*** ENRICO LETTA, SEBASTIEN MAILLARD: Faire l’Europe dans un monde de brutes. Librairie Arthème Fayard (13 rue du Montparnasse, F-75006 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 45498200 – fax: 400401 – Email: info-fayard@editions-fayard.fr – Internet: http://www.fayard.fr ). 2017, 195 pp. € 17 (France), €19.05 (Belgium). ISBN 978-2-213-70517-0.
The voice of common sense is expressed in this book. The author’s common sense comes from his experience of Europe as a member of the European Parliament, working at the Council of Ministers and even the European Council. In a number of interviews carried out since autumn last year with former journalist and current director of the Jacques Delors Institute, Sébastien Maillard, the latter is passionate about Europe “but does not like its current appearance”. Enrico Letta was the President of the Italian Government between 2013 and 2014 but decided to leave politics and take charge of the School of International Affairs at Sciences Po in Paris, where he is also the President of the Jacques Delors Institute. This certainly explains the freedom of tone expressed in this publication that is accessible to all European citizens. His critique is accurate, pertinent and is clarifying as it is constructive and at the service of a European project that can win the hearts of Europeans again.
He immediately sets the tone and explains that, “The hour has come for Europe to grow up” and that this book came to life with the dawning of two mornings, “when the results from the vote on Brexit and the election of Donald Trump came in”. He considers that these two events will have an impact on Europe that can be compared to what happened in 1989. This impact will therefore be decisive but in what direction will things go, given that Europe is currently “losing the global battle of values” with too many citizens being seduced by characters such as Putin, Erdogan, Trump and other reductionists of democracy? This explains the following conviction, which acts as a lightning conductor throughout this book, “by allowing ourselves to be continually divided, we are marginalising ourselves and will end up as nothing in this world that, without wishing to exaggerate too excessively, could really ultimately become a world of the most brutish”.
The hour has therefore come to take things in hand, which implies proceeding towards an examination of conscience and to not give in to any complacency at all. This is effectively the message delivered by Enrico Letta in the 13 chapters to which he contributes and that apart from proving conclusive also opens with a question formulated by a former journalist at La Croix. The titles of these chapters illustrate the combat to be fought against “The Slings and Arrows”; “Europe Knows it is in a Critical Condition”; Nationalist Walls are not a Protection against Anything”; “Take Action or Fail”; “The Deceitful Myth of the Strong Man”; “The Euro is Worth More than just a Currency”; “Five Ways of Tackling the Migration Challenge”; “De-brusselisation”; “Why Let Germany be the Monopoly of Virtue?”… The last of these titles shows that no question, even the most uncomfortable, can be avoided…
It is obvious that it is impossible to provide an altogether valid resumé this kind of freedom of thought that tumbles out in these pages. Only by focusing the spotlight on a number of examples can give us an idea of the lucid character and undeniable truth, “if the European Union is no longer perceived as the ‘pax europea’ and as an Empire that is increasingly dominated by Germany, it will see the hatching of a village of irreductible” deserters from the European project. It is therefore urgent that proof is again provided that shows that “Europe is the opposite of an imperial project”. This leads him to suggest that by way of his action as head of the European Central Bank, history will one day show that his compatriot Mario Draghi “Saved Europe” by taking a risk of upsetting certain Germans. He also developed the idea - which is obvious! – that, “the single currency has… thrown Europe into a political arena, for which it was not prepared”. This explains the fact that, “both in the west and east, the European dream has… shattered due to the fact that it was shared by all to begin with but which has in reality only benefited the elites”. Suddenly, nationalism and populism have been able to prosper to the point that they have even led certain European political leaders to “follow the people” rather than guide them, for example when the people demand the return of national borders. This observation is decidedly meaningful and realistic, “the success of the new French president will depend on his ability to make a natural French military leadership one that is both shared and community-based”… These are therefore just a few examples of a real European talking and which are so lacking in the discourse of national or indeed European political leaders. Moreover, this straight talking is the only kind that will really give us any hope in Europe! Michel Theys
*** The Federalist Debate. Papers on Federalism in Europe and the World. The Einstein Center for International Studies (26 via Schina, I-10144 Torino. Tel./fax: (+39-011) 4732843 – Email: info@federalist-debate.org – Internet: http://www.federalist-debate.org ). 2017, No.2, 64 pp.. Annual subscription: € 15/ Internet: €8.
