A bridge across the Atlantic
As US President George W. Bush prepares to make the first foreign visit of his new term to Brussels, John Bruton, the new EU ambassador to Washington, talked of how to repair bridges between the US and Europe.
"The United States has seen the limits of its unilateralism," Bruton is quoted as saying in an interview in today's International Herald Tribune. "And perhaps the EU has seen the limits of its multilateralism... We know there are questions so urgent you cannot deal with them only through the United Nations. So we have an opportunity to re-establish lines of mutual influence."
The US "needs allies to achieve its global objectives", says Bruton, former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) and leader of the EPP member party Fine Gael. "And alliances are based on reciprocity."
Links:
Article at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/12/21/news/globalist.html
Fine Gael at: http://www.finegael.ie/index.cfm

Palestinian elections
The European Parliament is to send a delegation to monitor the election on 9 January 2005 for a new President of the Palestinian Authority. The thirty b group of MEPs met for the first time on Wednesday and elected EP Vice-President Edward McMILLAN-SCOTT (EPP-ED, UK) as their chair. The MEPs will be on the ground in the Middle East from the 6 to 10 January. They will hold meetings with the candidates and with election officials, before monitoring election day in five key areas: Gaza, East Jerusalem, Hebron, Nablus/Jenin and Ramallah.
European Parliament to monitor Palestinian elections

Czech republic
The ODS Party Congress met in Prague on 4-5 December. Hans-Gert Poettering, Chairman of the EPP-ED Group, addressed the Congress on 4 December

On 13th December, Alain Lamassoure MEP, former Minister will be speaking on the theme of "The development of European Institutions and the Constitutional Treaty," within the framework of the communication led by the Academy for Moral and Political Science presided over by Michel Albert.
Academy for Moral and Political Science

Gold medal for Alojz Peterle MEP (Slovenia) from the international foundation Mérite Européen
Alojz Peterle has been awarded the gold medal of the Luxembourg foundation Mérite Européen. The award ceremony took place recently in Berlin at the Academy of Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
The prize is awarded to the most distinguished European politicians as an acknowledgement for their work for a common European future. In previous years the prize was given to Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Hans-Dietrich Genscher, Wilfried Martens, Tadeus Mazowiecki, Alois Mock, Hans-Gert Poettering, Viviane Reding, Jacques Santer, Erhard Busek and others.

Franz Fischler wins Sicco Mansholt Prize
Until recently EU Agriculture Commissioner, Franz Fischler, will this week receive 2004 Sicco Mansholt Prize. The jury praised Fischler's "lucid ideas on European agricultural reforms and his great personal commitment and political courage in bringing them about". The award ceremony is on Thursday, December 2.
Website: www.mansholtprize.org

Manuel Porto, former MEP, elected President of the ECSA-World
Manuel Porto, Law Professor and Director of European Studies at University of Coimbra, was this week elected President of the European Community Studies Association-World.
ECSA-World brings together European studies institutions from 51 countries on five continents. This network promotes and publishes research by a network of more than 1800 experts and academics.
Website: European Community Studies Association

Mozambique
A European Parliament delegation will arrive in Mozambique on Monday 29 November to monitor the Parliamentary and Presidential elections on 1 and 2 December. The EP delegation is part of the EU observation mission. Joining the delegation in Mozambique are the EPP-ED Group Members José Manuel GARCIA-MARGALLO Y MARFIL (ES), Mario MANTOVANI (IT) and José RIBEIRO E CASTRO ( PT).
Before the vote the MEPs will have several meetings including meetings with the EU Representative in Maputo and the EU Chief Observer, José POMÉS RUIZ MEP (EPP-ED, Spain). The EP delegation will then have talks with the Mozambican authorities.
After the vote, MEPs will observe the count. Following the elections, there will be a press conference on the preliminary findings of the observers.

Portugal:
PSD Party Congress
On 12,13 and 14 November 2004, the Portuguese governing party, the PSD, held its party congress in Barcelos.
The Portuguese Prime Minister, Pedro Santana Lopes, was confirmed Chairman of the party.
Former MEPs Pedro Pinto and Fernando Reis were elected Vice-Presidents of the Political Bureau and the Congress respectively.
PSD

EPP-ED Group Strasbourg (France):
Schuman Medal    Photos available
European Commissioners Viviane REDING, Loyola DE PALACIO, Mario MONTI, Chris PATTEN and Franz FISCHLER were honoured with the Schuman Medal at a meeting of the EPP-ED Group in Strasbourg on 26 October 2004.
Hans-Gert POETTERING, Chairman of the Group, presented the medals and paid tribute to the work of the distinguished Commissioners.
The Robert Schuman Medal is accompanied by a Diploma of Honour and is awarded at the proposal of the Group Presidency.
From July 1986, when the Medal was introduced, to July 2004, the Medal was presented to 98 eminent public figures including: former Heads of State and Government, Presidents of the European Parliament and Chairmen of the Parliamentary Group, former Ministers and Members of the Commission, and Members of the European Parliament who have had a special influence on the work of the Group. Leading figures such as Elena Bonner-Sakharov and Martin Lee, who do not belong to the European Union, have also been honoured for their human rights activities.
The Robert Schuman Medal bears the name of the French statesman who in 1950 proposed to Germany and other countries ravaged by war that they should establish peace between the peoples of Europe on the basis of a new European Community with b, democratic institutions.
This Medal honours men and women whose courage and vision helped to reunite the continent of Europe and to bring into the world the values of freedom and democracy with which our political family identifies.

