Climate Emergency - Faster Switch to Renewables and Energy Efficiency
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Linking Domestic and European Politics
81 FIIA Working Paper May 2014 Tuomas Iso-Markku LINKING DOMESTIC AND EUROPEAN POLITICS FINNISH MEPS AND THE VOTES THAT SHAPED THE 7th EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT Tuomas Iso-Markku Research Fellow The Finnish Institute of International Affairs The Finnish Institute of International Affairs Kruunuvuorenkatu 4 FI-00160 Helsinki tel. +358 9 432 7000 fax. +358 9 432 7799 www.fiia.fi ISBN: 978-951-769-414-8 ISSN: 2242-0444 The Finnish Institute of International Affairs is an independent research institute that produces high- level research to support political decision-making and public debate both nationally and internationally. The Institute undertakes quality control in editing publications but the responsibility for the views expressed ultimately rests with the authors. TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUction 4 2. VotinG IN THE EP: A BALANCING act 6 2.1 At the intersection of domestic and European politics 6 2.2 Determinants of MEP voting 7 3. FINNISH POLITICS AND THE EU: CONSENSUS AND CONFRontation 10 3.1 Non-politicised cleavage 10 3.2 Parliamentary election of 2011 as a watershed 11 3.3 Finnish parties and the European Parliament 12 4. FINNISH MEPS AND 17 KEY EP votes IN 2009–2014 14 4.1 Issues of national importance 16 4.2 Issues with links to domestic politics 19 4.3 European issues 20 4.4 Voting patterns among the Finnish MEPs 23 5. SUMMARY 25 3 1. INTRODUCTION It has long been acknowledged that the members of the European Parliament (MEPs) act in a complex political setting. They represent national parties and are elected nationally, and their campaigns are often built around domestic issues. -
Green Parties and Elections to the European Parliament, 1979–2019 Green Par Elections
Chapter 1 Green Parties and Elections, 1979–2019 Green parties and elections to the European Parliament, 1979–2019 Wolfgang Rüdig Introduction The history of green parties in Europe is closely intertwined with the history of elections to the European Parliament. When the first direct elections to the European Parliament took place in June 1979, the development of green parties in Europe was still in its infancy. Only in Belgium and the UK had green parties been formed that took part in these elections; but ecological lists, which were the pre- decessors of green parties, competed in other countries. Despite not winning representation, the German Greens were particularly influ- enced by the 1979 European elections. Five years later, most partic- ipating countries had seen the formation of national green parties, and the first Green MEPs from Belgium and Germany were elected. Green parties have been represented continuously in the European Parliament since 1984. Subsequent years saw Greens from many other countries joining their Belgian and German colleagues in the Euro- pean Parliament. European elections continued to be important for party formation in new EU member countries. In the 1980s it was the South European countries (Greece, Portugal and Spain), following 4 GREENS FOR A BETTER EUROPE their successful transition to democracies, that became members. Green parties did not have a strong role in their national party systems, and European elections became an important focus for party develop- ment. In the 1990s it was the turn of Austria, Finland and Sweden to join; green parties were already well established in all three nations and provided ongoing support for Greens in the European Parliament. -
Waiting for the Nuclear Renaissance: Exploring the Nexus of Expansion and Disposal in Europe
Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy www.psocommons.org/rhcpp Vol. 1: Iss. 4, Article 3 (2010) Waiting for the Nuclear Renaissance: Exploring the Nexus of Expansion and Disposal in Europe Robert Darst, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth Jane I. Dawson, Connecticut College Abstract This article focuses on the growing prospects for a nuclear power renaissance in Europe. While accepting the conventional wisdom that the incipient renaissance is being driven by climate change and energy security concerns, we argue that it would not be possible without the pioneering work of Sweden and Finland in providing a technological and sociopolitical solution to the industry’s longstanding “Achilles’ heel”: the safe, permanent, and locally acceptable disposal of high-level radioactive waste. In this article, we track the long decline and sudden resurgence of nuclear power in Europe, examining the correlation between the fortunes of the industry and the emergence of the Swedish model for addressing the nuclear waste problem. Through an in-depth exploration of the evolution of the siting model initiated in Sweden and adopted and successfully implemented in Finland, we emphasize the importance of transparency, trust, volunteerism, and “nuclear oases”: locations already host to substantial nuclear facilities. Climate change and concerns about energy independence and security have all opened the door for a revival of nuclear power in Europe and elsewhere, but we argue that without the solution to the nuclear waste quandary pioneered by Sweden and Finland, the industry would still be waiting for the nuclear renaissance. Keywords: high-level radioactive waste, permanent nuclear waste disposal, nuclear power in Europe, nuclear politics in Finland and Sweden © 2010 Policy Studies Organization Published by Berkeley Electronic Press - 49 - Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, Vol. -
European Parliament
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 1999 2004 29 April 2004 REPORT1 ◄ on the Fact-finding mission to Finland, March 24 - 26, 2004. Petition 873/2002 by Niemelä and Sario Oy, on behalf of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation. To investigate the impact of the development of the Vuosaari Cargo Port, and related projects, on the Mustavuori/Östersundom area, specially protected under the Habitats Directive 92/43/EEC & the Birds Directive 79/409/EEC. Committee on Petitions Members of the delegation: Richard Balfe MEP Patsy Sörensen MEP David Lowe Secretariat, Committee on Petitions. Ex-officio members: Astrid Thors MEP Uma Aaltonen MEP Matti Wuori MEP and: Kjell Sevon, Adviser, Green Group secretariat, Linda Lindholm Ulriikka Aarnio Hannariikka Nieminen 1 presented to the Committee on April 26 & 27 2004. PR\528730EN.doc PE 343.922 EN EN Introduction The construction of the Vuosaari Port and hinterland has been discussed by the Helsinki authorities and planned by them for over twenty-five years. Long before their membership of the European Union, the Finnish Government and Helsinki Municipal Council agreed that an alternative cargo port was required in order to relieve pressure on the three existing ports of Helsinki and their urban environment. The economy of the Helsinki region has always been linked to the functioning of the port facilities and competitive development of the Turku port, further to the west, imposed sharper economic considerations on the decision-making process in Helsinki. Construction work finally began at the beginning of 2003 and it is the intention of the Helsinki authorities to complete the Vuosaari harbour and the related Vuoli traffic connections by 2008. -
Field Trip Report the World Heritage Committee Meetings
Field Trip Report World Heritage Convention, Helsinki, Finland. By: Francois LeBlanc, Head, Field Projects There were more than 350 participants to the twenty-fifth session of Finlandia Hall, Helsinki. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee. I had not participated to these Designed by Finnish architect Aalto Alvar meetings for some time and it was a great pleasure for me to re-connect with some old acquaintances. The meetings have become quite a complex forum. The working papers given to us at registration were more than 3.5 inches thick. I will not attempt to summarize what happened during the meetings because this will be done by the WHC secretariat and will be available shortly on the web at http://www.unesco.org/whc. I will simply highlight some of the Finlandia Hall. Location of the World Heritage activities that may be of interest to us and list the title of the documents Committee meetings given to us. Just the list is two pages long! Should you be interested in consulting some of the documents, please contact Annette. What may also be of interest is that when such meetings are held in countries that I don’t know very well, I usually try to update my knowledge of the country’s history before I leave. I have found a brief history of Finland and will share it with you in this report. I hope that you will also Finlandia Hall find it interesting. The World Heritage Committee Meetings The meetings were held in Helsinki at Finlandia Hall, a building designed by the famous architect Alvar Aalto, and were impeccably organized by the Finns. -
