The Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA)’s Post

The European Parliament convenes for its plenary sitting in Strasbourg this week. The Parliament is expected to re-elect President Roberta Metsola for a second term. Additionally, they will elect 14 vice presidents, who will act as speakers for plenary debates and as substitutes for Metsola and five quaestors who handle the details of internal parliamentary business. #EuropeanParliament #Strasbourg #PlenarySession #EU

How we vote in the European Parliament! Every party group and every national party delegation has specialised meps and experts on topics and they have staff, also they are engaged in working through these legislative proposals in committees, so they have expertise as well as experience with the proposals. Because it is difficult to expect every member of parliament to be an expert in everything. So that means that the power is in specialists hands!! And the members are just “rubber stampers” if they don’t do their own research on the subject! what do you think? #EuropeanParliament #vote #delegation #legislative #parliament #freedom

How incumbents create uneven patterns of competition during autocratization: the AKP case of Turkey, by Pelin Ayan Musil    📌 🇹🇷Ayan-Musil focuses on the system of pre-electoral alliances created by AKP after the decline of its popular support in the 2015 June elections. The article explores the survival of AKP in Turkey’s late stage of autocratization from 2017 to the present by analysing the strategies the incumbent party used to create uneven patterns of electoral competition.      📌 Interested? Find the full article at:  https://lnkd.in/dvaAgs5R  

See below a recently published co-written article by New Eastern European on the importance of electoral observation in young democracies, this article highlights what we as a team faced on a recent observation mission to North Macedonia , Many thanks to the Silba - Initiative for Dialogue and Democracy team for putting this together!

📧The European Letter is back! 🗳️For the 80th edition, the letter delves into the aftermath of the political earthquake caused by the results of the European elections as well as the challenges of the new legislature. The European Letter is published in 7 languages under the auspices of the Luciano Bolis European Foundation in cooperation with the Union of European Federalists. Read more here 👉 https://bit.ly/3KTO9Ao

The newly elected European Parliament meets for the first time today. From 16-19 July, all 720 MEPs from the 27 EU Member States will come together at the EP's seat in Strasbourg. This so-called constituent plenary sitting marks the start of the new parliamentary term. The EUTOP team is highly motivated to actively oversee all activities relating to the newly elected parliament, to keep constantly up to date with the latest political developments and to complete the upcoming assignments with full commitment. #EUTOP #EUElections24 #EUParliament #EuropeanParliament #EU #EuropeanUnion 

European voters are in the habit of treating the European Parliament elections every five years as inconsequential protest votes based on national issues not related to the EU. But if they vote for the far right this year, it will have major economic, environmental, and geopolitical consequences. My article:

FAOA Board of Governors Election live through 30 August Thanks to all of you who have elected to participate in the FAOA BoG election as nominees - the response was outstanding with 24 vetted candidates! The online election is now online as of last night 8 August through 30 August. This year’s nominee group is diverse in both composition, geography and experience. There is an even spread of active duty and prior service experience, and equal representation from the NCA (National Capital Area) as well as from CONUS/Overseas. All geographic FAO areas are well represented, with the following breakdown - INDOPACOM - 29%; EUCOM - 29%; AFRICOM - 18%; SOUTHCOM - 18% and CENTCOM - 6%. How to Vote Current members of the FAOA in good standing and registered on FAOA+Connect have already received ballots by email and will link you to the ElectionRunner platform to vote. If you are not a member of the FAOA, now is your chance to become a member and make your own impact in this vital process to guide the future of the organization!

A special election is coming up this month for the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO) which includes the following 2 bylaw amendments. These are needed additions to the bylaws allowing the board to create groups that extend beyond the single-year task forces to enhance membership activity and foster opportunities for engagement among members. Section 9.4. Councils: The Board of Directors may establish councils. The Board of Directors shall determine the scope of the council, its organization, its responsibility, and its specific charge. Section 9.5. Affinity Groups: The Board of Directors may establish affinity groups. An Affinity Group is a voluntary membership group that is based on a shared experience, common goal/purpose, and/or special interest.

Please find below our latest analysis of the proposed new EU Commission team and planned new EU policies