ME Round Table

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

ME Round Table ROUND TABLE SUMMARY "What are the missing elements in diplomatic efforts in the Middle East?" 2012 Author: Leda Betti What are the missing elements in diplomatic efforts in the Middle East? Summary: Published by the Global Diplomatic Forum Copyright © 2012 -The Global Diplomatic Forum All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise without the prior permission of the Global Diplomatic Forum. The report is available at www.gdforum.org We would like to thank Leda Betti for the excellent work she has done on creating this report. We would also like to thank whole heartedly our distinguished Chair and speakers. Summary Individuating the gaps and silences of current regional and foreign politics in the Middle East. With this theme in mind,UK and European specialists have gathered at the House of Commons on 4 December 2012 for the round table “What are the missing elements in the diplomatic efforts in the Middle East.” Speaking in front of an audience of diplomats, foreign policy experts, and students with an interest in the region, the specialists engaged in an open and frank discussion on the three areas of the Middle East that are currently at the centre of concerted peace efforts by the international community, namely Iran, Syria and Israel-Palestine. Speakers: Andrew Wilson - Sky News Presenter Geoffrey Van Orden- Member of European Parliament, Conservative Party Chris Doyle - Director of The Council of Arab-British Understanding Daniel Levy , Director of the ME & NA Programme, European Council Marietje Schaake , Member of European Parliament Thomas Docherty , Member of UK Parliament, Labour Party Ivan Volodin , Head of Foreign Policy, The Russian Embassy, London Iran There is broad agreement on the fact that the issue of nuclear proliferation in Iran is a major contributor to tension in the region, and that the country should not be allowed to acquire weapons of mass destruction. To this end, most speakers stressed the importance of active engagement with Iran. Different opinions exist on what form this active engagement should take, with some speakers suggesting to limit the means of action to diplomacy (Ivan Volodin , Head of Foreign Policy, The Russian Embassy, and London ) and others taking a stronger, more uncompromising view (Geoffrey Van Orden- Member of European Parliament, Conservative Party ). On the meaning and effectiveness of recent economic sanctions to Iran, opinions ranged from finding them a useful deterrent (Geoffrey Van Orden), to claiming that they are ineffective (Thomas Docherty , Member of UK Parliament, Labour Party and Chris Doyle - Director of The Council of Arab-British Understanding), or pointing out that they have been more damaging than good (Ivan Volodin ). The Member of the European Parliament (Marietje Schaake) stressed the need of EU engagement with regional actors such as Turkey and the Arab League. Syria Opinions in this case were more fragmented. Disagreement existed on the question of the Russian veto in the United Nation Security Council, with the Russian representative clearly defending his country’s stance, and others blaming the current paralysis of decision-making on Russia, in different degrees. The range of positions therefore varies dramatically between non- interventionists, and speakers who stressed the necessity of military action. The role of the European Union in the Syrian question has also been subject toscrutiny, with the European Council on Foreign Relations representative pointing out the lack of decisive options that Europe is facing at the moment, while Geoffrey Van Orden suggested that the EU involvement in several crises in the region reflects its ambitions in foreign policy. A certain degree of consensus exists on the fact that military intervention in Syria would require more sophisticated technology than it did in Libya. Israel-Palestine This is a peace process with abloody and lengthy history. Such point has been made by the speakers throughout the discussion, with several of them claiming that the peace process through a two-state solutions is dead, and that stronger diplomatic leadership is needed to come out of this paralysis.However, opinions on what leadership might entail here varied greatly, and in accordance with the speakers’ interpretations of what causes the conflict. Geoffrey Van Order would like to see the pressure that Israel had to withstand rebalanced by the EU applying more leverage on the Palestinians, while the Director of the Council for Arab-British Understanding, Chris Doyle believed that the ‘divide and rule’ policy conducted by the governments of Sharon and Netanyahu has opposed reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, and contributed to further instability. Whereas Ivan Volodin was mildly optimistic on the chances of conducting successful negotiations, Daniel Levymaintained that Israel had no interest in a two-state solution, since Israeli public opinion experiences impunity all the time. Since Obama’s second term suggest continuity and a focus on domestic issues, he argued, a permanent solution to Israel-Palestine relations might be hard to establish. Next Steps - The Middle East and North Africa Programme Following the Middle East Round Table at the House of Commons, ideas will be extracted from the Round Table and other ideas by our researchers will be analysed to produce a Consultation’s Report examining scenarios for different resolutions for the different conflicts. The report is to be assessed by a panel of experts in a group discussion sessions in February before publishing it and making accessible to key global stakeholders. “The missing elements in diplomatic efforts in the Middle East Summary” House of Commons – 04 December 2012 Published by the Global Diplomatic Forum Copyright © 2012 -The Global Diplomatic Forum All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise without the prior permission of the Global Diplomatic Forum. The report is available at www.gdforum.org We would like to thank Leda Betti for the excellent work she has done on creating this report. We would also like to thank the team who worked on the planning, production and delivery of a very successful Round Table. Contact us: Email: [email protected] Telephone: +44 (0) 207 096 93932 .
