*** THIERRY CHOPIN, JEAN-FRANCOIS JAMET, CHRISTIAN LEQUESNE: L'Europe d'après. En finir avec le pessimisme. Editions Lignes de repères (3 rue de Téhéran, F-75008 Paris. Tel: (33-9) 61025516 - Internet: http://www.lignes-de-reperes.com ). 2012, 99 pp., €12. ISBN 978-2-915752-77-9.
To start with, this is a disconcerting, if not disturbing, book. It comes as an unpleasant surprise because it does not cohere with the calibre of its authors, university lecturers well-known for their commitment to the European project. In 'unreasonable remarks about Europe today' in the first chapter, it's as though they've been biting their tongue for so long that they can no longer express themselves properly. For example, the fact that the European Union is now up to its neck in a 'vague crisis of meaning' is clear for all to see, as is the idea that the European politicians are largely responsible for this, since all of them govern 'with short-term aims going only as far as the next general elections in their home country' and, for French politicians in particular (but others too) 'making a successful political career in Europe remains a national experience.' But is it acceptable for Prof. Lequesne and his two colleagues to suggest that the 'peoples of Europe' should go along with the choices made by the political elite and themselves argue that it is necessary for European political life to remain a national characteristic first and foremost? Did anyone ever ask them what they think about this? The more that social models are affected by globalisation, the authors add, the more European societies will defend the State as the most important political community. They are probably right, as shown by the calls for people to shake off the cicadas from the south and the rising power of populism across Europe in general. But what suggests that the idea of moving to a 'federal state with an imposing budget' to find a solution to the crisis of the welfare state 'does not seem to be a priority for Europeans'? But has anyone ever asked them, the Europeans? No, and most certainly not the heads of state who are so bogged down in 'a type of national obsession arising from essentially national election processes' - 'solely' national would be more accurate, even for so-called 'European' elections. The so-called 'European' citizen therefore puts up with a lot, even in the conclusions of these preliminary remarks which are genuinely 'unreasonable' because the three authors, while they believe that Europe is still the best instrument for getting us out of the crisis, immediately state that 'this presupposes a voluntarism founded on the unity and sustainable political will of European countries and citizens,' to which they add 'which are lacking today.' Again, has anyone ever asked them? Isn't this a way of making citizens a figleaf to cover obsessions that despite everything still prowl the alleyways of power in the Member States to one extent or another?
Luckily, the rest of the book is not as irritating, although it does say that French public opinion harbours 'reluctance towards a European federal-type democracy,' because the specifically French character and genius would lose some of its magnificent superiority, but in reality, as pertinent as this is, surely it is applicable above all to French politicians rather than to the ordinary people of France who no doubt like all other people only want to have a good or better standard of living and don't get hot under the collar about whether the entity that makes this possible is France or Europe. Leaving that to one side, in a manner one is more likely to expect of them, Prof. Lequesne (director of the International Studies and Research Centre at 'Sciences Po' in Paris), Thierry Chopin (director of studies at the Robert Schuman Foundation and lecturer at the College of Europe in Bruges and at 'Sciences Po' in Paris) and economist Jean-François Jamet ('Sciences Po') point out that the old days of the status quo are now past because the 'weak and decentralised nature of European political economy has added a degree of political uncertainty and even a feeling of impotence to the economic uncertainty.' In order to oppose the resistible rise of populist parties and the mushrooming of additional angry movements, they suggest replacing the now exhausted 'founding talk' with a 'new shared message' of 'setting out again a collective project for the future,' in the aim, they explain, of rounding off integration 'without always being forced into it by necessity.' They suggest, for example, that ad hoc conventions should be held on subjects of political controversy which, they say, would 'encourage the seeking of compromises in line with the general European interest.' Fine, but wouldn't it be better to have a Convention that got to work on the full range of constitutional matters in order to give Europe at last (or probably only the eurozone…) an government of the economy that has genuine democratic legitimacy and a political standing worthy of the name?