Internal Politics and Views on Brexit
BRIEFING PAPER Number 8362, 2 May 2019 The EU27: Internal Politics By Stefano Fella, Vaughne Miller, Nigel Walker and Views on Brexit Contents: 1. Austria 2. Belgium 3. Bulgaria 4. Croatia 5. Cyprus 6. Czech Republic 7. Denmark 8. Estonia 9. Finland 10. France 11. Germany 12. Greece 13. Hungary 14. Ireland 15. Italy 16. Latvia 17. Lithuania 18. Luxembourg 19. Malta 20. Netherlands 21. Poland 22. Portugal 23. Romania 24. Slovakia 25. Slovenia 26. Spain 27. Sweden www.parliament.uk/commons-library | intranet.parliament.uk/commons-library | [email protected] | @commonslibrary 2 The EU27: Internal Politics and Views on Brexit Contents Summary 6 1. Austria 13 1.1 Key Facts 13 1.2 Background 14 1.3 Current Government and Recent Political Developments 15 1.4 Views on Brexit 17 2. Belgium 25 2.1 Key Facts 25 2.2 Background 25 2.3 Current Government and recent political developments 26 2.4 Views on Brexit 28 3. Bulgaria 32 3.1 Key Facts 32 3.2 Background 32 3.3 Current Government and recent political developments 33 3.4 Views on Brexit 35 4. Croatia 37 4.1 Key Facts 37 4.2 Background 37 4.3 Current Government and recent political developments 38 4.4 Views on Brexit 39 5. Cyprus 42 5.1 Key Facts 42 5.2 Background 42 5.3 Current Government and recent political developments 43 5.4 Views on Brexit 45 6. Czech Republic 49 6.1 Key Facts 49 6.2 Background 49 6.3 Current Government and recent political developments 50 6.4 Views on Brexit 53 7. -
Factsheet: the Finnish Eduskunta
Directorate-General for the Presidency Directorate for Relations with National Parliaments Factsheet: The Finnish Eduskunta 1. At a glance Finland is a republic and a parliamentary democracy. The Finnish Parliament (Eduskunta) is a unicameral body. Its 200 deputies are elected by direct, proportional and secret universal suffrage for a mandate of four years. The Parliament enacts legislation, decides on the state budget, ratifies international treaties and oversees the Government. The Eduskunta meets in three major formations: the plenary session makes final decisions, the committees prepare the files and the parliamentary groups define the political orientations. The Eduskunta has quite extensive powers to formulate Finnish EU policy. Parliament’s position on EU affairs is generally expressed by the Grand Committee, which serves as Parliament’s EU committee. Finnish Constitution provides that the Eduskunta is involved whenever an EU dossier touches on the Eduskunta’s legislative or budgetary power and may also assume responsibility for other dossiers if either the Government or the Grand Committee (or the Foreign Affairs Committee for CFSP issues) so decides. The Grand Committee’s position is normative for the Government. A Finnish coalition government under Prime Minister Mr Antti Rinne (Social Democratic Party/ S&D) came into office on 06 June 2019. It is a 5-party coalition formed by the the Social Democratic Party (S&D), the Centre Party (Renew Europe), the Greens (Greens/EFA), the Left Alliance (GUE/NGL), and the Swedish People’s Party (Renew Europe). In early December 2019, Mr. Rinne resigned from his post as Prime Minister and replaced by the then Minister for Transports, Ms. -
Finland Ministries NCEE