Recommended publications
  • List of Members
    Special Committee on Terrorism Members Nathalie GRIESBECK Chair Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe France Mouvement Démocrate Elena VALENCIANO Vice-Chair Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Spain Partido Socialista Obrero Español Judith SARGENTINI Vice-Chair Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance Netherlands GroenLinks Jeroen LENAERS Vice-Chair Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Netherlands Christen Democratisch Appèl Geoffrey VAN ORDEN Vice-Chair European Conservatives and Reformists Group United Kingdom Conservative Party Heinz K. BECKER Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Austria Österreichische Volkspartei Ivo BELET Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Belgium Christen-Democratisch & Vlaams Caterina CHINNICI Member Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Italy Partito Democratico Anna Maria CORAZZA BILDT Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Sweden Moderaterna Javier COUSO PERMUY Member Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left Spain Independiente 27/09/2021 1 Edward CZESAK Member European Conservatives and Reformists Group Poland Prawo i Sprawiedliwość Arnaud DANJEAN Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) France Les Républicains Gérard DEPREZ Member Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Belgium Mouvement Réformateur Agustín
    [Show full text]
  • ROMA and LUXEMBOURGERS There Are People Who Love And
    ROMA AND LUXEMBOURGERS There are people who love and people who hate Europe. I happen to be a fan. The European Union ended wars, queuing up for the customs and it gave a voice to even the smallest member-states, like Luxemburg with 500.000 residents. Yet millions of other EU citizens have no say in the matter, no Commissioner of their own and no MEPs in Brussels, for the mere reason that they are an ethnic minority, like Roma and Sinti, Europe's largest minority. Why double standards? Is it because Luxembourgers are all white and Roma all dark? They are not. Thousand years ago, Roma left India and went to Russia, Persia, Turkey and Europe. Some intermarried with Jews and other non-Roma, or they lost their tan in Scandinavian countries. Even the Nazis noticed that racial purity is a difficult thing. They decided that 12.5 % of Roma or Jewish blood was enough to be deported. Gadje, non-Roma, also have mixed blood. New archeological findings reveal that only 10 up to 20 % of Europeans descend from the original tribes, the others have DNA from the Middle East or Asia. The major difference between Luxembourgers and Roma does not stem from ethnicity but from something that used to be very important in Europe: borders. Luxembourgers have them, Roma don't. The political relevance of the term "ethnic minority" is rather dubious. It means counting people in, not seldom to count them out. The reunification of Europe has deprived a whole nation from fundamental rights and this mainly happened because the 12 million Roma, present in larger numbers than Belgians, Swedes, Finns, Bulgarians, Czechs, Greeks, Danish, or Luxembourgers, did not live together in their own nation-state.
