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NEWSLETTER July – August 2009 from the Czech Republic to Highlights in this Editorial Sweden. We are pleased to issue note that the new Welcome! Presidency has highlighted Although June 2009: MEPs who in its priorities the need to have supported the work this 2 address opportunities for of Alzheimer Europe re- newsletter healthy and dignified ageing elected covers the for older people in the EU. 13July 2009: Number of holiday people with dementia season, you Perhaps the most exciting 2 higher in Europe than will see that news we bring in this previously reported. the months of July and newsletter is the decision by August were full of important 22 July 2009: European the European Commission commission adopts initiatives and activities for to adopt proposals to tackle 5 proposals to tackle people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease their carers. other dementias. This news also gives a clear indication 1 July 2009: European Following the European that our campaign to make Swedish Presidency 5 Parliament elections, we are dementia a European Commences delighted to be able to priority continues to bear welcome back many MEPs fruit. who had supported our cause by joining the In addition, Wales is European Alzheimer’s developing a national Alliance Members. We look dementia action plan and is forward to collaborating with currently holding a them again, as well as with consultation on its plans. new MEPs. During the summer, the The findings from the Alzheimer Europe staff has prevalence workgroup of our also been busy with the new Table of contents European Collaboration on website of our organisation Dementia (EuroCoDe) which we are hoping to Editorial....................................... 1 project were published launch in the coming month. European Alzheimer’s Alliance ......... 2 during the 2009 We really hope that our new Alzheimer Europe .......................... 2 International Conference on website will provide all Alzheimer Europe Networking .......... 3 Alzheimer’s Disease in dementia-related infor- Vienna in July. There was mation in an easier to European developments.................. 4 significant media interest in navigate way. Special report - A look at the new these new figures which European Parliament (2009-2014) ...... 6 have already been adopted At the time of sending out Policy Watch................................. 8 by the European this newsletter, I am aware that our members will be Members’ News............................. 9 Commission for their own calculations of the number busy preparing for World Member’s Forthcoming Events ...... 11 of people with dementia in Alzheimer’s Day at the end Science Watch ............................ 12 the European Union. These of September. I would like Dementia in Society ..................... 17 findings as well as other to take this opportunity to wish all of you a successful New resources and publications ..... 18 research news from the ICAD conference are campaign and look forward AE Calendar ............................... 20 covered in great detail in to reporting your activities in Future Conferences...................... 20 this newsletter. our next newsletter. July also saw the transfer of Jean Georges the European Presidency Executive Director Page 1 of 20 Newsletter: July – August 2009 European Netherlands De Lange Esther (EPP), van Nistelrooij Lambert Alzheimer’s Alliance (EPP), Wortmann-Kool Corien (EPP) June 2009: MEPs who have Portugal supported the work of Alzheimer Coelho Carlos (EPP), Estrela Edite (S&D), Europe reelected Figueiredo Ilda (GUE/NGL), Gomes Ana Maria (S&D) We are delighted to Romania welcome back the re- Winkler Iuliu (EPP) elected MEPs below who supported our work in the last Parliament Slovakia ary session. We look forward to our continued collaboration with them, as well as working with Mikolasik Miroslav (EPP), Zaborska Anna (EPP) the newly-elected MEPs for the 2009-2014 United Kingdom European Parliamentary session. Hall Fiona (ALDE), McAvan Linda (S&D), Belgium: Moraes Claude (S&D), Simpson Brian (S&D), Brepoels Frieda (Greens/EFA), Staes Bart (Greens Stihler Catherine (S&D), Watson Graham –EFA), Sterckx Dirk (ALDE) (ALDE), Willmott Glenis (S&D). Cyprus: Alzheimer Europe Triantaphyllides Kyriacos (GUE-NGL) 13 July 2009: Numbers of people Czech Republic: with dementia in Europe higher than Cabrnoch Milan (ECR), Kohlicek Jaromir previously reported (GUE/NGL), Roithova Zuzana (EPP), Vlasak Oldrich According to research reported at the (ECR) Alzheimer’s Association 2009 International Denmark: Conference on Alzheimer’s Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna, the number of people with Jensen Anne E. (ALDE), Schaldemose Christel Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in Europe (S&D) may be higher than previously reported since Finland: both the number of new cases and the total number of people affected continue to rise Pietikäinen Sirpa (EPP) among the very oldest segments of the