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The European Parliament EPFMA Bulletin 75 · June 2021 European Parliament Former Members Association www.formermembers.eu Special Edition Special Edition 20th Anniversary We are Former of the FMA Members Page 12 Page 20 IN THIS ISSUE 03 Message from the President 19 The European Parliament 29 The current challenges Former Members Association of Democracy 04 European Parliament at work turns 20 (Pat Cox) (Edward McMillan-Scott) 21 The European Parliament: 30 Women in the IN MEMORIAM school of democracy European Parliament 06 In memoriam (Enrique Barón Crespo) (Maria Luisa Rodano) 22 A fruitful cooperation 32 Simone Veil: a free and (Monica Baldi) open-minded woman LATEST NEWS (Luciana Castellina) 23 Joining Forces to Analyse 09 Upcoming events and to Explain Europe 34 Nicole Fontaine: a (Renaud Dehousse) consciously pro-European 09 New members (Monica Baldi) 24 An active partnership for 10 Elections results Europe - The FMA and 36 My experience with the 11 FMA at work the Historical Archives Campus Programme of the European Union (Birgit Daiber) (Dieter Schlenker) SPECIAL EDITION 37 EP to Campus Programme: 25 Parliament’s archives on the An invaluable programme eve of their 70th anniversary (Michael Hindley) 12 20th Anniversary of the Former Members Association (Ludovic Delepine) 38 Celebrating Twenty (David Maria Sassoli) 26 FMA Networking overseas Years of Collaboration (Lord Richard Balfe) (Jonathan Larson PhD) 15 We are Former Members (Lord Henry Plumb) 27 FP-AP Networking 40 EP to Campus experiences (Brigitte Langenhagen) 17 Experience for the Future 44 Happy 20th Anniversary (José María Gil-Robles) 28 Election Observation 47 Messages from other and Democracy Associations (Brigitte Langenhagen) CALL FOR CONTRIBUTIONS The Editorial Board would like to thank all those members who took the time to contribute to this issue of the FMA Bulletin. We would like to draw your attention to the fact that the decision to include an article lies with the FMA Editorial Board and, in principle, contributions from members who are not up-to-date with the payment of the membership fee will not be included. Due to the long time lag between the call for contribution and the publication, some articles may be outdated. The FMA Bulletin is published by the European Parliament Former Members Association (FMA) with the assistance of the European Parliament. However, the views expressed in articles represent the views of contributing FMA members or guest writers and do not necessarily represent the views of either the European Parliament nor the FMA. Similarly, any advertisement does not imply an official endorsement by the FMA or Parliament. EDITORIAL BOARD PREPARED BY CONTACTS Brigitte LANGENHAGEN Elisabetta FONCK [email protected] Tel.+ 32(0)2 284 07 03 Jean-Pierre AUDY Lisseth BRAVO Fax.+32(0)2 284 09 89 Monica BALDI Valeh NASIRI Edward McMILLAN-SCOTT Valerie RASKIN Teresa RIERA MADURELL Sophie WEBER 2 FMA BULLETIN 75 · June 2021 MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Dear Members, intergenerational dialogue and Committee for the coming year. share our experiences by taking part in some 232 EP to Campus I would like to warmly welcome We made it. This year, we’re programmes, reaching thousands newly elected committee celebrating the 20th anniversary of of students. We have worked members, Mr Michael Hindley, the Former Members Association together to build democracy Mr Pier Antonio Panzeri and Mr (FMA). by volunteering to be election Manuel Porto. We are very glad observers and offer democracy to have the chance to work with support. We have also worked them. Thanks to the involvement and together to remember and honour commitment of every single the work and commitment of member. Thanks to the hard former MEPs during our annual I also take this opportunity to pay work of our former presidents, memorial service. At this point I special tribute to the outgoing former and current members of would like to thank all the families members, Mr Jan-Willem Bertens, the Management Committee, and former members who joined Lord Richard Balfe and Ms Zofija and our staff. Thanks to the us this year for our special and Mazej Kukovic, for the years of successful engagement with our solemn virtual memorial service. committed work, energy and numerous partners and to every We have worked together to build passion they have put into the single person who has helped to and strengthen the FMA, which development of the FMA. make the FMA what it is today: a today stands as the symbol of our closely-knit multicultural, pluralist shared success. and multilingual association Twenty years ago, one of our which aims to promote our shared stated goals was to stay in touch values such as respect for human These activities and achievements with one another. We will continue dignity, human rights, freedom, are just a few of the examples on this path. The bond we have democracy, equality, the rule of of a wide range of activities we built together is strong and will law and peace. have undertaken together