    [Show full text]
  • European Parliament Elections 2014
    European Parliament Elections 2014 Updated 12 March 2014 Overview of Candidates in the United Kingdom Contents 1.0 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................... 2 2.0 CANDIDATE SELECTION PROCESS ............................................................................................. 2 3.0 EUROPEAN ELECTIONS: VOTING METHOD IN THE UK ................................................................ 3 4.0 PRELIMINARY OVERVIEW OF CANDIDATES BY UK CONSTITUENCY ............................................ 3 5.0 ANNEX: LIST OF SITTING UK MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ................................ 16 6.0 ABOUT US ............................................................................................................................. 17 All images used in this briefing are © Barryob / Wikimedia Commons / CC-BY-SA-3.0 / GFDL © DeHavilland EU Ltd 2014. All rights reserved. 1 | 18 European Parliament Elections 2014 1.0 Introduction This briefing is part of DeHavilland EU’s Foresight Report series on the 2014 European elections and provides a preliminary overview of the candidates standing in the UK for election to the European Parliament in 2014. In the United Kingdom, the election for the country’s 73 Members of the European Parliament will be held on Thursday 22 May 2014. The elections come at a crucial junction for UK-EU relations, and are likely to have far-reaching consequences for the UK’s relationship with the rest of Europe: a surge in support for the UK Independence Party (UKIP) could lead to a Britain that is increasingly dis-engaged from the EU policy-making process. In parallel, the current UK Government is also conducting a review of the EU’s powers and Prime Minister David Cameron has repeatedly pushed for a ‘repatriation’ of powers from the European to the national level. These long-term political developments aside, the elections will also have more direct and tangible consequences.
    [Show full text]
  • List of Members
    Subcommittee on Security and Defence Members Anna FOTYGA Chair European Conservatives and Reformists Group Poland Prawo i Sprawiedliwość Christian EHLER Vice-Chair Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Germany Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands Jaromír ŠTĚTINA Vice-Chair Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Czechia TOP 09 a Starostové Clare MOODY Vice-Chair Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament United Kingdom Labour Party Sabine LÖSING Vice-Chair Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left Germany DIE LINKE. Laima Liucija ANDRIKIENĖ Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Lithuania Tėvynės sąjunga-Lietuvos krikščionys demokratai Johannes Cornelis VAN BAALEN Member Group of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Netherlands Volkspartij voor Vrijheid en Democratie Brando BENIFEI Member Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament Italy Partito Democratico Klaus BUCHNER Member Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance Germany Ökologisch-Demokratische Partei Jerzy BUZEK Member Group of the European People's Party (Christian Democrats) Poland Platforma Obywatelska 30/09/2021 1 Aymeric CHAUPRADE Member Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy Group France Les Français Libres Javier COUSO PERMUY Member Confederal Group of the European United Left - Nordic Green Left Spain Independiente Arnaud DANJEAN Member Group of the European People's Party
    [Show full text]
  • Towards an Eu Strategy for Collective Security
    THE TRANSATLANTIC SOLUTION FOR NATO AGS EADS · GALILEO AVIONICA · GENERAL DYNAMICS CANADA · INDRA · NORTHROP GRUMMAN · THALES TOWARDS AN EU STRATEGY FOR COLLECTIVE SECURITY With media support from An international one day conference organized by the New Defence Agenda, EADS, TIPS and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. Towards an EU Strategy for Collective Security 3 February 2005, Palais d’Egmont, Brussels I am EADS My name is Aurora del Castillo. I’m in charge of Integrated Logistics Support for military aircraft at EADS CASA, the Spanish partner in the Eurofighter programme. A modern air force isn’t just aircraft, but a complex package of logistics services that range from pilot training and flight simulators to spare parts. My role is to liaise with senior officers from customers’ air forces, determine their needs and ensure these are fulfilled. I remain their key contact long after the aircraft has been delivered. I’m Spanish and European. I’m a woman in what is no longer a man’s world. I am EADS. www.eads.com AIRBUS EUROCOPTER EUROFIGHTER A400M METEOR GALILEO ARIANE The views expressed in this Report are personal opinions and not necessarily the views of the organisations they represent, nor of the New Defence Agenda, its members or sponsors. Contents Reproduction in whole or in part is permitted, providing that full attribution is made to the New Defence Agenda and INTRODUCTION 5 to the source(s) in question, and provided that any such reproduction, whether in whole or in part, is not sold unless Giles Merritt, Director, New Defence Agenda incorporated in other works.
