Syria - Europe's presence and scepticism. Foreign policy has its demands and the EU has expressed its confidence in the unity of forces that are opposed to the official government in Syria. Yet, in reality, the perplexities continue. Off the record, a high level European official expressed his doubts - the opposition forces in no way form a compact group and they fight amongst themselves; if we strengthen the opposition, the forces that support the regime will do the same and "we will go deeper into the horror" (see EUROPE 10724). I don't know who said these words, nor if he was inspired by a few European ministers for foreign affairs who were sceptical about the official tactic, or even by another personality. However, I do remember that last October, Pierre Vimont, the secretary general at the European External Action Service (EEAS) had already described the reality of the opposition in Syria - "Each of the different groups and different communities hates the others"; within the Free Syrian Army "a whole series of militias often operating autonomously" is hiding; in fact each is acting for its own account" (see EUROPE 10709).
I don't know if the person who gave his opinion a month later was Pierre Vimont, but I believe the EU has its reasons to be cautious. It must participate in the international efforts to appease the situation in Syria and all around so as to re-establish a modus vivendi; at the same time it must not hide its perplexities and doubts on the effectiveness of the decisions taken, taking European interests into account when Turkey, Russia and other key players are explicitly protecting theirs.
Egypt must choose. Egypt was part of the Arab Spring from the outset, but it is distancing itself. It is managing its relations with Europe differently - which is of course its prerogative. The commitment to respect the Camp David Accords in its relationship with Israel should remain valid, remembering that it constitutes one of the conditions for American financial support to the Egyptian army.
Yet the Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, is mindful that his electoral base belongs to the Muslim Brotherhood and he has firmly taken position against Israel in the current conflict over the Gaza Strip. He has offered to play a role of intermediary but, at the same time, in the Sinai area, the Egypt-Israel difficulties become ever greater. It is a complex reality then for the Egyptian president, unless (1) Mrs Clinton's successor is less strict with regard to Cairo's respect of the Camp David Accords; (2) the huge amount of funding from Qatar for Gaza allows Egypt to limit itself to verbal reactions, while respecting the Accords.
It is a delicate situation, in which the key players would like to avoid making explicit choices. Fresh clarification is awaited from Mr Vimont or another less official, but just as effective, voice.
Unsaid words. A few commentators have observed that, in his formal press conference last week, the French president, François Hollande, did not say either the word federalism, or the terms political union. Is this chance or political choice?
Daniel Cohn-Bendit pulls away. This is what one of the most commendable and famous members of the European Parliament said in his column in the French weekly publication Le Nouvel Observateur: "I will not seek a new mandate. I am addicted to politics, but not the point of finishing up an old star of the Brussels theatre". He won't step aside from the world of politics but he will express his opinion on a level that is "more open on the world than restricted to a continental competition - even if it was a European one".
This column will come back to the reasons for and significance of this move.
The Europe that young people love. "Symbol of the Erasmus generation…" This is how a newspaper defined a personality that is ever more greatly appreciated by the European artistic world. The Erasmus programme, as we are well aware, enables a growing number of young Europeans to undertake part of their university studies somewhere different from where they started them. Those who take part live and study with colleagues of other nationalities, they get to know new places, friendships form that will be unforgettable, and their professional outlook broadens. In the face of real Community wastage, which this column criticised in the previous edition of EUROPE, is it timely that it is Erasmus - one of the least costly European achievements - that a few member states want to sacrifice? A symbol of European unity, Erasmus is one of the rare European accomplishments that young people love and support in this growing period of Euroscepticism.
(FR/transl.fl)