Netherlands Schedules Snap Parliamentary Elections for October 29
The Netherlands will head to the polls for early parliamentary elections on October 29
The opposition to Jean-Claude Juncker’s European Commission President candidacy is increasingly waning, much to the disliking of UK Prime Minister David Cameron.
Italy was seen as Cameron’s strong ally in voting against Juncker’s nomination, but it now seems as though Prime Minister Matteo Renzi could be heading in another direction. On Wednesday, he met with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, where the two reportedly discussed next week’s EU summit for designating an EC presidential candidate.
Renzi’s demands are that the next Commission will focus on reforms that would move away from the austerity policies. He did not, however, clarify his position on Juncker.
Two of Cameron’s other allies in the anti-Juncker campaign, the Netherlands and Sweden, are also softening to the prospect of the ex-Luxembourg Prime Minister’s nomination and “do not rule it out as a possibility”, EurActiv informed.
Both the Dutch and Swedish Prime Ministers were cautious in their latest comments, saying that the content of the upcoming discussions will be far more important than the names put forward.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, a supporter of Juncker’s candidacy, has criticized Cameron’s approach and is hoping for a sooner decision, in order to avoid an institutional crisis in Brussels.
The next European Commission should begin its term in November.
About 1 200 000 "phantom voters" can be found in Bulgarian elections lists, Mihail Konstantinov, formerly a high-profile official in charge of elections, believes.
Bulgaria's Central Electoral Commission (CEC) starts receiving documents for the registration of political parties and coalitions for the early elections on October 5.
A majority in the European Parliament has approved Jean-Claude Juncker to be President of the European Commission, reports BBC.
The European Parliament is expected to approve on Tuesday the nomination of former Luxembourg PM Jean-Claude Juncker as president of the European Commission.
Former Environment Minister Iskra Mihaylova has become the nomination of the European Parliament's ALDE group to chair the Regional Policy Committee.
The European Parliament has re-elected Martin Schulz for a second presidential term, with 409 votes from the 751 MEPs.