    [Show full text]
  • Democratic Audit: European Elections 2019: What Will Happen in the East of England Region? Page 1 of 6
    Democratic Audit: European elections 2019: what will happen in the East of England region? Page 1 of 6 European elections 2019: what will happen in the East of England region? Traditionally this is a Conservative region at Westminster elections. Yet the East of England is strongly Eurosceptic and UKIP came top here in the last European Parliament elections in 2014, although the Tories hung on (just) to three seats. The Brexit Party now look certain to take over the UKIP vote and comfortably come first: on current polls they are guaranteed three of the region’s seven seats, and possibly one more. The latest polling indicates that Labour and the Liberal Democrats look assured of a single seat each. So the main uncertainty hangs on just how dominant the Brexit Party vote will be, whether the Tories’ slump means that they lose all of their seats here, and whether the Greens can pick up a seat. With voters able to cast only a single vote for a party list, the Democratic Audit team reviews likely outcomes for the parties and the main potentially electable candidates. Norwich cathedral. Picture: MemoryCatcher / 3041 images The East of England region juts into the North Sea and covers East Anglia down to the northern fringes of London. People here voted 56.5% to 43.5% for Leave in the Brexit referendum. Yet the area also includes some anti-Brexit cities such as Norwich and Cambridge. Last time UKIP won 35% of the vote and gained three MEPs (two of whom subsequently defected to other parties).
    [Show full text]
  • The European Union Symbols and Their Adoption by the European Parliament
    The European Union Symbols and their Adoption by the European Parliament Standard Note: SN/IA/4874 Last updated: 22 October 2008 Author: Vaughne Miller Section International Affairs and Defence Section This Note considers the symbols traditionally used by the European Union institutions and the recent formal adoption of them by the European Parliament. This information is provided to Members of Parliament in support of their parliamentary duties and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual. It should not be relied upon as being up to date; the law or policies may have changed since it was last updated; and it should not be relied upon as legal or professional advice or as a substitute for it. A suitably qualified professional should be consulted if specific advice or information is required. This information is provided subject to our general terms and conditions which are available online or may be provided on request in hard copy. Authors are available to discuss the content of this briefing with Members and their staff, but not with the general public. Contents 1 The Symbols of the EU 3 1.1 Flag 3 1.2 Anthem 4 1.3 Europe Day 4 1.4 Motto 5 1.5 Euro 5 2 Attempts to formalise the symbols through Treaty change 6 2.1 The Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe 6 2.2 The Treaty of Lisbon 6 3 European Parliament amendment to Rules of Procedure 7 3.1 Constitutional Affairs Committee report 7 3.2 The Plenary adopts the symbols 7 4 Implications and reaction 9 2 1 The Symbols of the EU The process for the adoption of the EU single currency in three stages was enshrined in the 1991 Treaty on European Union (Maastricht Treaty), although the aim of economic and monetary union (EMU) had been acknowledged at the 1969 European Council summit at The Hague.1 The EU flag, anthem and Europe Day were adopted by the European Council in Milan in 1985, while the “United in Diversity” motto was adopted in 2000.
    [Show full text]
  • 2 0 1 8 a N N U a L R E P O
    A N N U A L R E P O R T R E P O R T B Y 2 0 1 8 T H E A T L A N T I C T R E A T Y A S S O C I A T I O N A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 8 A publication of Atlantic Treaty Association Club Prince Albert Rue des Petits Carmes, 20-24 B- 1000 Bruxelles Tel: +32 2 502 31 60 Email: [email protected] Web: www.atahq.org 1 CONTENTS MISSION & VISION FOREWORDS ATA President ATA Secretary General NATO PUBLICATION GENERAL ASSEMBLY BUCHAREST ATA MEMBERS Albania Italy Armenia Lithuania Austria Montenegro Azerbaijan Netherlands Bosnia & Herzegovina North Macedonia Bulgaria Norway Canada Portugal Croatia Romania Estonia Serbia Georgia Slovakia Germany Slovenia Greece Spain Hungary Ukraine Iceland United States (US) Israel 2 MISSION & VISION The Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) is an organization of 37 national chapters that, since 1954, has been conducting research, analyses, training, education, and information activities on foreign policy, security and defense issues relevant to the Atlantic Alliance. Relying on its extended and highly qualified network, ATA produces top- notch knowledge on strategic themes and promotes a variety of programs and events. ATA initiatives draw together government and institutional authorities, political leaders, decision-makers, diplomats, civilian and military officers, academics, economic actors, media representatives, as well as young professionals and researchers, in an effort to further a cooperative approach to security and international relations. 3 ATA has established cooperation programs with likeminded organizations in countries of the NATO Partnership for Peace, Mediterranean Dialogue and Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.