It is clear that although 'the crisis has created an extraordinary moment in time that makes it necessary to change the institutions and have a clear debate about the future of the European Union, the eurozone and federalism,' some mental barriers remain visibly in place in the heads of French people who are committed to the European cause... This fact does not detract from their argument for a rehabilitation of the idea of freedom and political liberalism, or from their rousing - and pertinent - call on Europeans to 'create Europe with the planet in mind,' a call that runs throughout the book.
Michel Theys
*** L'Europe en formation. Revue d'études sur la construction européenne et le fédéralisme - Journal of Studies on European Integration and Federalism. Centre International de Formation Européenne (10 av. des Fleurs, F-06000 Nice. Tel: (33-4) 93979397 - Fax: 93979398 - email: europe.formation@cife.eu - Internet: http://www.europeenformation.eu ). 2012, No. 363, 480 pp, €20. Annual subscription: €50. Online publisher: http://www.cairn.info/revue-l-europe-en-formation.htm
This issue of the review created more than half a century ago by the high priest of full-scale federalism, Alexandre Marc, marks an epoch in that it constitutes a balance sheet of scientific works on federalism and practical experiences of it, along with its potential for the future: 'What is and ought to be the contribution of federalism - both as an ideal and as an instrument of government - for future political developments and the rise of new techniques for decision-making processes in Europe?' This is one of the questions acting as a backdrop to the twenty-three essays by experts in this impressive tome. It is divided into three sections, in the first of which the authors systematically review the conceptual framework of federalism. Frédéric Lépine, the review's editor-in-chief and lecturer at the Centre International de Formation Européenne, seeks coherence in the general idea of federalism since it was first formulated by Montesquieu, concluding that it must remain an idea or principle rather than a concept or theory if it is to be able to take into account all the various discursive federalist approaches. He says that the most recent development of the idea is multi-level governance, a point of view confirmed by Simona Piattoni (Trento University and Innsbruck University) as she expands upon concepts like 'compound democracy' and 'directly deliberative polyarchy.' The second part of the book examines federalism in the light of how it has been implanted in Europe (Spain, central and Eastern Europe, the Western Balkans, Bosnia Herzegovina and so on) and other continents and countries. In the final section, the authors analyse various policies (immigration, the environment, financial relations and more), demonstrating that federalism is not only a political idea but also a tool that is 'indispensable in order to manage complex policy fields.'
(MT)
*** The Federalist Debate. Papers on Federalism in Europe and the World. Einstein Center for International Studies (26 via Schina, I-10144 Torino. Tel/Fax: (+39-011) 4732843 - email: federalist.debate@libero.it - Internet: http://www.federalist.debate.org ). 2012, No. 2, 64 pp. Annual subscription: €15, $18.
In this issue of a long-respected federalist publication, Antonio Mosconi devotes his editorial to attacking the United States for failing to understand that the 'the raison d'Etat of globalisation is cooperation.' The reason for this is not so much, argues the president of the Einstein Centre for International Studies, down to the White House as to the arrogant logic of Wall Street, which has unleashed a financial war on the sovereign debt of European countries in order to rattle and undermine the eurozone, with a strategic eye on getting the world to forget that the United States' public debt stands at USD 4.7 trillion, as opposed to only USD 1.4 trillion for the 'much abused European sovereign debtors.' This is no less than an 'open international attack on Europe, particularly the eurozone,' explains Prof. Mario Telò ('Université Libre de Bruxelles') who, in his essay, points out that 'the financial powers and right-wing circles, particularly in the United States, are openly aiming to destroy the euro.' As Antonio Mosconi notes, because nothing has been done to rein in the United States' budget deficit and US treasury bonds are increasingly unpopular in the rest of the world, the situation is 'a sinister reminder of the spirit of the Weimar Republic.' The editorialist writes that the European Union (or the eurozone at least) still has the possibility to bring the United States back to the good path by working to have a 'new international conference convened in order, like the Bretton Woods Conference, to reformulate the international monetary system on proper cooperative foundations.' That would still require, of course, for Europeans to give themselves suitable political and institutional means within Europe for this, like an EU budget of at least twice the current size. It is realistic to call for this? Current developments make it a realistic hope, argues Prof. Telò, for the introduction of an 'original form of political union, over and above the old fedealism-confederalism ideas,' with Germany having a very special role to play to ensure the dream becomes a reality. Other essays are equally interesting and examine matters like the European Citizen's Initiative, the freedom of information (seen as a 'common good in a federal perspective') and Antonio Padoa Schioppa formulating some carefully argued criticisms of the Budget Pact.