France population. Audy Jean-Pierre (EPP), Daul Joseph (EPP), De The goal of the EuroCoDe (European Veyrac Christine (EPP), Griesbeck Nathalie (ALDE), Collaboration on Dementia) project, financed Grossetête Françoise (EPP), Henin Jacky by the European Commission and coordinated (GUE/NGL), Lamassoure Alain (EPP), Morin Chartier by Alzheimer Europe, was to determine the Elisabeth (EPP) prevalence of dementia in Europe based on up- Germany to-date research findings. Dr Emma Reynish, a consultant geriatrician from the Victoria Niebler Angelika (EPP), Ulmer Thomas (EPP), Hospital, Kirkcaldy, United Kingdom and her Weisgerber Anja (EPP) EuroCoDe colleagues conducted an extensive Greece literature search using Cochrane review methodologies and compiled a database of all Koppa Maria Eleni (S&D), Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou European epidemiological studies in the field Rodi (EPP) up to the present date. 194 articles were Hungary identified by the review and 26 studies met inclusion criteria to participate with raw data in Surján László (EPP) the collaborative analysis. Ireland According to Dr Emma Reynish, while Aylward Liam (ALDE), Crowley Brian (ALDE), dementia prevalence rates for all men and for McGuiness Mairead (EPP), Mitchell Gay (EPP) women up to age 85 largely confirmed previous findings, age-specific prevalence rates were Italy higher than previously documented in the Panzeri Pier Antonio (S&D), Toia Patrizia (S&D) female “oldest old” age groups, rising to over 50% in those over 95 years. Luxembourg Goebbels Robert (S&D), Lulling Astrid (EPP) Page 2 of 20 Newsletter: July – August 2009 “Our key findings confirmed that age remains Alzheimer Europe calculated the numbers of people as the single most important risk factor for with dementia in Europe based on the EuroCoDe dementia,” Reynish said. “Nevertheless, due to figures and UN statistics: the lack of data in the oldest old in previous prevalence studies, the prevalence of dementia EuroCoDe EURODEM (2009) (1991) of women over the age of 85 had been Austria 126,296 111,294 underreported.” Belgium 163,511 144,594 Jean Georges, Executive Director of Alzheimer Bulgaria 99,291 90,584 Europe welcomed the findings: “These results Cyprus 8,024 7,285 Czech Republic 123,194 111,141 are important for two reasons. Firstly, they Denmark 78,744 70,108 confirm what we already knew about the Estonia 17,825 15,831 prevalence of dementia in Europe for people up Finland 77,516 68,738 to the age of 85. At the same time, the reported France 974,391 854,219 prevalence in the oldest old shows that we Germany 1,368,330 1,214,085 have previously underreported the total number Greece 159,275 144,745 of people with dementia in Europe. In the Hungary 131,995 118,169 European Union alone, we now estimate the Ireland 37,417 33,719 Italy 1,012,819 896,688 total number of people with dementia to be 7.3 Latvia 29,846 26,583 million, rather than 6.5 million. This poses Lithuania 40,619 36,423 important challenges for all European health Luxembourg 5,814 5,178 care systems, since the oldest old is one of the Malta 4,524 4,122 fastest growing sectors of our European Netherlands 210,666 187,912 societies.” Poland 391,344 354,160 Portugal 153,386 137,403 The prevalence of dementia in Europe: Romania 227,036 207,789 Slovakia 51,622 46,607 The findings of the EuroCoDe working group on Slovenia 25,380 22,822 prevalence found the following age-related Spain 690,992 611,734 prevalence rates for men: Sweden 161,327 141,948 Age range EuroCoDe EURODEM UK 931,134 822,679 30-59 0.16% Total European 60-64 0.2% 1.58% Union 7,299,318 6,486,560 65-69 1.8% 2.17% Iceland 3,319 2,967 70-74 3.2% 4.61% Norway 71,447 62,679 75-79 7.0% 5.04% Switzerland 125,614 110,654 80-84 14.5% 12.12% Turkey 253,367 242,771 85-89 20.9% 18.45% 7,753,065 6,905,631 90-94 29.2% 32.1% The working group on the prevalence of dementia >95 32.4% 31.58% was comprised of: The findings of the EuroCoDe working group on • Reynish Emma, Centre Hospitalier prevalence found the following age-related Universitaire, Toulouse, France/Victoria prevalence rates for women: Hospital, Kirkcaldy, United Kingdom Age range EuroCoDe EURODEM • Bickel Horst, Technische Universität 30-59 0.09% München, Munich, Germany 60-64 0.9% 0.47% • Fratiglioni Laura, Caracciolo Barbara, Von 65-69 1.4% 1.10% Strauss Eva, Karolinska Institutet, 70-74 3.8% 3.86% Stockholm, Sweden 75-79 7.6% 6.67% • Georges Jean, Alzheimer Europe, 80-84 16.4% 13.50% Luxembourg, Luxembourg 85-89 28.5% 22.76% • Kiejna Adrzej, Frydecka Dorota, Wroclaw 90-94 44.4% 32.25% Medical University, Wroclaw, Poland >95 48.8% 36.00% • Prince Martin, Institute of Psychiatry, London, United Kingdom Alzheimer Europe Networking From 2-3 July (Toulouse, France) Dianne participated in European summer school on health law and bioethics held at the University of Toulouse. From 5-7 July (Paris, France), Jean attended the Conference of the International Association of Gerontology and presented the findings of the carers’ survey at a Lundbeck symposium.
