*** Politique. Revue de débats. ASBL Politique (9 rue du Faucon, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5386996 - Email: secretariat@politique.eu.org - Internet: http://politique.eu.org ). Mai/June 2014, No. 85, 84 pp. €9. Subscription: €40.
When this version of the European Library (Bibliothèque européenne) is available to Agence Europe readers, they will know the verdict of the European elections. They will know whether the candidate of the Party of European Socialists, German Social Democrat, Martin Schulz, has succeeded or not in obtaining the post of the president of the European Commission. Whatever the result, the outgoing president of the European Parliament and those from his political family, indeed the left in general, would find a browse through this issue of this progressive quality Belgian journal, useful. It comes as a very pleasing surprise that it tackles questions affecting the Union, such as, “domestic policy related subjects rather than foreign affairs”, which is not all that common...
A detour through Politique is therefore highly recommended to them and this advice is obviously something that would apply to regular readers of this column too because this issue includes a very thorough dossier on the different areas and institutions of the Union, as well as the perceptions from progressive intellectuals about this field and their working framework. No one will be surprised by their intellectual demolition job and harsh criticism of the direction that European construction appears to be going in. Ten years ago this journal saw Europe as a kind of “inert hope” but it has now been obliged and forced to point out that this has, at best, been transformed, “despite this inertia that has given way to the forced march of austerity and adjustment plans”. The fate reserved for citizens guilty of being nationals of overspending nation states is therefore subject to critical analysis by all the different contributors. The Greek economist and trade unionist, Petros Linardos, is a member of Alexis Tsipras' Syriza' party and is highly critical of the fact that, “the dominant discourse has dismissed the question of unemployment, lack of security, poverty, public services and the loss of productive capacity” in Greece, where the country should have had the right to have its debt eradicated or rescheduled, as was the case in Germany in 1953. Although Inès Trépant also denounces the free change excesses in European trade policy, which has hit the Union's ACP partners and democracy in the latter very hard, there are also a number or specific concerns expressed throughout this publication about the ability of a left leaning president of the Commission chosen by the voters, to challenge the dominant politico-economic consensus embodied by the European Council. The journalist, Paul Goossens, points out, without any illusions, that, “imagining that the structural trends and increasing inequality can be reversed by elections is of course an illusion”.
Is this disheartening observation a repercussion of the divisions and failures continually demonstrated by social democracy at a European level? This point of view is argued by Gerassimos Moschonas in a contribution that sees this university lecturer in comparative analysis at the political science and history department at the Pantheon University of Athens dissect, “the logic of missed opportunities”, which is partly the result of the inability of socialist parties to free themselves from their respective national frameworks. There are three of these missed opportunities. First of all, during the 1990s, when 12 of the 15 member states at the time had left-wing governments but proved unable to, “implement more explicitly left-wing policies” particularly because of the, “lack of convergence among national strategies”. This is followed by the fact that, “social Europe has been an important thematic and ideological defeat for the left” and which has remained silent due to the, “constellation of political interests and concepts at the PES, which has made the construction of a majority coalition or even to implement a genuinely common social programme impossible”. Professor Moschonas drives this message home even further and states that, “social democracy is intimately linked to the priority of national interests and the expectations of public opinion at a national level and therefore finds it extremely difficult to formulate an alternative in the area of European social policy”. The Socialists themselves have therefore helped to create this absence of a social Europe that they denounce so vociferously. Finally, there is the debt crisis, which, although it has enabled the Party of European Socialists to demonstrate that it is not just, “an empty shell” by providing itself with a substantial programme, it has still been unable to take to take the initiative or, “correct the lack of a European imagination regarding socialism”. Why has this situation arisen? Partly because governments led by social democrats or those containing them have swallowed lock stock and barrel the policies of austerity. This leads to the conclusion by Professor Moschonas that, “the leap forward in Europe's political and economic capacity has corresponded to a lead backwards in the ability of left parties to deliver reforms”. Was the observation made above therefore discouraging? Not entirely because in this analysis the solution to this self-imposed gagging order on the socialist parties can be found in developing a more pro-European approach, which obviously means emancipating the Party of European Socialists from their national straitjacket. Obviously, Martin Schulz and his friends will draw the conclusion that there has never been so much criticism before from one's own side. They could perhaps console themselves by reading the contribution by Edgar Szoc, who believes it is possible to have, “partly mutual unemployment benefit allocations in the euro zone”. This writer also recalls Enrico Berlinguer, who died 30 years ago and who made the connection between, “austerity and morals”.
Michel Theys
*** Fedechoses… pour le fédéralisme. Presse fédéraliste (Maison de l'Europe et des Européens, 242 rue Duguesclin, F-69003 Lyon. Internet: http://www.pressefederaliste.eu ). March 2014, No. 163, 40 pp. Annual subscription: €30.
In this edition of this consistently and pugnaciously federalist publication there is a lot of discussion regarding the Ukrainian crisis and the “inanity”, a description used by Jean-Pierre Gouzy about Common Foreign and Security Policy that has led to the, “ineffable Lady Ashton” to exclusively be concerned about ensuring that the sovereign rule of unanimity is respected. Lucio Levi is no less severe in his appeal to, “prevent the dismemberment” of this country bordering the Union. There is, however, the question of European elections and the possibly resistible rise of extremists and other nationalists. Should we therefore be surprised, asks Bernard Guetta, in light of the statement by the Front national in France, that the situation is encouraging a nostalgia for national borders in this Europe of politically deadly economic policies because for citizens they are synonymous with a deterioration in living conditions and social welfare and a situation where democracy appears to have been confiscated by an “irresponsible technocracy”. One of the contributions by Sergio Pistone describes the debate in Germany recently, that pitted the sociologist Wolfgang Streek, who supports restoring national sovereignty, against the philosopher Jürgen Habermas. The Italian historian defends the point of view of the latter, whilst reproaching him for not going as far as he could have done in pushing for greater federalism.
