*** CELINE ROMAINVILLE (Editor): European Law and Cultural Policies / Droit européen et politiques culturelles. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes / Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - fax: 3761727 - Email: info@peterlang.com mailto: France.univers@wanadoo.fr - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "Europe des cultures" series, No. 12. 2015, 343 pp. €50.30. ISBN 978-2-87574-255-1.
This book is based on the intuitive observation that cultural policies developed in the European Union are not entirely free from ambiguity. As Professor Marc Verdussen states in his preface, this was somewhat confirmed during the colloquy organised at the European Parliament in November 2013 by the Catholic University of Leuven's Research Centre on the State and Constitution. This book provides a comprehensive account of the latter. In this book, a number of different specialists from the academic community provide a critical account of the ways in which the Union has tackled the cultural question and incorporated it as a whole with all its different component parts. Céline Romainville, a leading light on this question and editor of this scientific publication (as explained in the preface), is, "Describing, explaining and evaluating the objectives, the nature, the extent and the impact of European interventions in matters of cultural policy in order to understand in what measure European law assumes, respects, protects and promotes the multidimensionality of cultural policies and, in fine, of culture itself". The concept of multi-dimensionality is explained by the head of research at a national scientific research body and who also teaches at three Belgian universities: covers both the cultural dimension linked to the identity that each individual or group has of themselves, an aesthetic dimension, as well as an obviously economic one (the cultural sector contributes to around 7.3% of global GDP), a social dimension (culture involves, "capital' that transmits to social classes a set of behaviours that locate individuals in society) and finally, a democratic dimension with, "The contribution of culture to the democratic training of citizens , but also to the creation and functioning of a vigorous public space".
The contributions included in this book clearly show that the multidimensional aspect of culture and cultural policies is not effectively covered by European law. States have hastily devised nationalistic cultural policies for rallying "the sublimation of the national feeling" and then, "Through the influence of multiculturalism and communautarism, by policies aiming at promoting cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue" before opening up to the economic potential provided by this sector. The European Union has, however only focused full attention on this latter domain and the "negative' cultural policies aiming at the suppression of barriers, the promotion of the diversity of cultural goods and services through the liberalization of trade". Although the arguments in favour of culture sometimes pay off, particularly with regard to the protection of languages, other measures seeking to ensure the cultural diversity of expression are at a high risk of being rejected by the European Court of Justice, in the so-called battle against protectionism, Céline Romainville explains in her introductory chapter that, “cultural economic protectionism is justified, or even desired, at the European level” to oppose the dominance of the US …
This is one of the lessons provided in this book, which is divided into four sections. In the first part, the different contributions seek to clarify the scope of the so-called cultural competences in the Union and ascertain their interrelationships with the cultural policies of the member states. In the second section, three authors analyse the way in which cultural considerations are included in European law at a general level and in the key sectors such as state aid, competition law and the law on the freedom of movement. Their collective aim is to examine the way in which European law incorporates cultural considerations into internal market law and subsequently manages to protect national cultural policies and promote cultural policies that focus more on European goals. In the third section, the objective is to evaluate culture and cultural policies from the perspective of European law. The final section is very wide ranging and includes the analysis of the political scientists who subsequently confirm, as highlighted by Céline Romainville, “The existence of unresolved questions, discomforts, even unconsidered postulates of European integration and European law”.
Michel Theys
*** RUDOLF MUHR, MARLENE PEINHOPF: Wörterbuch rechtsterminologischer Unterschiede Österreich-Deutschland. Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, P.O. 350, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - fax: 3761727 - Email: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.com ). "Österreichisches Deutsch, Sprache der Gegenwart". 2015, 748 pp. €99.95. ISBN 978-3-631-62079-3.
This book takes the shape of a dictionary of legal terminology and focuses on differences in this area between differences between the German language in Germany and its Austrian linguistic counterpart. It was published on the basis of the work carried out into terminology by the European institutions and the desire to defend the specificity of the German language in Austria in these institutions, whilst at the same time providing the possibility to better understand the legal system in this country. The authors have set themselves an ambitious goal: they analyse no fewer than 2000 Austrian German legal terms and provide the definition in German, as well as the legal sources referring to the terms defined. They subsequently propose the German equivalent provided in Germany, as well as their equivalents in French and English. A conversion table at the end of the book is provided that enables the reader to shift from the German use in Germany to German usage in Austria. This book will be of great interest to those fascinated by issues of terminology, particularly all those working in the legal arena.
(GLe)
*** MANUELA LUDEWIG: Beendigungstatbestände als notwendige und dynamische Elemente der Mitgliedschaft in internationalen Organisationen unter besonderer Berücksichtigung von Art. 50 EUV. Peter Lang (see address attached). "Studien zum Öffentlichen Recht, Völker und Europarecht" series. 2015, 384 pp. €78.95. ISBN 978-3-631-65841-3.
In her thesis, Manuela Ludewig looks at the question of how the possibility of ending a state's membership of an international organisation could constitute a necessary factor in the survival of the said organisation or whether this possibility is just one essential element in the dynamics, namely, whether its existence is simply a means of the organisation being able to best pursue its ends. The author looks at the legal aspects and exact substance of such a clause. At a practical level, Manuela Ludewig centres her analysis on the European Union as an international organisation and looks, in particular, at the question of Article 50 of the Treaty of the European Union, which contains the possibility of a member state leaving the Union. While looking at this possibility, she never forgets the specific character of the Union and also looks at the possible consequences that could result from this possibility occurring in the perspective of negotiations and the practical implications of carrying this through.
(GLe)
*** Südosteuropa Mitteilungen. Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft (49 Widenmayerstrasse, D-80538 München. Tel: (49-089) 212154-0 - fax: 2289469 - Email: info@sogde.org - Internet: http://www.sogde.org ). 2015, No. 03-04, 170 pp. €12. Subscription: €60.