(MT)
*** MATEJ AVBELJ, JAN KOMÁREK (Eds.): Constitutional Pluralism in the European Union and Beyond. Hart Publishing (16 Worcester Place, Oxford, OX1 2JW. Tel: (44-1865) 517530 - Fax: 510710 - email: mail@hartpub.co.uk - Internet: http://www.hartpub.co.uk ). "Studies of the Oxford Institute of European and Comparative Law," No. 14. 2012, 424 pp, £75. ISBN 978-1-84946-125-2.
The proceedings of a conference organised in 2009 by the Oxford Institute of European and Comparative Law, this fine tome has sixteen leading legal experts presenting a varied and in-depth concept of constitutional pluralism in its various varieties. The concept was coined in the mid-nineties of the twentieth century in a book by Neil MacCormick who, in the wake of the Maastricht ruling of the German Constitutional Court, distanced himself from the dogma of the absolute supremacy of EU law over national law. At the start of the next decade, Prof. Neil Walker - who has written one of the essays - expanded the scope of this new legal theory by arguing that the State could no longer claim to be the only guarantor of legal and political organisation that that it therefore had a key role to play in the most-Westphalian world' we live in. Within the European Union, the new concept has since then received support on various occasions from the academic world, but has also given rise to determined adversaries of the approach that undermines the traditional constitutional interpretation based on the primacy of EU law. Moreover, in the course of time, the concept has been subject to various conceptions and interpretations, thus giving rise to six 'schools' thus far, ranging from 'socio-teleological constitutionalism' to 'pragmatic constitutionalism.' The different schools of legal thought and the controversies surrounding the concept of constitutional pluralism are examined in this remarkable book in which the various sides express their views, thus creating an impressive fresco of theoretical and practical prospects.
(PBo)
*** PASCAL FONTAINE: L'histoire européenne. Histoire, institutions, politiques. Éditions du Seuil (25 Bd. Romain Rolland, F-75014 Paris. email: commercial@seuil.com - Internet: http://www.seuil.com ). 'Points Essais' series. 2012, 384 pp, €9. ISBN 978-2-75782-891-5.
This book might not have appeared on the holiday reading lists of very many newspapers and magazines, but 2012 was such a busy year that not everybody could slip off to the seaside! Part of a collection of essays, it is a successful example in this period so rich in reformulations, re-thinks and reinventions of a book which helps one achieve what was recommended by Abraham Lincoln in deceptively simple words - to know what to do, you have to know where you came from and where you are going! Like his students at the politics faculty in Paris and the Ecole Normale Superieure, readers benefit from Pascal Fontaine's privileged career with Jean Monnet and then his various positions at the European Parliament. In sixteen chapters and 370 pages, readers are lead by this skilful guide, who was head of cabinet for the President of the European Parliament, Pierre Pflimlin, in the 1980s, from Victor Hugo to last March's Budget Treaty via the 'Monnet Method' and the 'Schuman Declaration.' He explores and sets in context passionate themes of the past and present, like solidarity, justice, innovation, the role of young people and more besides.
(PC)
*** La citoyenneté active. Pour une meilleure société européenne. Comité économique et social (Unité visites et publications, 99 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5469604 - Fax: 5469764. Internet: http://www.eesc.europa.eu ). 2012, 68 pp. ISBN 978-92-830-1628-1.
In the form of a comic strip, this elegantly laid-out publication sees members of the European Economic and Social Committee praising active citizenship as a 'cement that maintains cohesion in society,' as EESC chair Nilsson explains in the preface. EESC vice-president with responsibility for communication, Anna Maria Darmanin, describes the backdrop to the concept while twenty-seven of her colleagues illustrate it from anecdotes from their own life histories.
(MT)