longer Cameron’s on the wane bidding King Felipe and By BEN JUDAH Queen Letizia, LONDON — Queen Elizabeth II made clear Wednesday that the a power parliament will be dominated by Prime Minister David Cameron’s couple for a quest for a new, long-term consti- tutional settlement for Britain. weakened The Queen read out the key points of Cameron’s legislative kingdom agenda to lawmakers, in a cen- turies-old ceremony known as By TUNKU VARADARAJAN the Queen’s Speech. Cameron’s top targets: more powers for MADRID — Spain has been Scotland, English votes for magnificent at giving birth to English laws, and radical de- painters and poets, impressive at volution to new elected mayors minting novelists, chefs and soc- in English cities. cer players, but thoroughly inept “My government,” read the at producing good kings. Queen, stumbling at first on Apart from Ferdinand and Is- her words, “will renegotiate the abella, Philip II, Charles III, and United Kingdom’s relationship for the sentimental, Alfonso XII with the European Union and (who died at 27 in 1885), no Span- pursue reform of the European ish monarch can indisputably be Union for the benefit of all mem- called “great.” This scorecard ber states.” dates back to 1492, the year in which, most historians would THE QUEEN: PAGE 3 agree, it became meaningful to talk of “Spain” in anything re- sembling the modern sense. On a recent afternoon here, FORUM I lunched with two experts in Spanish kingship, at one of those The Catholic Church will no longer masculine restaurants where no be the dominant institution of Irish patron of good repute starts to family life. PAGE 18 eat before two in the afternoon (and only those of ill repute fin- FALLIN KEN ish earlier than 4:30 pm). HEALTH FELIPE VI: PAGE 14 Leading patient organizations call on EU countries to cooperate on drug pricing. PAGE 8 A new sheriff in the ‘Wild West’ KIRCHLECHNER DANI Robert Ménard has turned French town of Béziers into a laboratory for far-right policies By NICHOLAS VINOCUR Then you pick up the city hall set against huge yellow numer- The all-caps title, the urgent newspaper. The bimonthly “Jour- als that spell out “64%” — a ref- tone and even the subject it refers SPECIAL REPORT BÉZIERS, France — Take a walk nal de Béziers” is what a French erence to the alleged proportion to are all the work of Béziers’ me- NUTRITION & HEALTH through the sleepy streets of municipal newsletter might look of Muslim students in the town’s dia-savvy mayor, Robert Ménard. ISSN 2406-5250 ISSN Béziers, in southwestern France, like if the New York Post some- school system. Diagonally across A former Trotskyist militant- Is there such a thing as “bad food” and you might get the impression how got hold of its printing press- Marianne’s front, a banner head- turned-journalist and then press – or just unhealthy eating and that this is just another pictur- es. On the cover of its May 15 edi- line blares: “THE REPUBLIC freedom activist is now one of drinking habits? POLITICO reports. esque old town with a struggling tion, a stone bust of Marianne, MUST STOP HIDING ITS STA- INSIDE economy. the French national mascot, is TISTICS!” WILD WEST: PAGE 15 POLITICO 2THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2015 PLAYBOOKPLUS By Ryan Heath and Tara Palmeri PARLIAMENTARY jousting +++ The JUNCKER touch +++ EUROfuneral +++ EUROVISION power struggle CHIVALRY ISN’T DEAD: Last EMOJ-ASBORD: There will be took to the phones this week to week the European Parliament WE RUINED THEIR DINNER DATE! German Chancellor Angela 38 new ways to express your vigorously challenge at least one didn’t just tackle the great foie Merkel and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras were due to boredom to friends during a Par- person for referring to her as a gras debate but also wrestled sit next to each other over dinner last week at the Riga Summit liamentary hearing or EU sum- small ‘c’ conservative. Do you with a request to host a Medi- on Europe’s Eastern Partnership. Until Playbook wrote about it mit by summer 2016, when the know more? eval tournament on July 13 and … and Latvians were placed between them. Unicode Consortium releas- 14. The European Conservatives es new emojis. Get ready for BY THE NUMBERS — JUNCKER’S and Reformists group — known Nauseated Face, Drooling Face, SPECIAL TOUCH: It was “Maul for wielding budgetary swords Lying Face and Clown Face. But Europe” rather than Less Eu- rather than real ones — asked we hope there’s enough time rope as Jean-Claude Juncker the Bureau of the Parliament for to add a few — like Belly Slap greeted national leaders in permission to use the Esplanade Face, Where’s Your Tie Face, a back-slappy, necktie-grabby, Solidarność 1980 for the event. Dictator Slap Face and Triple forehead-kissy Friday photo-op Debate on the request focused Kiss Face session in Riga. A video edit by on whether the Code of Chivalry Le Petit Journal showed Junck- refl ected European values. Af- SPOTTED: Jean-Claude Junck- er goofi ng around with a parade ter a lengthy discussion on the er taking a morning walk with of VIPs as European Council merits of jousting on the steps no security detail or assistants President Donald Tusk looked of the European Parliament, it just before 8 am outside the on uncomfortably. Here’s a was decided that the games do Princess Juliana school recently. breakdown of the Juncker meet- not constitute a parliamentary He stopped to chat with a young and-greet: event and Parliament Vice-Pres- schoolgirl and her father when ident Rainer Wieland of the Eu- recognized. 4 dismissals, in which a ropean People’s Party killed the national leader is told to move concept. An ECR representa- WE HEAR: MEP Jacqueline on. tive explained: “It was intended sider a dust-up in the press cen- circle. It o ers “Discount ash- Foster has been complain- to promote common values in ter between the BBC and Radio es to families,” in case you’re ing that she isn’t referred to as 4 back slaps. Europe such as honor, fair com- France. The BBC decided to wondering. a capital ‘C’ conservative. She petition and courage, highlight- commandeer a few tables, just 3 “who is that?” questions ing the common heritage in because they could. Then Ra- to either Tusk or the Latvian Europe.” Apparently, we’ll have dio France needed to borrow a prime minister. to fi nd some other way to do that. power outlet, and decided to help WHO’S UP, WHO’S DOWN The minutes record: “After a dis- themselves to one in the BBC 3 face slaps. cussion on the merits of organiz- space. Cue a spat in which the BBC ing such a tournament in front tried to push them away, and the 3 kisses for Lithuanian Presi- of the European Parliament (the Radio France journalist shout- dent Dalia Grybauskaitė. code of chivalry as ‘European ed, “Who do you think you are? values’ was raised) the Bureau The BBC, so what?” Calmer Andrzej Duda — The 43-year-old Litterbugs in China — The Hong 3 necktie yanks and/or com- decided that such an event did heads intervened and Radio dark horse politician (pictured) Kong Cleanup Challenge is publicly parisons. not constitute a European Par- France got their power outlet. went from being a rank-and- le shaming people who throw trash liament event.” MEP to ousting Polish President on the streets. By collecting DNA 2 forehead kisses. SMOOTH SWEDE: Eurovision Bronisław Komorowski. See, samples found on the waste, winner Måns Zelmerlöw (be- there is life a er the European the NGO, in partnership with 1 calling somebody a “dictator” low) is a man of the people. He Parliament! Ogilvy & Mather, has digitally (Hungarian PM Viktor arrived in an ordinary taxi to the reconstructed the faces of the Orbán). fi nal in Vienna, and he defi ed the World’s oldest woman — culprits and plastered them on stage crew at the oª cial after- Jeralean Talley, the world’s billboards around town.