Finland:
Municipal elections in Finland (24/10/2004) were a great success to Kokoomus Party (EPP-ED). The Party gained 3.2 % more votes than in the Parliamentary elections in March 2003 and 1.0 % more than in the municipal elections in 2000.
Votes % (the whole country):

Party:	Municipal elections 2004	Change (%)	Municipal elections 2000	Parliamentary elections 2003
SDP ( Social-Democrats)	24.1%	+1.1%	23.0%	24.5%
KESK (Centre, ALDE )	22.8%	-1.0%	23.8%	24.7%
KOK ( EPP-ED )	21.8%	+1.0%	20.8%	18.6%
VAS ( Left, GUE )	9.6%	-0.3%	9.9%	9.9%
VIHR ( Greens)	7.4%	-0.3%	7.7%	8.0%
RKP (Swedish, ALDE )	5.2%	+0.1%	5.1%	4.6%
KD (Christian-Dem, EPP-ED )	4.0%	-0.3%	4.3%	5.3%
Muut ( Others)	3.3%	-0.7%	4.0%	0.5%

Europe:
The SME-UNION has a new face to the outside world: http://www.sme-union.org
The SME UNION (Small and Medium-sized Entrepreneurs Union) of the EPP (European Peoples’ Party) is the network of pro-business Christian-Democrat and conservative politicians and political organisations. Its main objective is to help shape EU policy so that it is more SME-friendly. The purpose of the SME circle is to ensure maximum cooperation with the Group of the EPP-ED in the European Parliament.
Jacques Santer (former MEP, Luxembourg) is the President of the SME UNION and Alexander Radwan (MEP, Germany) is President of the SME CIRCLE.

Slovenia:
3.10.2004 Slovenska demokratska stranka (SDS) is the winner of the national elections in Slovenia.
Result after 99% Votes Counted:

Slovenian Democratic Party - SDS		29(mandates)		29.13%		(277,183 votes)
Liberal Democratic Party - LDS		23		22.82%		(217,126)
United List of Social Democrats - ZLSD		10 1		10.20%		(97,096)
New Slovenia - Christian People's Party - NSi		9		8.90%		(84,639)
Slovenian People's Party - SLS		7		6.82%		(64,936)
Slovenian National Party - SNS		6		6.30%		(59,956)
Democratic Party of Pensioners - DeSUS		4		4.01%		(38,114)
National minorities		2
T otal		90 deputies

Germany:
EPP Women
On October 8th 2004, the first EWA Congress will be held. EWA stands for European Women’s Organisation, being a federation in which the EPP-Women and the European Union of Women (EUW) cooperate on equal terms.
The Congress takes place on October 8, 2004 in Berlin, hosted by the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung and in cooperation with the European Peoples Party. The issue at stake is Equality for Women and Men. The Congress takes place on the invitation of the EPP and EPP Women together with EUW.
A detailed programme of the Congress is available in English, French and German. The programme of the Congress as well as further information can be found at the website of the EPP Women

Estonia:
Party Congress of Res Publica
On Saturday, 18 September 2004 Estonian governing party Res Publica (member of the EPP) had their annual party congress in Rakvere, Estonia. EPP-ED Group was represented by Michael Gahler, MEP (Germany).
Juhan Parts was re-elected as Chairman with 832 votes in favour and 191 against. The congress elected also three Vice-Chairmen: Minister of Finance Taavi Veskimägi, Jaanus Rahumägi, MP and Sven Sester, MP.
The Party Congress adopted seven resolutions: "The way of Res Publica is conservatism", "Membership in the International Democrat Union", "Centre-right Estonia" among them. Other resolutions expressed RP's support to the XXI Century Education Programme; care for all nations; more possibilities to work; more power and more responsibilities to the local governments.
Res Publica party

Slovenia:
Hans-Gert Poettering, Chairman of EPP-ED Group visited Slovenia. On 16 September he participated at the Convention of New Slovenia in Maribor.
On Friday, 17 he held a Press conference in Ljubljana together with Chairmen of all three sister parties from Slovenia, namely SDS, NSi and SLS. He expressed his belief that the future Prime Minister of Slovenia would be one of at the Press conference present Chairmen.
After a meeting with leadership of all three parties he joined the SDS electoral campaign rally - a bus tour through two Slovenian counties.

Ireland / Europe:
John Bruton chosen to be Head of European Commission Delegation in Washington DC
The European Commission has chosen former Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland, John Bruton, to be the next Head of the Commission's Delegation in Washington DC. This decision reflects the joint wish of the Commission and Member States to raise the profile of the European Union in the United States

Robert Sturdy MEP, EPP-ED Group co-ordinator in the EP Committee on International Trade and Paul Rübig MEP, EPP-ED Group co-ordinator in the EP Committee on Industry, Research and Energy, join the EP mission to Geneva on 6 and 7 September 2004 to prepare the 3rd Parliamentary Conference on the World Trade Organisation, to be held in Brussels from 24-26 November 2004.

Europe:
La Commission européenne a lancé un nouveau portail «Dialogue avec les citoyens» qui fournit des informations claires sur la façon dont les citoyens peuvent exercer leurs droits dans le Marché intérieur de l’UE, et qui sont disponibles dans les 20 langues officielles.

Italy:
Rocco Buttiglione, Italian Minister of Europe, MEP from 1999 to 2001, was named new Commissioner

Portugal:
Pedro Santana Lopes, Prime Minister of Portugal, has now completed the formation of his Government and the final members have been named.

Carlos Costa Neves (MEP from 1994 to 2002) is the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry in Portugal. Regina Bastos and Jorge Moreira da Silva, MEPs in the previous legislature, were named Secretary of State for Health and Secretary of State for the Environment respectively.

Mário David, EPP Group Secretary-General from 1997 to 1999, was named Secretary of State for European Affairs.

Greece:
In Greece, former MEPs Giannakou Marieta and Christos Folias, are Minister of Education and Secretary of State for the Economy respectively.


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