2020-21 Legislative International Education Study Group FINLAND OVERVIEW OF RELEVANT GOVERNMENT MINISTRIES In addition to the prime minister’s office, the government of Finland has 11 ministries overseeing different policy areas: Defense; Transport and Communications; Foreign Affairs; Finance; Economic Affairs and Employment; Justice; Education and Culture; Social Affairs and Health; the Interior; Agriculture and Forestry; and the Environment. Below are overviews of the two ministries most relevant to this trip. The Ministry of Education and Culture1 is responsible for the development of education, science, cultural, sport, and youth policies, and for international cooperation in these fields. The objective of the Ministry is to provide citizens with possibilities for personal development through education and cultural services, to guarantee the skills needed in the labor market, to reinforce the national culture, and to promote international cooperation. Specifically, the Ministry is responsible for national policies related to: • Daycare, education, training, and research; • Arts, culture, sports, and youth work; • The archival, museum, and public library systems; • Religious communities; • Student financial aid; and • Copyright. There are two ministers responsible for the Ministry of Education and Culture. The current Minister of Education is Li Andersson, a member of the Left Alliance. She is responsible for early childhood education and care, general education, and vocational education and training. The current Minister of Science and Culture is Hanna Kosonen, a member of the Center Party. She is responsible for the Department of Art and Culture Policy and the Department of Youth and Sport Policy, including student financial aid. She is also responsible for science policy, higher education policy, and religious affairs. -
Deep Time Iterations: Familiarity, Horizons, and Pattern Among Finland’S Nuclear Waste Safety Experts
Deep Time Iterations: Familiarity, Horizons, and Pattern Among Finland’s Nuclear Waste Safety Experts A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Vincent Francis Ialenti Cornell University Department of Anthropology December 2017 © Vincent Francis Ialenti ii Deep Time Iterations: Familiarity, Horizons, and Pattern Among Finland’s Nuclear Waste Safety Experts Vincent Francis Ialenti, PhD Cornell University 2017 This ethnography reconsiders nuclear waste risk’s deep time horizons’ often-sensationalized aesthetics of horror, sublimity, and awe. It does so by tracking how Finland’s nuclear energy and waste experts made visions of distant future Finlands appear more intelligible through mundane corporate, regulatory, financial, and technoscientific practices. Each chapter unpacks how informants iterated and reiterated traces of the very familiar to establish shared grounds of continuity for moving forward in time. Chapter 1 explores how Finland’s energy sector’s “mankala” cooperative corporate form was iterated and reiterated to give shape to political and financial time horizons. Chapter 2 explores how workplace role distinctions between recruit/retiree and junior/senior were iterated and reiterated to reckon nuclear personnel successions’ intergenerational horizons. Chapter 3 explores how input/output and part/whole distinctions were iterated and reiterated to help model distant future worlds in a portfolio of “Safety -
BONUS in Brief December 2013 BONUS in Brief December 2013 | 3 BONUS Strategic Research Agenda Updated: Netherlands
in Brief 2013 DECEMBER CONTENTS PEKKA TUURI Looking back, 1 moving forward Looking back and Celebrating the first 2 year of implementation of BONUS in moving forward the European Parliament in Brussels by Kaisa Kononen, Executive Director, BONUS Guest column: 3 Member of the European Parliament Ms. Satu Hassi BONUS strategic 4 research agenda updated BONUS call 2012: 5 Viable ecosystem projects announced BAMBI - Baltic Sea 5 marine biodiversity BIO-C3 - Biodiversity 6 changes BLUEPRINT - Biological 6 lenses using gene prints In many ways this autumn has been for BONUS a turning point: the first year of implementation of CHANGE - Changing we have looked back on the now closed BONUS+ phase, decided BONUS (see next page). The pro- 7 cess concerning the other part of antifouling practices and negotiated a set of new projects as well as moved forward to for leisure boats the call, Innovation, is still con- in the Baltic Sea consider the BONUS future beyond 2017. tinuing, and the outcome will be announced in early 2014. COCOA - Nutrient 8 he two years since the and directly addressed the ob- of summaries’ will be published For