nEUwsletter 28/10/2019
- European Horizons Bangor
- Feb 3, 2020
- 6 min read
Explanation of the political deadlock in Spain
By Thomas Lezeau
The fourth legislative elections in four years will take place in Spain on November the 10th. Pedro Sanchez, the socialist prime minister in office since last elections in April has failed yet again to construct a stable majority in the Spanish national assembly.
The crisis going through the political landscape in Spain can be traced back to the legislative elections of December 2015 where the governing party conservatives from the people’s party lost its absolute majority, winning just 123 seats out of 350. Because of this, conservative leader Mariano Rajoy chose not to candidate for the Prime Minister job that was being offered his way by king Felipe VI. Pedro Sanchez therefore took his place but lost nomination vote, his party not having any majority whatsoever.
By February 2016, Sanchez’s PSOE and the liberals from Ciudadanos had reached an alliance but still needed to count on the help from the radical left party Podemos. Since no agreement was reached on time with Podemos, there was no choice but to dissolve parliament. The elections of june 2016 saw the conservatives slightly reinforced but still unable to govern without socialist help which Sanchez refused to grand, famously saying “No es no” (no is no). Finally, internal tensions forced Sanchez to resign from the head of PSOE ultimately allowing the conservative Rajoy’s investure on the 30th of October 2016.
Following the corruption scandal involving the conservative party, Sanchez came back at the head of the PSOE and launched a motion of confidence to overthrow the government in May 2018. The motion went through and Sanchez ended up forming a coalition government with Podemos. The coalition functioned correctly until the debates around the budget came up in February 2019 where Podemos and their Catalan nationalist allies refused to go through with Sanchez’s budget before there was a referendum on Catalan independence. After the elections in April, political fragmentation made it impossible for Sanchez to form a coalition and though efforts were made to the very last day between Podemos and PSOE in order to form a coalition, the agreement finally fell through.
The elections on November then 10th will take place in possibly the worst context ever since 2015 with political fragmentation being exacerbated by the numerous elections as well as growing tensions for Catalonian independence transpiring in the protests in Barcelona. This may be the last shot that Sanchez has to unify his country and to fill the ever-growing gap between weary citizens and the political class.
Christine Lagarde's nomination at the head of the European Central Bank
By Charles Elie Martin
KEYSTONE/EPA ACTION PRESS/BERND KAMMERER / POOL
On Friday 1st November, Christine Lagarde was nominated as President of the European Central Bank. Her predecessor, Mario Draghi, gave her the golden bell, as the tradition requires, in order to officialise the transfer of powers.
Reasons leading to Christine Lagarde's nomination. The president of the European Central Bank is nominated for a 8 years mandate, jointly agreed by member States of the eurozone on the basis of a recommendation by the Council and after the European Parliament's consultation. The candidates who are expected to become president must imperatively have an authority and a significant professional experience in terms of monetary and bank fields.
This is why Christine Lagarde was nominated. Indeed, her professional background may not be neglected. She has been acting as minister three times in France: she was minister of commerce, of agriculture and of the Economy, Finance and Industry. Moreover, she was acting as the managing director of the International Monetary Fund, after Dominique Strauss-Kahn's resignation, for 8 years. Despite some unpopular regarding Greece, the general feeling about her mandate is positive. According to commentators, she would have given some credibility to the institution. Finally, Christine Lagarde was described as seeking for consensus by considering all the points of view.
These positive elements led to her nomination, but will this background be enough for Christine Lagarde to assume this appointment ?
Unsound inheritance and upcoming challenges. The former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi was criticised for his actions which still ave consequences today. On one hand, the use of negative interest rates was repeatedly faulted. On the other hand, the asset purchase programme was reactivated on the day of Lagarde's nomination, rendering her task all the more difficult. Indeed, this programme was criticised by national governors within the European Central Bank. Thus, this is the first strong challenge Lagarde will be facing. In a general way, it was noticed by economists that the European Central Bank's monetary policy is running out of steam, and that in case of recession, the new president would necessarily have to innovate in terms of public policy.
For now, Christine Lagarde shows confidence by assuming Mario Draghi's inheritance as she is willing to provide change in continuity.
The new Greek law to face the migrant crisis
By Emmanuel Jeanny
Since several years, Europe is facing a massive migration crisis. This wave had for consequences the rise of the populist parties across the continent, like the far-right parties in Hungary, Italy and more recently at the last legislative election in Spain. The southern European countries like Italy, Spain and Greece were and still are the most important places of passage. Several million people have fled conflicts in their country to go to Europe.
Some countries were not prepared to receive as many migrants. Many European measures have been adopted to deal with this unprecedented crisis. The living conditions in the refugees’ camps are really hard. “The situation of migrants, including asylum seekers, in the Greek island camps has dramatically worsened over the past 12 months,” declared Dunja Mijatović, the European commissioner for human rights, after a visit in the Greek island affected by the crisis. He also declared that “Urgent measures are needed to address the desperate conditions in which thousands of human beings are living.”
Greece is one of the countries most affected by the crisis due to its proximity to Turkey. In order to face this situation, the country recently adopted a law whose aimed was to curb migrant arrivals.
The government said that the new legislation was seeking to codify and clarify what are now a disparate set of rules into one rulebook, and to deport those whose applications have been rejected.
The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, declared that this law would create a “clear and functional” system protecting legitimate asylum seekers without “throwing the gates wide open to all.”
Nevertheless, several international institutions such as NGOs and the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR have expressed misgivings about the legislation, saying it rolls back fundamental human rights for refugees.
Similar measures have been taken by other countries like Italy which has recently announced its will to renew the deal struck in 2017 collaborating with the Libyan Coast Guard to stop migrant departures. The Five Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio told Italian parliament that this deal had reduced arrivals of migrants on his costs.
Sources : The Guardian, The Telegraph, France24
The consequences of the Brexit extension on Chinese students
By Anastasia Zeng
pixabay/cc
British Prime Minister David Cameron first mentioned the referendum on Brexit in 2013. Brexit lead to the dismissal of Prime Minister Theresa May, and to Boris Johnson's election. After consultations with EU leaders, the British government announced that Brexit will be postponed to January 2020. Brexit inevitably affects the international stage. This article will analyze the impact of this new Brexit extension on Chinese students in the UK.
Since the announcement of Brexit, the exchange rate between pound sterling and renminbi has fallen to its lowest level and is now generally maintained at 1 pound for 9 renminbi. A few years ago, the rate of pound sterling was ten times higher. Chinese students have thus recently saved a considerable amount of tuition and it has increased their interest in studying in the UK. However, once the UK leaves the EU, the exchange rate will plummet in the short term, and at the same time prices will increase.
On September 11, 2019, the PSW Visa Policy (a two-year work visa for studying in the UK) opened up to attract a large number of international students. However, if the UK leaves the EU, the number of international students in EU countries may decline. To this end, employment opportunities are exploding for chinese students.
Concrete consequences are to be determined in the next few weeks.
Source: safe.gov.cn State administration of foreign exchange
Comments