    [Show full text]
  • Preventing and Tackling Violent Extremism – What Works Best?
    Preventing and tackling violent extremism – what works best? Wednesday, 31 May 2017 Science14 Atrium, Rue de la science 14b Brussels Conference Programme Morning session Time Topic Duration 08:30 Arrival and registration 30 min Welcome address 09:00 10 min - Hans Pung, RAND Europe Opening keynote speech 09:10 - Alexandra Antoniadis, Head of sector Prevention and radicalization, DG 20 min Home Panel 1 - EU and national responses to current security context, including terrorism and violent radicalization - Geoffrey Van Orden MEP 09:30 - Eva Joly MEP 75 min - Simon Smith, IMPACT Europe Advisory Board - Theo Muskee, Dutch National Police - Hans Pung, RAND Europe (Chair) 10:45 Coffee break 15 min Panel 2 - IMPACT Europe presentation - Joanna Hofman, RAND Europe 11:00 - Dianne van Hemert, TNO 60 min - Ron van Wonderen, Verwey-Jonker Instituut - Hans Pung, RAND Europe (Chair) 12:00 Buffet lunch 45 min This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no. 312235 Afternoon session Time Topic Duration Panel 3 - Ongoing measures to support countering violent extremism and their effectiveness and the contribution of IMPACT Europe - Merel Molenkamp, Radicalisation Awareness Network 12:45 - Ivan Calabuig-Williams, IMPACT Europe Advisory Board 90 min - Steffen Saigusa Nielsen, Aarhus Municipality - Ana Gomes MEP - Jean-Luc Marret, Fondation pour la recherche stratégique (Chair) Panel 4 - Emerging measures and approaches to preventing and countering violent extremism 14:15 - Rebecca Skellett, Strong Cities Network - Institute for Strategic Dialogue 70 min - Anissa Akhandaf, Antwerp Municipality - Prof. Hilary Pilkington, University of Manchester - Harald Weilnböck, Cultures Interactive (Chair) 15:25 Coffee break 20 min Panel 5 - Good practices and possible future initiatives for better understanding and tackling violent radicalization - Cristina Mattei, Hedayah 15:45 - Prof.
    [Show full text]
  • European Parliament Elections 2009 RESEARCH PAPER 09/53 17 June 2009
    European Parliament Elections 2009 RESEARCH PAPER 09/53 17 June 2009 Elections to the European Parliament were held across the 27 states of the European Union between 4 and 7 June 2009. The UK elections were held concurrently with the county council elections in England on 4 June. The UK now has 72 MEPs, down from 78 at the last election, distributed between 12 regions. The Conservatives won 25 seats, both UKIP and Labour 13 and the Liberal Democrats 11. The Green Party held their two seats, while the BNP won their first two seats in the European parliament. Labour lost five seats compared with the comparative pre-election position. The Conservatives won the popular vote overall, and every region in Great Britain except the North East, where Labour won, and Scotland, where the SNP won. UKIP won more votes than Labour. UK turnout was 34.5%. Across Europe, centre-right parties, whether in power or opposition, tended to perform better than those on the centre-left. The exact political balance of the new Parliament depends on the formation of Groups. The UK was not alone in seeing gains for far-right and nationalistic parties. Turnout across the EU was 43%. It was particularly low in some of the newer Member States. Part 1 of this paper presents the full results of the UK elections, including regional analysis and local-level data. Part 2 presents summary results of the results across the EU, together with country-level summaries based on data from official national sources. Adam Mellows-Facer Richard Cracknell Sean Lightbown Recent Research
    [Show full text]
  • Going Global: Europe's Security Policy Challenge
