The Lisbon treaty has expanded the use of qualified majority voting (QMV) in the Council of Ministers by having it replace unanimity as the standard voting procedure in almost every policy area. Moreover, taking effect in 2014, the definition of a qualified majority will change:

Dale Carnegie’s “How to win friends and influence people” was written in 1936 and published in 1937- 76 years ago. It should be the first book that any aspiring public policy advocate, any politician, any leader should read and apply in his/her daily work. Dale Carnegie reminds us that the use of the principles, techniques, rules can be made habitual only by a constant and vigorous application of review and application. There is no one way. The principles, the techniques, the rules must be applied at every opportunity. If you don’t you will forget them quickly.

Prior to 1979, several prominent political leaders envisioned that direct elections to the European Parliament would transform the EU into a ‘genuinely democratic polity’. Amongst them, former European Commission President Walter Hallstein said direct elections would force those entitled to vote to engage in the questions and policy alternatives on which the European Parliament would have to decide.

The official run-up to the 2014 European elections started on 10 September 2013, when the European Parliament launched its awareness and information campaign. This campaign will continue beyond the elections themselves, until the newly-elected Parliament in turn elects the next European Commission President.

The campaign will have four phases.

Phase one starts now, with the presentation of the baseline ACT.REACT.IMPACT. This phase aims to explain the European Parliament’s new powers and their implications for people living in the EU.

The Future of Europe Group comprised of the Foreign Ministers of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal and Spain presented its Final Report in September 2012.

Here below are their views regarding EU Democratic Legitimacy and Accountability.

In 2011 African countries were awarded 43% of the development aid by the EU and the EU Member States. This equated to EUR 25.3 billions.

Largest contributors of the total development aid amount granted were the following:

The European Movement International (EMI) asks the European Political Parties to publish in due time Election Manifestos for the European Elections in May 2014. The nomination of top-candidates for President of the Commission must go hand-in-hand with the agreement on Europe-wide election Manifestos by each political family. Each candidate must stand for a political programme, facilitating a broad public debate on European politics and the future of European integration during the upcoming election campaigns.

According to the European Parliament Eurobarometer of 21 August 2013 'One year to go until the 2014 European Elections', the levels of citizens interested in European politics is falling. A majority of respondents say they have no interest in European politics, while a little more than 4 in 10 say they take an interest.

Here below are the results (June 2013) of those taking an interest in European Affairs by Member States:

Ms. Kerstin Duhme, Managing Director of FTI Consulting provides an interesting look at how the upcoming European Elections are going to impact the work of EU public affairs.

"The election to the European Parliament will take place from 22-25 May 2014. During the current economic crisis the European Union (EU) is going through, and with the increasing skepticism towards Europe, the elections and the changing of the European Commission at the end of 2014 are highly significant for the future of the EU.

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT

The table here below provides at a glance how much EU Member States have either paid or received from the European Union since their accession. The year of reference in 2011. The listing is in alphabetical order and amounts.

Contributors