over help us to go forward even in the years. And we will continue to these uncertain times. We can rely develop and engage ourselves, on the friendships we have forged I am delighted to present this as demonstrated by ongoing and beyond boundaries. special edition of our bulletin for recent activities such as Librorum Stay safe and in touch with one the 20th anniversary of the FMA, and the Reflection Group of the another. which sets out to acknowledge FMA for the Future of the EU. I our achievements and build on would invite you to take part and I wish the FMA a happy birthday. them to move forward and look follow the upcoming debates towards the future. The President within the Conference on the of the European Parliament and Future of Europe, contributing to Hans-Gert Pöttering all former FMA presidents have the democratic discussion and contributed an article, for which I sharing your ideas for Europe’s am very grateful. future. Finally, I would like to thank every We have worked together over the member who contributed to the FMA President years to promote political dialogue success of our 20th anniversary through meetings with national events and took part in the annual parliaments, our annual study General Assembly on 2 June. visits or policy roundtables. We Thanks to your votes, you enabled have worked together to promote us to form a new Management FMA BULLETIN 75 · June 2021 3 EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AT WORK Key facts MEPs adopted the new InvestEU Parliament adopted a Parliament adopted its negotiating programme, which will mobilise strengthened EU legal framework position on the proposal for a public and private investments for civil protection, in response to certificate to reaffirm the right to and guarantees simplified access the unprecedented experience of free movement in Europe during to financing. the COVID-19 pandemic the pandemic. (March session - P9_TA(2021)0068). (April session - P9_TA(2021)0128). (April session - P9_TA(2021)0145). The programme is part of the €750 billion 1.263 billion EUR will be allocated to the MEPs agreed that the new “EU Next Generation EU recovery package, Mechanism for 2021-2027, supplemented COVID-19 certificate” - instead of Digital and will foster strategic, sustainable by 2.056 billion EUR from the EU Recovery Green Certificate, as proposed by the and innovative investments and address Instrument (approximately five times Commission - should be in place for 12 market failures, sub-optimal investments more than the previous seven-year months and not longer. Holders of an and the investment gap in targeted budget). EU COVID-19 certificate should not be sectors. subject to additional travel restrictions, such as quarantine, self-isolation or Parliament approved new testing. MEPs also stress that, EU countries should “ensure universal, MEPs adopted the EU4Health rules for a common mandatory accessible, timely and free of charge programme for 2021-2027, which Transparency Register. testing”. aims to prepare EU health systems (April session - P9_TA(2021)0130). more rigorously for future health Parliament, Council and Commission aim threats and pandemics. to make registration de facto mandatory, The 2021-2027 programme as a precondition for certain activities (March session - P9_TA(2021)0069). and through equivalent complementary for Environment and Climate The main objectives include Action (LIFE) will become the strengthening health systems by measures. supporting countries to coordinate with EU’s most ambitious climate and each other and share data, as well as environmental programme. making medicines and medical devices Parliament formally approved (April session - P9_TA(2021)0153). more available, accessible and affordable. EU-UK trade and cooperation It is the only programme at EU-level agreement. solely dedicated to the environment and (April session - P9_TA(2021)0140). climate (launched in 1992). It entered EP President Sassoli, Prime Parliament’s consent was necessary into force retroactively from 1 January Minister of Portugal Costa and for the agreement to enter into force 2021. The total budget allocated for LIFE in the compromise on the 2021-2027 Commission President von der permanently before its lapse on 30 April 2021. Multiannual Financial Framework is EUR Leyen signed the Joint Declaration 5.4 billion (current prices). on the Conference on the Future of Europe. (March session). To launch a series of debates and A new law to address the discussions for an open, inclusive, dissemination of terrorist transparent and structured debate with content online was approved by European citizens around the issues that Parliament. matter to them through various fora, (April session - P9_TA(2021)0144). including digital, and where possible, Hosting service providers will have to also physical formats, and an interactive remove or disable access to flagged multilingual digital platform. terrorist content in all member states within one hour of receiving a removal order from the competent authority.
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