BONUS, the thematic cocktails in end of the 16 BONUS+ jective. An impressive amount as AMBIO special issue in the be- content of the programme is not coastal zones projects have been a of new knowledge that supports ginning of next year. written in stone. The first stra- INSPIRE - Ecosystem 8 period of intensive implementation and development Selection of projects of the tegic research agenda was de- models for sustainable summarising and of the HELCOM Baltic Sea Ac- BONUS call 2012: Viable ecosys- veloped in 2006, then mainly utilisation of fish publishingT of the scientific work tion Plan in particular, and other tem and Innovation parts were focusing on the marine environ- resources done. -
Kohtauksia Eräästä Liitosta
KOHTAUKSIA ERÄÄSTÄ LIITOSTA Demokraattisten menettelytapojen kehitys Vihreässä liitossa 1987–1995 Katja Elina Mentula Helsingin yliopisto Valtiotieteellinen tiedekunta Poliittinen historia Pro gradu -tutkielma Syyskuu 2013 Tiedekunta/Osasto – Fakultet/Sektion – Laitos – Institution – Department Faculty Politiikan ja talouden tutkimuksen laitos Valtiotieteellinen tiedekunta Tekijä – Författare – Author Mentula, Katja Elina Työn nimi – Arbetets titel – Title Kohtauksia eräästä liitosta – Demokraattisten menettelytapojen kehitys Vihreässä liitossa 1987–1995 Oppiaine – Läroämne – Subject Poliittinen historia Työn laji – Arbetets art – Aika – Datum – Month and Sivumäärä – Sidoantal – Number of pages Level year 111 Pro gradu -tutkielma Syyskuu 2013 Tiivistelmä – Referat – Abstract Tutkielmassa tarkastellaan Vihreän liiton kehitystä sisäisen demokratian näkökulmasta vuosina 1987–1995. Tarkasteluajanjaksokseni jäsentyy Vihreä Liitto ry:n perustamisvuoden (1987) ja puolueen ensimmäisen hallitusvuoden (1995) väliin. Tavoitteena on selvittää, miten ns. uutta poliittista kulttuuria on ajettu sisään Vihreän liiton muuttuessa liikelähtöisestä ympäristöpoliittisesta vaihtoehtoehtopuolueesta hallitustyöskentelyyn osallistuvaksi valtionhoitajapuolueeksi ja miten aiheesta on keskusteltu puolueen sisällä. Toisaalta tutkielma seuraa demokratian lisäämiseen tähtäävissä instrumenteissa, kuten rotaatiossa tai vallanhajauttamisessa, tapahtuvia muutoksia. Lisäksi sivutaan kahden postmodernin ilmiön eli politiikan mediavaltaistumisen ja henkilöitymisen vaikutusta -
January 2020 1 Embassy of India Helsinki India – Finland Bilateral
January 2020 Embassy of India Helsinki India – Finland Bilateral Relations Finland and India have traditionally enjoyed warm and friendly relations. In recent years, bilateral relations have acquired diversity with collaboration in research, innovation, and investments by both sides. The Indian community in Finland is vibrant and well-placed. Indian culture and yoga are very popular in Finland. 2019 marks 70 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries. High-level visits - Prime Ministers Prime Minister Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru Finland in 1957 Prime Minister Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1983. Prime Minister Pt. Manmohan Singh in 2006. Mr. Vieno Johannes Sukselainen in 1960 - First Prime Minister of Finland Prime Minister Mr. Kalevi Sorsa in 1984. Prime Minister Mr. Matti Vanhanen visited India in March 2006, February 2008 and February 2010 (last two occasions to attend Delhi Sustainable Development Summit). Prime Minister Mr. Juha Sipilä: Feb 2016 (for Make in India week) Presidential Visits President of Finland Mr. Urho Kekkonen in 1965 President Mr. Mauno Koivisto in 1987 President Mr. Martti Ahtisaari in 1996. President Mrs. Tarja Halonen in January 2007, February 2009 and February 2012 to attend the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit. President Shri V.V. Giri in 1971 President Shri R. Venkataraman in 1988. President Shri Pranab Mukherjee: October 2014 President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, paid a State Visit to Finland on 14-16 October 2014 accompanied by Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises, four Members of Parliament, Officials, academicians and a business delegation. Agreements for cooperation in New and Renewable Energy, Biotechnology, Civil Nuclear Research, Meteorology, Healthcare and Education were signed during the visit.