*** FINN LAURSEN (editors): The Making of the EU's Lisbon Treaty. The Role of Member States. Editions Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes / Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - fax: 3761727 - Email: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). « European Policy » series, No. 49. 2012,324 pp. €36.90. ISBN 978-90-5201-812-6.
Most of the chapters in this book stem from the fourth research conference of the European Union Centre of Excellence at Dalhousie University (which also effectively demonstrates how European construction continues to enthuse the academic world even on other continents). The book provides scientific verification of the lengthy gestation period leading to the Lisbon Treaty, which came into force three years ago. Fourteen specialists, many of them political scientists but also economists and legal experts seek to verify the theory of Andrew Moravcsik who believed that Union member states have been and still are “masters of the treaty”.
The political scientist Finn Laursen points out and analyses the main major stages of the interstate bargaining, which marked the decade from the Treaty of Nice to its Lisbon counterpart. The book is divided into four parts in which the different categories of protagonists are examined. The first exclusively focuses on Germany whose pre-eminence is explained by the “increasing influence” of this country in the Union. This influence has been further strengthened by the fact that the country took over the reins of the Council presidency during the first half of 2007, just when, as Laursen explains, “the whole process was controlled in Berlin, not Brussels”. On the basis of a politico-philosophical analysis, Hans Lietzmann (University of Wuppertal) demonstrates that it was during this presidency that the Union “obviously and visibly abandons its access to the ideational visions of its citizens” by dropping the 'constitutional character' of the treaty, which was rejected in spring 2005 by French and Dutch citizens. After having identified the preferences of the main German political parties in comparison to the European options of federalism, supranationalism and intergovernmentalism, his German colleague from the University Ruprecht-Karls Heidelberg, illustrates how Chancellor Merkel acted during those months as “a moderator and mediator holding back or even giving up national positions or interests” and the fact that her talents as a negotiator proved an important ingredient of the success she would ultimately enjoy.
The following part of the book focuses on the “big” member states, which, according to Moravcsik, are in this respect…more equal than the others. Bernard Barthalay illustrates how since de Gaulle and Monnet, France has been lugging around two different visions of the European arena. He denounces the absence of any fundamental pertinence of the treaty that left intact the Stability and Growth Pact. In his view, the next stage should consist of, “a federal pact among governments of the euro zone (plus or minus a few others)”. A majority of the French political class, both left and right, however, are not yet convinced of this or are even ready to ask the people what they think about it. Alasdair Blair (De Montfort University) confirms that in light of the red lines set out by Tony Blair during the negotiations, the United Kingdom has constantly worried about British sovereignty. Two other authors explain the battle waged by Italy and Spain to maintain as many seats as those of France and the United Kingdom at the European Parliament and to fight to preserve the spirit and substance of the constitutional treaty. The third category contains countries that have caused problems or have a tradition of causing them. In this connection, four of the authors show how in light of the Czech and Polish examples, it has proved complicated to adapt to a post-national political system so shortly after the yoke of Soviet communism had been lifted. The book's editor focuses on the efforts undertaken by the Danish authorities to avoid the transfer of sovereignty and which would have required the holding of a new referendum. Declan Walsh examines the action taken to get Irish citizens to move from a no to a yes vote.
In the general conclusions drawn by Finn Laursen, he points out that the main concern of states has been to avoid as much as possible the holding a referendum and that negotiations have confirmed the rising power of the European Council to the disadvantage of the Commission and traditional intergovernmental conferences. He also shows how the “big” member states have once again had the most influence and in the case of Germany, he demonstrates how efforts to pursue common interests were also taken. The director of the European Union Centre for Excellence draws the following lessons from this for the future, “As problems emerge, political leaders look for solutions. Among interdependent countries, those solutions will often be found at the Union level. If, one day, national leaders start explaining the reasons for decisions at the EU level, citizens' understanding of what the EU is all about may be enhanced”. When that day comes, it will perhaps finally be possible to reconcile the France of Jean Monnet with that of Charles de Gaulle…
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, 364, 464 pp. €20. Subscription: €50. La diffusion de l'Europe en formation sur Internet est assurée par la plateforme de revues scientifiques électroniques Cairn.info à l'adresse http://www.cairn.info/revue-l-europe-en-formation.htm
This weighty issue of the journal created fifty years ago by Alexandre Marc, eulogist of comprehensive federalism, is the continuation of a conference that the Europe en formation organisation jointly organised last March with three International Research and Study Centre at Sciences Po and the CoesioNet network. This takes place outside the traditional chronicles of Jean-Pierre Gouzy and entirely focuses on the Europeanization of the new member states following their accession to the Union. Has their entry into the European Club enhanced their political ability and determination to proceed with reform? Did the conditions imposed on them by the Union before accession provide an effective lever to this effect? Were they only able to meet some of the requirements because of the pressure and conditions to stop the process going backwards as soon as they were admitted into the club? These are some of the questions structuring the reflections marking these pages. Europeanization was gauged in this book in light of the current financial crisis and it also looks at implementation of European standards, the effects of sectoral policies in the new member states, the strengthening of their administrative capacity, the fight against corruption, the sometimes difficult cohabitation between their European and national identities and finally the very sensitive issue of minorities. In his introduction, Matthias Waechter draws the lesson that, “socio-political evolutions in new member states are far too complex in order to be summarized under generalizing buzzwords” and that conditionality was no more the panacea to developing Europeanization than the absence of sanctions was to opening the door to any of the subsequent excesses. The director of the European Institute in Nice, who also teaches at the University of Fribourg explains that the most recent countries to join the Union, “seem to be neither less nor more compliant to EU legislation than old ones”, which confirms the fact that Europeanization is always, “a long, slow, sometimes meandering process with many setbacks”. (MT)
*** MATTHIEU OSMONT, EMILIA ROBIN-HIVERT, KATJA SEIDEL, MARK SPOERER, CHRISTIAN WENKEL (Editors): Européanisation au XXe siècle - Europeanisation in the 20th Century. Un regard historique - The historical Lens. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes / Peter Lang (see address details attached). « Euroclio » series, No. 69. 2012, 215 pp. €34.80. ISBN 978-90-5201-850-8.
