*** SELMA BENDJABALLAH: Des illusions perdues? Du compromis au consensus au Parlement européen et à la Chambre des représentants américaine. Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles (26 av. Paul Héger, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 6503799 - Fax: 6503794 - Email: editions@ulb.ac.be - Internet: http://www.editions-universite-bruxelles.be ). 'Etudes européennes' series. 2016, 169 pp, €18. ISBN 978-2-8004-1596-3.
Against the backdrop of the economic, social and societal crisis that is buffeting some members of the eurozone with full force, the eurozone as a whole being tossed around by the eddies and upsets this gives off, a simple question illustrates the utility and timely nature of this book: 'What remains of parliaments' representative role when their members are asked to vote for austerity policies that sometimes go against their voters' preferences?' This would justifiably lead one to imagine that the state of vassalisation of national parliaments compared with the tablets of law engraved in stone by executives would be studied - and such studies are clearly destined to multiply in the months and years to come. This is not the subject of the doctoral search underlying this book, as Selma Bendjaballah sought rather to take a scientific look at something that is equally and evidently important. Why do elected officials seek to compromise? What is the function of compromise in parliamentary institutions, one of whose roles is to incarnate and allow expression for the plurality and diversity of opinion in society? And at the end of the day, what is the democratic meaning of compromise, given that it could well be characterised by plots and dishonourable behaviour, just as much as it could be the answer for citizens exasperated by partisan in-fighting?
It is to these important questions, and more besides, that the author provides answers that are all the more useful in that she focuses on the bull's eye of the European Parliament, this assembly that has been continually asserting itself since 1979 (the year of the first elections by universal direct suffrage) without actually managing to remove the impression of a European 'democratic deficit.' The true subject of this book is therefore to 'assess, through the prism of the manufacture of parliamentary compromises, the ability of the European assembly and its MEPs to incarnate a democracy as challenged' as can be that of the Union these days. According to Prof. Olivier Rozenberg (Sciences Po Paris), who wrote the preface, she does it by producing an 'unidentified reading object,' a book 'that leaves behind the paths trodden by French language political science' because she takes seriously the hypothesis of strategic behaviour by parliamentary players ('A spirit of liberty and curiosity, if not healthy imprudence blows in these pages,' notes the preface-writer with enthusiasm), but also because she dares to make an unheard-of and original comparison between the European Parliament and the Chamber of Representatives in the United States. Despite their totally different histories, these two 'continental assemblies' - in their 'supranational' manner - comprise parliamentarians with relative autonomy compared with partisan formations, which allows parliamentary compromises and consensus at times to be a translation of legislators' individual preferences.
In the first chapter, which presents the political and institutional framework for the analysis, the author looks at the consequences of the greater conflictuality than exists in assemblies these days, at the European Parliament following the rising power of nationalist and extremist forces, at the Chamber of Representatives following growing tension between Democrats and Republicans under pressure from the Tea Party. She therefore tries to see whether the 'pacifying' function of the assemblies remains intact and whether the mechanisms for forming compromise have gone 'rusty' or whether they have changed their nature, her answers differing from one domain of public opinion to the next. Her second chapter sees her looking specifically at the individual strategic mechanisms favouring the convergence of views among parliamentarians from different parties, which is done under the combined effect of procedural rules (at the European Parliament, the importance of the role played by the rapporteur and the influence of speaking times) and the informal ones connected with the parliamentarians' aspirations and career-development appetites. Prof. Rozenberg says this all leads to a kind of 'parliamentary auto-rationalisation,' which leads one to think that the two parliamentary assemblies under study 'have been able to find in their midst strength of common feeling,' a more positive presentation of consensus. The final part, however, is devoted to the pitfalls along the way to compromise on either side of the Atlantic, which could lead to 'lost illusions.' The preface-writer basically summarises it by saying that while the two 'supranational' hemicycles are 'places where the individual interests of parliamentarians can adjust to fit their capacity to transcend divisions in order to legislate,' one must always 'be aware of the precarious nature of the balance between legislators' private vices and public virtues,' because it is after all a fact that 'parliaments and parliamentarians are corruptible'… Michel Theys
*** EFTICHIA TEPEROGLOU: Les autres élections 'nationales.' L'analyse des élections européennes en Grèce de 1981 à 2014. Editions Papazisi (2 rue Nikitara, GR-10678 Athens. Tel: (30-210) 3822496 - Fax: 3809020 - Email: papazisi@otenet.gr - Internet: http://www.papazisi.gr ). 2016, 613 pp, €35. ISBN 978-960-02-3037-6.
Doctor of social science and also behavioural science, along with being Greece's representative on a network of researchers working on a study of the European elections, Eftichia Teperoglou provides an innovative and in-depth interpretation in this book of the European elections in Greece between 1981 and 2014. The Greek case is addressed on a broad theoretical and empirical basis, with comparisons with the corresponding data for other European Union member states. The analysis of how Greeks behave in elections is developed based on the 'second order national elections' model that dominates in the theoretical study of European elections and is presented as the most complete model. The first part of the book is devoted to an in-depth analysis of some of the elections judged to be of 'minor importance,' be it mid-term elections in the United States, cantonal elections in Germany or, of course, European elections.