    CONFERENCE REPORT Co-organised by: Pub 76>,905.;/,-<;<9, *HYYPLY /HTPS[VU:\UKZ[YHUK 6[PZ 7YH[[ >OP[UL` :PRVYZR` <;*-PYL :LJ\YP[` >LHYL[OLJVTWHUPLZVM<UP[LK;LJOUVSVNPLZ>LLTWSV`ULHYS` WLVWSLHJYVZZ,\YVWLHUJV\U[YPLZ-YVT0YLSHUK[V :0?)<:05,::,: ;\YRL`HUKMYVT-PUSHUK[V7VY[\NHSV\YWYVK\J[ZHUK[LJOUVSVNPLZ 65,76>,9-<3*647(5@ WV^LYTVKLYUSPML¶H[OVTLH[^VYRHUKL]LY`^OLYLPUIL[^LLU >LKL]LSVWZLJ\YP[`HUKKLMLUZLJHWHIPSP[PLZ[VWYV[LJ[`V\MYVT OHYTHUKLUZ\YL[OH[V\YL]LYJOHUNPUN^VYSKY\UZIL[[LYMHZ[LY HUKTVYLLMÄJPLU[S`>LHYL<UP[LK;LJOUVSVNPLZ SECURITY AND DEFENCE DAY 2010 Conference Report 3 GOING GLOBAL: EUROPE’S SECURITY POLICY CHALLENGE CONFERENCE REPORT Security and Defence Day Palais d’Egmont - Brussels - 30 November 2010 4 Conference Report SECURITY AND DEFENCE DAY 2010 Giles Merritt Olivier Darrason Foreword In November 2010, the SDA and CEIS organised with that of the French Presidency in 2008 and that of their joint Security & Defence Day conference for the Sweden in 2009, the Belgian Presidency gave its sup- third year running. This annual event allows business port to this event from the outset, and naturally we hope leaders and policymakers from the European institu- that this will be the case with the Polish Presidency. tions and member states to freely express their views on Our thanks go out to our many distinguished speak- the key security and defence topics of tomorrow. ers for their contributions, and first and foremost to This latest SecDef conference covered a range of Pieter De Crem, the Belgian Minister of Defence, sensitive and important issues under the broad head- and Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner ings of the Lisbon Treaty’s implementation and the EU for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and budget for 2014-2020.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 03 Sept. 2014 How the Sakharov Prize 2014 Is Awarded Background Briefing in the Next 10 Days, the Nominations of the Sakharov
    1 03 Sept. 2014 How the Sakharov Prize 2014 is awarded Background briefing In the next 10 days, the nominations of the Sakharov Prize for Human Rights will be decided by the European Parliament. The prize is awarded to “honour exceptional individuals who combat intolerance, fanaticism and oppression.”1 Previous winners include Nelson Mandela, Reporters without Borders and Anatoli Marchenko. If you believe that Azerbaijani human rights defenders – who are now in jail following years of work on behalf of the rights of others, and most recently on a list of political prisoners in Azerbaijan (on which they are now included) – then let the MEPs who vote on this know. Nominations for the Sakharov Prize can be made by: Political groups in the European Parliament. Or At least 40 MEPs. The deadline for nominations is Thursday 18 September at 12:00 in Strasbourg. NOTE: In order to decide on a nominee from their group some political groups have internal deadlines in the course of the next week. The next days are crucial. We focus here on four important political groups which might to support this nomination: The EPP Social Democrats Liberals Greens 1Source: The European Union website: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/aboutparliament/en/00f3dd2249/Sakharov-Prize-for-Freedom-of-Thought.html 2 Once the nominations are been made, the Foreign Affairs and Development committees vote on a shortlist of three finalists. This happens on either Monday 6th or Tuesday 7th October 2014. The members list for the foreign affairs committee can be found here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/afet/members.html, while the development committee is here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/deve/members.html#menuzone.
    [Show full text]