Did the phenomenon of Europeanization begin with Monnet and Schuman? The answer is a resounding no from the members of the International Network of Young Researchers into the history of European integration, who worked on this theme during a week in July 2010. This book provides an account of the work they accomplished and demonstrates that the concept of Europeanization enables us to go beyond the national framework and describe Europe's history in a much broader perspective than simply that of European integration. Their contributions also clearly illustrate that the phenomenon of Europeanization is not limited to post-1945 or the western part of Europe. In his introduction, Reiner Marcowitz, points out that the Monnet-Schuman Plan was a “Copernican revolution” in history and it began a conscious Europeanization of the issue of Germany and the process that led to a sociocultural and socio-economic interdependence that became increasingly more pronounced. It is also true, of course, that Europeanization has many other roots. The contributions in this book tackle the question of the Europeanization of European societies throughout the 20th century and in many different dimensions: individual, elites, social groups, representations and that of political decision-making. Nonetheless, as remarked by Professor Eric Buissière in his conclusions, all the different authors pose either explicitly or implicitly the question of Europeanization with regard to its institutionalisation and look at whether the Europeanization of structures is a prerequisite to the emergence of a European political and institutional framework and once this framework is developed how it itself becomes a factor for Europeanization. (MT)
*** AALT WILLEM HERINGA, PHILIPP KIIVER: Constitutions Compared. An Introduction to Comparative Constitutional Law. Intersentia (31 Groenstraat, BE-2640 Mortsel. Tel: (32-3) 6801550 - fax: 6587121 - Email: mail@intersentia.be - Internet: http://www.intersentia.com ). « Ius Commune Europaeum » series, No. 104. 2012, 361 pp. €60. ISBN 978-1-78068-078-1.
The fact that a book is now in its third edition, confirms the interest there is in the subject it illustrates. This book confirms this fact more than ever and seeks to provide clarification to students who are venturing into the study domain of constitutional law. The authors of the book provide a remarkably reliable and exhaustive account of constitutional laws in Germany, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the US. The systems in these countries are considered generic models. It also subsequently shows how the cogs in the US presidential system help to understand the Brazilian and Filipino systems. Looking at the nuances that prevail within the German and US federal systems help to understand the Australian and Indian equivalents. The British and Dutch monarchical systems help us to gain a better understanding of the systems in Spain, Norway and Thailand. The semi-presidential French system is the key to understanding the examples in Romania and Russia etc. Specific aspects of these different constitutional laws are the subjects of a comparative study, before a detailed country by country analysis is provided. As well as providing graphs that give insight into the systems examined, there is also a glossary, an index, translations of certain constitutional texts and extracts from the important provisions in the international treaties. This book provides a wealth of knowledge with regard to possible exam questions and would subsequently be seen favourably by a lot of students … (PBo)
*** GEORG GROTE: The South Tyrol Question, 1866-2010. From National Rage to Regional State. Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, Postfach 350, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - fax: 3761727 - Email: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "Cultural Identity Studies" series, No. 10. 2012, 186 pp. €53.50. ISBN 978-3-03911-336-1.
Georg Grote is from the Rhineland and teaches western European history at University College Dublin. In this book he looks at the case of the South Tyrol. In 1919, immediately after the First World War, this small territory occupied by around 200,000 German speakers and a member of the Ladino linguistic minority, went from being under Austro-Hungarian tutelage to the rank of Italian citizenship overnight. Particularly under the fascist regime, Rome did not hesitate to attempt to Italianise this portion of territory. This proved to be in vain and the fight for the recognition of cultural and linguistic specificities in this region resulted in Italy's recognition of this in 1972. It is the combat waged by this minority that provides the substance of the pages of the book and the author gives life to all the different themes that dominated the region in the 20th century: war, expulsion, colonialism, imperialism, fascism, self-determination, resistance, terrorism, Europeanization, environmental protection, neoliberalism etc. Ultimately, the provides a useful example of concentrated European history. (PBo)
*** Futuribles. Analyse et prospective. Futuribles Sarl (47 rue de Babylone, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 53633770 - fax: 42226554 - Email: revue@futuribles.com - Internet: http://www.futuribles.com ). October 2012, No. 389, 100 pp. €14. Annual subscription: €115 (France), €120 (abroad). ISBN 978-2-84387-402-4.
The October issue of the monthly magazine set up in 1974 by Hugues de Jouvenel proves to be very eclectic, given that it includes contributions on the contract between generations, to the influence of fundamentalists in the US and the future of world leadership in light of the most recent book by Zbigniew Brzezinski. The readers of Bibliothèque européenne will be particularly interested by the contribution by Jean-François Drevet on the persisting north-south divide in Europe. This former senior European official considers that solidarity at a Community level could prove more efficient than national policies for resolving the current economic problems and ensuring that the South ultimately catches up. Given that it would, at least, be necessary for the Union to have a European budget worthy of the name to begin with in order to underpin any ambitious cohesion policy, this analysis, unfortunately, remains a dead letter … (MT)