(MT)
*** LOÏC ROBERT (Editor): L'environnement et la Convention européenne des droits de l'homme. Éditions Bruylant (Groupe De Boeck, 39 rue des Minimes, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-10) 482511 - fax: 482693 - Email: commande@deboeckservices.com - Internet: http://www.bruylant.be ). « Cahiers de droit international » series. 2013, 244 pp. €71. ISBN 978-2-8027-4136-7.
This book presents the acts contained in a colloquy organised by the association for the inter-university promotion of human rights and which focuses on the European Court of Human Rights. In his presentation of the book, Professor Stephane Doumbé-Billé, the editor of the « Cahiers de droit international », explains that this provides an excellent opportunity for tackling the environmental theme now at the centre of discussions in Europe. He also points out that, “in order to make a convincing argument in this connection, it is necessary to go back to a certain extent to the original sources of this international protection and recall that it was originally at a European regional level where this dynamic was launched”. In the 240 pages of this publication, many different contributors provide a description of environmentally related subjects and the specific law applied or invoked in this connection. “The environment, new law and new protection” is asserted in the first part focusing on, “right to life and the environment” and “respect for private life” connected to action in this field. A number of issues relating to copyright law, the public arena and information are also examined. Following this study of the different relationships between law and the environment, the authors then look at the method for dealing with it and subsequently propose, “tackling the environment through the Convention system and specialised legal bodies”, namely the European Court of Human Rights. The second part provides differing perspectives regarding the practice in America and Africa, as well as in the UN system. In the context of the conclusions on a law for the environment, which, “increasingly clashes with the imperatives of economic development”, hopes are focused on the Court and the fact that it has not closed the door to developing jurisprudence on healthy environmental law, which has to be said, is encouraging.
(FBc)
*** FRIEDERIKE MARIE LEHMANN: Offshore Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage. An international Environmental Law Perspective. Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, P. O. Box 350, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - fax: 3761727 - Email: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). « PL Academic Research » series. 2013, 341 pp. ISBN 978-3-631-64268-9.
The European Union is the most substantial contributor to the development of technology for the use of offshore carbon dioxide capture and storage. It believes that this technology could be used to limit climate warming at a global level to less than 2°C above preindustrial levels. Currently, this capture and storage technique often involves many environmental risks and its efficiency in mitigating climate change is still disputed. Nonetheless, despite all this, this technology has a strong chance of being marketed throughout the Union. In this context, the author of this book, which is a revised version of the doctoral thesis that Friederike Marie Lehmann presented to the faculty of Law at the University of Georg-August in Gottingen in 2011, attempts to clarify legal questions linked to European offshore carbon dioxide capture and storage projects, in light of regional and international law on maritime and climate protection and the corresponding European legislation applicable. Downstream from this research, the author emphasises the fact that this technology complies with a number of regional and international agreements in the area of environmental law and its European counterparts. It is also likely to be incorporated into the climate protection system. Nonetheless, given the existing scientific and security in this area, the author concludes that the authorisation and encouragement of offshore projects could still pose problems with regard to international environmental law.
(SD)
*** Futuribles. L'anticipation au service de l'action. Futuribles Sarl (47 rue de Babylone, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 53633770 - fax: 42226554 - Email: revue@futuribles.com - Internet: http://www.futuribles.com ). March-April 2014, No. 399, 144 pp. €22. Annual subscription: €115. ISBN 978-2-84387-412-3.
The possibilities provided by the exploitation of shale gas have already shaken up the global energy community and could have major medium and long-term economic and geopolitical repercussions. Although the US has been exploiting this cheap resource for 10 years or so, environmental concerns have laid into it with a vengeance in Europe. The Commission, however, recently reconsidered the possibility of using shale gas in the European Union. In its recommendation of 22 January last, it stipulated a prerequisite of respect for common principles, particularly on health and the environment. In this issue of this well-known perspectives journal, Pierre Papon, Emeritus Professor at the École de physique et chimie in Paris and honorary president of the Observatoire des sciences et techniques, analyses the experience of the US in shale gas use and draws a number of conclusions that are appropriate to the European landscape in this connection. The author draws on a lot of recent research on this subject. First of all he describes the different ways and conditions that exist for exploiting this nonconventional gas. This expert then explains that production of this gas provides optimistic forecasts in the US because it delivers an economic advantage at both national and global levels by way of the competitive edge it has in a number of different industries. He then looks at the different environmental concerns and possible alternative techniques. On the basis of this analysis, he ultimately explores the perspectives affecting the exploitation of shale gas in Europe and France and concludes that, “prospects for exploiting it are still very vague and are not risk averse”. Nonetheless, he also believes that they should not forget that the different techniques in this area as in others have probably not being fully explored and examining them should be done with the utmost care. This issue of the publication also tackles a number of other themes such as the expansion in robotics and local innovative initiatives.
(SD)
*** FRANCOIS BERTRAND, LAURENCE ROCHER (editors): Les territoires face aux changements climatiques. 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 ). « Ecopolis » series, No. 18. 2013, 269 pp. €39.60. ISBN 978-2-87574-093-9.
This book is an academic endeavour that explore regional responsibility for the causes and effects of climate change. The different contributions focus on the process of developing an institutional approach to climate change at a local level in France. The authors develop a number of theoretical reflections regarding the notion of adaptation and demonstrate several examples that help clarify the regional and local approaches to tackling climate change challenges.
(PBo)