The second part of the book comprises eight chapters, each one devoted to a different European election. The author analyses the results of each based on socio-demographic characteristics, while not neglecting primary empirical research, which enables him to identify the emergence of the protest vote, mostly against parties in government, but also the possibility of a 'cowardly' vote because of 'liberation' from traditional partisan loyalties. In addition, each chapter describes the prevailing European framework for each election, along with changes in the process of European integration. In the light of elections campaigns carried out in each of the member states and the results that were gained, he observes and also studies the rise of the Eurosceptic current.
Returning to Greece proper, the political backdrop to the elections, the various election campaigns, media coverage of the elections, the political parties' plans and strategies, the selection of candidates and the elected representatives are analysed in great detail in each chapter of the second part of the book. In separate sections, the author tries to see what might be the reasons for the Greeks' ambivalent attitude about their country's membership of the European Union and the emergence of a cyclical Euroscepticism. In the book's final chapter, he considers what might be the future of the only supranational democratic project. At the end of the day, this original research seeks to reveal a multidimensional epistemological basis for study of European elections in the context of multilevel governance within the European Union. It will be useful for researchers, and also for citizens desiring to gain better understanding of what the so-called 'European' elections have been like so far in Greece and elsewhere in Europe… (AKa)
*** PANAGIOTIS IOAKEIMIDIS: La crise, l'Europe et la gauche. La nature et le règlement de la crise, Syriza en Europe, la gauche européenne et la social-démocratie. Editions Papazisi (see above). 2016, 156 pp, €9.54. ISBN 978-960-0232-01-1.
Greece, Europe and the left have been in crisis for a while now. These are three different crises in a dialectical osmosis in that each influences the others despite the fact they have different causes. The analysis in this short volume by a European issues expert aims to provide some clarity by means of a critical approach. Emeritus professor at Athens University and former ambassador and adviser to the Greek foreign ministry, Panagiotis Ioakeimidis has structured his reflections on the three aspects of the crisis in four sections. In the first, he examines the nature, identity and characteristics of the European crisis in all its dimensions (economic, political, institutional, financial, etc), along with the various challenges that Europe has to face in terms of its environment, be it Russia, the Middle East or the rise of Daesh (IS) islamicists. The nature, characteristics and specific nature of the Greek crisis are also presented in this section. The second section includes texts analysing and assessing the behaviour of the Syriza/Anel coalition government in terms of its relationship with the European Union and the multifarious consequences arising from this. In the third section, the author examines the modern-day European left and social democracy, going back to the sources of the crisis they are undergoing and which he discerns in the ideological references and challenges of the globalised world. Finally, in the fourth section of the book, he considers the conditions to be met to get Greece out of crisis. (AKa)
*** GIORGOS PAPAKONSTANTINOU: Game over. La vérité sur la crise. Editions Papadopoulos (9 Kapodistriou, GR-14452 Metamorphosi. Tel: (30-210) 2846074-5 - Fax: 2817127 - Courriel: info@epbooks.gr - Internet: http://www.epbooks.gr ). 2016, 432 pp, €16.99. ÉSBN 978-960-569-572-9.
In these pages, one of the protagonists of the Greek crisis recounts the shocking events of the process of implementing the 'support mechanism' for Greece and the signing of the first memorandum. Finance and economy minister in George Papandreou's government, Giorgos Papakonstantinou has played a key role in managing the Greek crisis. In this book, he provides an eyewitness report of what he experienced and speaks his mind about the crisis, notably in answer to a raft of questions. How was it that Greece suddenly found itself on the edge of the abyss? How were the big decisions taken? Were there alternative solutions and if so, did any better adapted solutions exist? Why is Greece still under a memorandum, unlike other countries in the European Union? Why is this crisis still so painful, socially speaking? Why is the result (getting out of crisis) still so uncertain? The author forms his answers in the light of his own experience and memories of meetings he attended as a minister, revealing in this way some unknown aspects of what was discussed and decided by the Greek government, the European institutions and elsewhere. This personal story, written in fascinating language, reads like a novel and will be an important primary source for one of the most stormy periods in the history of the modern Greek state. Is this the storyline of the true history of the crisis, going beyond myths, conspiracies and speculations? It is certainly a first-hand eye-witness account of the dramatic developments that have occurred since the divulging of the Greek budget deficit in 2009, an episode that has impacted on all Greeks, shaken all of Europe and even influenced the entire world. Reading like a true novel, this stupefying fast-paced book reveals what happened behind closed doors in Athens, Brussels, Berlin, Frankfurt, Paris, Washington, and also in the kitchens of Davos and meetings of the Bilderberg group. (AKa)
*** JAN DE SUTTER: The Ultimate EU Career Development Book. John Harper Publishing (27 Palace Gates Road, London N22 7BW, UK. Tel: (44-1767) 604951 - Dmail: custserv@turpin-distribution.com - Internet: http://www.johnharperpublishing.co.uk ). 2016, 302 pp, €35, £27. ISBN 978-0-9934549-3-6.
One time official at the European Economic and Social Committee, where he was a member of selection juries for new officials, Jan De Sutter wrote his first book to give advice to people aiming to pass a competition to gain access to work in the European civil service. He expands the target in this book, providing advice to any European official wishing to assess and improve their skills in order to move up to new levels in their career. The advice comes, in fact, from a team because the author consulted representatives of European civil service trade unions and used the experience of a psychologist specialising in work and coaching. In addition, the book gives access to a website that allows readers to use a self-assessment tool free-of-charge to verify whether the various suggestions have been well-received. (MT)