The State of the European Union. The European Parliament faces its most important elections yet

THE STATE OF THE EUROPEAN UNION 146 countries from 2005 to 2006, and director of the department of international political analysis) and abroad (having directed the foundation’s offices in Paris, London and Stockholm). His particular areas of interest include the future of the welfare state, the process of European integration, com- mon European foreign and security policy, and the development of social democracy in Europe. Guilherme d’Oliveira Martins is an executive trustee of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, Portuguese coordinator of the European Year of Cultural Heritage (2018). He has been president of the Court of Accounts (2005-2015), president of the National Culture Centre (2002-2016), Presidency minister (2000-2002), Tax minister (2001-2002), Education minister (1999-2000), Secretary of State for Education Administration (1995-1999), member of the Assembly of the Republic of Portugal for seven terms (1980-2005), and member of the Convention for the Future of Europe. He also chaired the Commission which prepared the Convention on the Value of Cultural Heritage in Contemporary Society (2005), was vice-president of the UNESCO National Commission (1988-1995), member of the National Education Council, president of SEDES (1985-1995), political advisor to President Mário Soares (1986-1991), and holds honorary doctor- ates from the universities of Lisbon, Aberta and Lusíada. He has been awarded the Cross of the Order of Christ and the Order of Prince Henry the Navigator and is a Knight of the Order of Isabella the Catholic. He has written numerous books on financial law, history and political science. Vicente Palacio is director of the Fundación Alternativas Observatory of Spanish Foreign Policy (on leave) and Associate Professor of Political Science at the Carlos III University of Madrid. He currently works as Political Adviser for the State Secretary for International Cooperation and Latin America and the Caribbean (Spains Ministry of Foreign Affaires, European Union and Cooperation). Ph.D in Philosophy from the Complutense University. Palacio has been associ- ate professor of International Relations at Syracuse University and a Visiting Fellow and Visiting Researcher at Harvard University’s Department of Government. He is author of dozens of analyses and articles for the specialised press on the sub- jects of Spanish and EU foreign policy, transatlan- tic relations and EU-Latin American relations. He is the author of “After Obama. The United States in No Man’s Land” (Catarata, 2016) and “Sovereignty and sovereignism” (Marcial Pons, forthcoming, 2020). He is a frequent contributor to the journal El País and social media. María Pallares is programme coordinator at the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Madrid. Previously, she has worked as research fellow for Notre Europe (Paris), the Rafael Campalans Foundation (Barcelona) and as free-lance consult- ant. She holds a Master in European Affairs from Sciences Po., Paris. Juan Antonio Pavón Losada. Analysis, strategy and political communication consultant. Master in political and institutional communication by the Pompeu Fabra University and in European public affairs by the University of Maastricht. Visiting professor of the Master of DIRCOM at the University of Seville, where he graduated in Labour Relations.Director of the platform on communication and European public policies www.euronautas.com and www.europeanpubli- caffairs.eu. Writer at El País, The Huffington Post, Equal Times or www.lavozdelsur.com. Formerly international policy assistant of the European Commission, today EU projects Communication executive in the Mobile World Capital Foundation