This issue of the Südosteuropa Journal mainly focuses on Greece and provides clarifications in many different respects to the general situation in the country. The conditions in which the loans and financial transfers negotiated are broadly analysed, particularly in the article by Heinz-Jürgen Axt; the repercussions of these negotiations at a European level and for Greece, are examined by Jens Bastian. The review also seeks to locate the current Greek crisis in an historic perspective, particularly with the article written by Ioannis Zelepos, which retraces Greek history from independence and describes the recurrent state breakdowns (even including one that occurred before the Greek state became fully independent!) and the economic and political crises that appear to accompany the rhythm of the country's history. This theme has occasionally appeared in the media and in this publication is analysed in great detail and related with great precision. Hagen Fleischer looks at the question of compensation and war damages granted to Greece by the Federal German Republic for the occupation of the country between 1941 1944. The article looks at whether the question has been definitively resolved or not. The article provides significant clarification and erudition but takes a position that is very antagonistic towards the Federal German Republic. In reading the article and in view of the argument developed, Greek demands with regard to Germany in this context appear largely if not fully justified. It may however, appear somewhat of a shame or even a shortcoming with regard to the delicate question of the article not defending the opposite point of view and allowing the reader to form their own opinion based on the facts relating to the issue. At the end of the book, Sören Keil appears to work out the political conditions propitious to economic development in Western Balkan countries. At the end of the publication, the journal contains references and reports on the different problems occurring in Southeast Europe, particularly with regard to the problems and reports, as well as specific clarification on the former Yugoslavia.
(GLe)
*** STATHIS KALIVAS: Les catastrophes et les triomphes. Les sept cercles de l'histoire grecque moderne. Editions Papadopoulos (9 rue Kapodistriou, Metamorfosi, GR-14452. Tel: (30-210) 2846074-5 - fax: 2817127 - Email: info@epbooks.gr - Internet: http://www.epbooks.gr ). 2015, 328 p., 15,50 €. ISBN 978-960-569-334-3.
This book (also published in English in the US) provides both a comprehensive and incisive assessment of modern Greek history, from winning independence, up until the current crisis. Stathis N. Kaliva is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Yale. He also provides regular editorials in the Greek newspaper Kathimerini. In this book, he seeks to provide the keys for interpreting and understanding the crisis that has affected the country since 2009. At the same time he also describes the reasons to be optimistic about the future. The author believes that modern Greece has grown out of seven different consecutive cycles, with each of them opening up on an objective that has proved too ambitious, even if it has been achieved and which has subsequently led to demoralisation and the subsequent territory that paves the way for new dreams. One telling example involves the objective contained in the "Great Idea", namely the triumph of Greece in the Treaty of Sevres, which contained the seeds of the disaster in Asia Minor. The seven cycles of victory-disaster are then described with the victory against the Ottomans to establish an independent country, the construction of the modern state in the 19th century, the building of a coherent nation and parliamentary democracy, the gradual development of the modern economy and infrastructure which began at the end of this century, to the territorial expansion of the New State at the beginning of the 20th century, "the great leap forward and the end to permanent poverty" in the period between the disaster in Asia Minor and the fall of the dictatorship of the Colonels, to the consolidation of liberal democracy after 1974 and, finally, the incorporation of Greece into the European Union. The author is eager to warn that finding an exit strategy to the current crisis does not ultimately mean leaving the euro zone but rather, foreign intervention that will help avoid subsequent and permanent deterioration in the situation in Greece and which could help it to provide the country with a new national objective, for example, with the launch of new production models and administrative system that is more in compliance with European standards. Obviously, this objective is not going to be supported by all the different shades of opinion in the country but this important book will, nonetheless, help to understand the reasons for the crisis. It should be noted that the book also contains a comprehensive bibliography.
(Aka)
*** NIKOS KOTZIAS: Grèce: une colonie de la dette. L'Empire européen et le leadership allemand. Editions Patakis (38 Panayi Tsaldari, GR-10437 Athens. Tel: (30-210) 3650000 - fax: 3811940 - Email: bookstore@patakis.gr - Internet: http://www.patakis.gr ). « Sciences sociales et politiques » series. 2015, 485 pp. €19.90, ISBN 978-960-16-4966-5.
Nikos Kotzias was confirmed as minister for foreign affairs by Alexis Tsipras and in this publication, provides an explanation of the politico-institutional implications of the Greek crisis and the subsequent European ramifications. In the context of an empire that has existed for more than 500 years, he defends the idea that the European Union is now transforming itself into an empire based on: A) the financial markets; B) the Brussels bureaucracy and C) German influence. As a professor of political theory at the Department of Higher International and European Studies at the University of Piraeus, he points out that the formal equality of member states has become purely a state of mind, given that Germany, at the head of the so-called "strong" countries now has the initiative in the Union and southern Europe now has practically no voice at all on the matter. Berlin and its northern European acolytes are affected by a "cultural and economic nationalism" that even borders on a kind of "racism". Subsequently, with Greece being transformed into a debt colony, the Union will be dragged by Germany into creating a sort of "imperial state" or a "new Rome" and will become the real centre of the European project. On the basis of his theoretical knowledge and a series of comparisons, the author formulates a precise definition of what is a "debt colony", before analysing the regime of tutelage that is currently being implemented in Greece and how it works. This subsequently helps him to develop an argument that denounces the activities being practised by the Troika and Germany, which he regards as destructive. He also denounces the Greek oligarchy and corruption for much of the country's problems. The consequences of transforming Greece into a debt colony on society and the economy are then examined. Nikos Kotzias puts forward a number of proposals to improve matters at both social and economic levels.
(AKa)