Today's Movers & Shakers are about: the new president of the Committee of the Regions, changes in Commissioner Navravsics cabinet and in EEAS delegations, Brexit and more.
European Parliament:
Incoming MEPs:
An election will be held on 18 July to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Theresa CACHIA COMODINI (EPP, MT), following her election as MP. Bugeja RAYMOND, Vella NORMAN and Zammit DIMECH FRANCIS were nominated as candidates for the position.
National delegations:
Andrey KOVATCHEV was appointed as the new leader of the Bulgarian delegation in the EPP group.
Composition of committees and delegations:
Chairs:
David MARTIN (S&D, UK) was elected as the new chair of the delegation to the EU-Montenegro stabilisation and association parliamentary committee (D-ME).
Members:
Sven SCHULZE (EPP, DE) joined the committee on industry, research and energy (ITRE), replacing Herbert REUL (EPP, DE).
Brando BENIFEI (S&D, IT) joined the subcommittee on security and defence (SEDE), replacing Goffredo Maria BETTINI (S&D, IT).
Clare MOODY (S&D, UK) left the committee on budgets (BUDG).
David MARTIN (S&D, UK) left the delegation to the Cariforum-EU parliamentary committee (D-CAR).
John HOWARTH (S&D, UK) joined the committee on budgets (BUDG) and the delegation to the Cariforum-EU parliamentary committee (D-CAR).
Wajid KHAN (S&D, UK) joined the committee on economic and monetary affairs (ECON) and the delegation for relations with the Arab Peninsula (D-ARP).
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Substitutes:
Markus PIEPER (EPP, DE) left the committee on budgetary control (CONT).
John HOWARTH (S&D, UK) joined the committee on regional development (REGI) and the delegation to the EU-former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia joint parliamentary committee (D-MK).
Wajid KHAN (S&D, UK) joined the committee on budgets (BUDG) and the delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia (D-SAS).
John FLACK (ECR, UK) left the committee on petitions (PETI) and joined the committee on fisheries (PECH).
Get to know:
Viorica Dăncilă (S&D, RO) in five questions
European Commission:
Commissioners’ cabinets:
Tibor NAVRAVSICS: Patricia REILLY replaced Alicja HERBOWSKA as Deputy Head of the cabinet. Prior to this Ms REILLY was the Cabinet Expert. Jean-Philippe GAMMEL joined the cabinet as a Member overseeing education policy.
Want to know more? Click here for information on our Dods People EU service.
Correction: in last week's newsletter (10/7/17) we stated that Armando ASTUDILLO joined DG MARE when in fact he was already well established in this position.
European External Action Service (EEAS):
External Delegations:
Serbia: Sem FABRIZI began his tenure as Head of Delegation this month replacing Michael DAVENPORT, who will become British Ambassador to Kuwait in September. Mr FABRIZI served as Head of Delegation to Australia from September 2013 to June 2017.
Committee of the Regions (CoR):
Presidency:
Karl-Heinz LAMBERTZ (PES, BE) was elected as the new President of the Committee of the Regions, succeeding Markku MARKKULA, in the helm of the institution for a two-and-a-half-year term. MARKKULA was elected as 1st Vice-President. The new mandate will officially take effect on 26 July.
Julien DE RIDDER will become head of cabinet.
PES Group:
Catiuscia MARINI (IT) was confirmed as President of the group, while Christophe ROUILLON (FR) replaced Markus TÖNS (DE), as 1st Vice-President.
Incoming:
Germany: Tilo GUNDLACK (PES) and Katy HOFFMEISTER (EPP) became members as of 11 July. Mr GUNDLACK replaced Detlef MULLER and Ms HOFFMEISTER replaced Uta-Maria KUDER. Jochen SCHULTE (PES) was appointed as an alternate replacing Andreas TEXTER, on 11 July.
Malta: Mario FAVA (PES) was appointed as a Member as of 11 July to replace Marc SANT. He was an alternate member from January 2015. Sarah AGIUS (PES) was appointed to take the alternate position.
Italy: Pierluigi MARQUIS was appointed as a Member as of 11 July to replace Augusto ROLLANDIN, who lost his electoral mandate.
Netherlands: Saskia BRUINES was appointed as an Alternate as of 11 July to replace Ingrid VAN ENGELSHOVEN at the end of her term in office.
Public affairs news:
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Council of European Employers of the Metal, Engineering and Technology-based industries (CEEMET): Oliver ZANDER was elected as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors for a three-year term, replacing Terry SCUOLER.
News in a nutshell:
Brexit: Citizens’ rights were at the heart of a debate organised by the European Parliament’s Constitutional Affairs Committee on Wednesday 5 July. Parliament’s chief negotiator Guy VERHOFSTADT criticised the UK’s position on the citizens’ rights, and in a letter to the Guardian said that “the Parliament will reject any agreement that treats the EU citizens, less favourable than they are at present. “
UK Foreign Secretary Boris JOHNSON was slapped down by Downing Street after he revealed that the Government has no plan for leaving the EU without a trade deal. Speaking in the House of Commons, he said: "There is no plan for no deal, because we’re going to get a great deal.” That wasn’t the end of JOHNSON’s troubles last week. After he said, “The sums I have seen that they propose to demand from this country appear to be extortionate,” and added “go whistle seems to me to be an entirely appropriate expression,” chief EU negotiator Michel BARNIER shot back, “I am not hearing any whistling, just the clock ticking.”
In a press conference BARNIER announced nine new position papers on different issues, ahead of the first round of negotiations on Monday 17 July. The UK Government issued its position papers on nuclear material sand safeguards issues, the privileges and immunities and on ongoing union judicial and administrative proceedings.
On Thursday 13 July, the UK Government also published the European Union (Withdrawal) bill, which will repeal the supremacy of the EU law in the UK. The bill confirms that the Charter of Fundamental Rights will not be part of the UK law post Brexit. Labour made it clear that it will vote down the bill. Read more. SNP will also vote against, as it returns powers solely to Westminster, rather than to Holyrood. In a joint statement, the two first Scottish and Welsh ministers condemned the bill. It should be noted that both the Scottish Parliament and the Welsh Assembly will need to endorse the bill to apply across the Great Britain. Read more.
Labour leader, Jeremy CORBYN, Scottish first minister Nicola STURGEON and Welsh first minister Carwyn JONES met with Michel BARNIER on 13 July. CORBYN, who gave BARNIER an Arsenal T-shirt with his name on the back, set out Labour’s priorities for a ‘jobs-first Brexit’. His party is in favour of the UK’s membership in Euratom and the payments that the UK is legally obliged to make. BARNIER later tweeted that his door is open to listen all views on Brexit.
In trade news, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm TURNBULL said that his government would like to strike a trade deal with the UK, but not until after it reaches a similar agreement with the EU. Read more.
Meanwhile, a row has erupted over the UK’s nuclear safety and its participation in Euratom, with Brexit minister Steve BAKER insisting that the UK must quit the nuclear body, when it leaves the EU and Vote Leave campaign boss categorically rejecting the idea.
Bonn officially launched its bid to host the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Finland: Annika SAARIKKO was appointed as the new family affairs and social services minister, replacing Juha REHULA, who was released from his duties.