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    LSE ‘Europe in Question’ Discussion Paper Series Chronicle of an Election Foretold: The Longer-Term Trends leading to the ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ procedure and the Election of Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission President Martin Westlake LEQS Paper No. 102/2016 January 2016 LEQS is generously supported by the LSE Annual Fund Editorial Board Dr Joan Costa-i-Font Dr Vassilis Monastiriotis Dr Jonathan White Dr Katjana Gattermann Dr Sonja Avlijas All views expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the editors or the LSE. © Martin Westlake Chronicle of an Election Foretold: The Longer-Term Trends leading to the ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ procedure and the Election of Jean-Claude Juncker as European Commission President Martin Westlake* Abstract By focusing on the near-term campaign in the 2014 European elections analysts have tended to over-look a series of longer-term trends that were jointly and inexorably leading to the Spitzenkandidaten (lead candidate) process and to some at least of the subsequent structural reforms to the Commission. The paper argues that those longer-term trends continue and that the (s)election of Jean-Claude Juncker as President of the European Commission and the structural reforms he subsequently introduced are better understood as steps in ongoing processes rather than fresh departures. Thus, what will happen in 2019 will have been conditioned not only by 2014, but also by previous elections and previous developments, as considered in this paper. Keywords: European Commission Presidency, Jean-Claude Juncker, Spitzenkandidaten, European Parliament, Longer-Term Trends * Visiting Professor, College of Europe, Bruges Senior Visiting Fellow, European Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE Email: [email protected] The Longer-Term Trends leading to the ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ procedure Table of Contents 1.
  • The Future of the EU's Lead-Candidate Procedure

    The Future of the EU's Lead-Candidate Procedure

    ARI 40/2021 5 April 2021 The future of the EU’s lead-candidate procedure Paul Schmidt | Generalsekretär, Österreichische Gesellschaft für Europapolitik | @_PaulSchmidt Johanna Edthofer | Österreichische Gesellschaft für Europapolitik | @JohannaEdthofer Theme This analysis proposes the following policy recommendations. (1) the EU Parliament would be well advised to resuscitate and reform the EU’s lead-candidate procedure, which it vehemently claimed and defended until shortly after the European elections of 2019; (2) the EU Parliament should convince the Council of the EU to jointly enforce an electoral reform agenda well before the next European elections in 2024; and (3) transnational electoral lists could be a key element of this electoral reform, with the European lead-candidates being elected directly, thus further raising public interest in the European elections and increasing the democratic legitimation of the European Commission’s President. Summary The EU’s lead-candidate procedure was first applied at the European elections in 2014. The European parties reached an agreement that only those who had run as lead- candidates in the European elections for their respective political party would be approved as candidates for President of the European Commission. The lead-candidate of the party with the most votes is to be proposed by the European Council as the candidate for President of the European Commission and elected by the European Parliament. However, after the European elections of 2019, neither a fragmented European Parliament nor the EU heads of state and government in the European Council were able to agree on one of the candidates. Nevertheless, the lead-candidate procedure should not be abandoned.