This issue of a well-known federalist publication begins with an editorial by Lucio Levi on “the return of politics” in a world torn between pressures exerted by globalisation on states and citizens. In the editorial, the editor-in-chief of the publication defends the idea that inspite of its weaknesses (the persisting role of unanimity and the right of veto in the foreign policy and defence domains, as well as a budget limited to 1% of GDP…), “the experience of the European Union is a model for the world” insofar as it is the most developed form of federalism and that it was the first to involve sovereign states. He points out that, “after the city state, an institution that helped pacify the tribes and the nationstate, which provided peace between the regions and cities, the federation represents the form of government that helps to pacify nations”. In it, he sees a potentially useful instrument for the whole world. Professor Dusan Sidjanski also agrees and explains the reasons why the Union urgently needs to develop a “a political hard-core” within it. The first requirement is the need to develop a foreign and defence policy worthy of the name, particularly after the arrival of Donald Trump in the White House and that it is the responsibility of France not to commit the same errors committed by the Gaullists and Communists during the era of the European Defence Community. The second imperative is to preserve and enhance the Eurozone. This close collaborator of Denis de Rougemont considers that these two indispensable ways forward are possible by effectively developing strengthened cooperation. Paolo Ponzano is now working at the European University Institute in Florence and the European College of Palma, after a career as a senior official at the Commission and he analyses the Verhofstadt Report on the future of the Union. Professor Alberto Majocchi does likewise with regard to the Monti Report on own resources, which the Union needs. It should also be pointed out that among the other themes tackled in this issue include the homage paid to four important European figures that have recently died, namely, the intellectuals Zygmunt Bauman and Tsvetan Todorov, the politician Mario Soares and federalist and journalist, Jean-Pierre Gouzy. (MT)
*** Fedechoses… pour le fédéralisme. Presse fédéraliste (Maison de l'Europe et des Européens, 242 rue Duguesclin, F-69003 Lyon. Internet: http://www.pressefederaliste.eu ). September 2017, No. 176, 60 pp... €6. Annual subscription: €30.
This journal was set up in 1973 and is the only militant federalist publication in French. This edition sets itself apart from the others by its reinvigorated makeover, a larger page size, its quarterly publication and, above all, its opening up to the English language, somewhat. On the other hand, there are no changes with regard to its focuses of interest, which all concentrate on the promotion of federalism in Europe and, much more broadly, throughout the entire world. For example, Professor Joseph Baratta (Worcester State College, Massachussetts) returns to the subject of Donald Trump’s arrival at the White House and whose “party” he accuses of, “apparently becoming a fascistic kind of party on the lines of Mussolini or Hitler’s parties: corporatist, anti-union, racist and intolerant”. He also indicates what kinds of integrationist lessons Europe would do well to learn from, in order to avoid subsequently becoming “a little region of little Trumps”. In contrast, three different insights provided on Emmanuel Macron’s arrival at the Elysée and what can be expected from this at a European level. The former MP Bruno Boissière assesses the comments made by President Junker, based on the limited presence at the European Parliament during the presentation of the Maltese Presidency of the Council, “this Parliament is ridiculous!”. This environmentalist agrees with Junker on the question of equality between member states, which should never allow MEPs to become so blasé. Two other contributions again focus on migration policy. Marion Larché has the good sense to dress European leaders down with regard to their blatant shortcomings in this connection by reminding them of the ideas expressed by Denis de Rougemont during The Hague Congress in May 1948, “the supreme conquest of Europe calls for human dignity and its real strength can be found in freedom. It is to save the freedoms we have won and to expand them to the benefit of all men that we want the union of our continent”. Looking at what is happening in Libya and in the sea separating this country from Italy, it is impossible to deny that this lesson has not been learnt by those governing us today... (MT)
*** 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 ). July-August 2017, No. 419, 144 pp. €22. Annual subscription: €115. ISBN 978-2-84387-432-1.
Although this issue of the French perspectives journal headed by Hugues de Jouvenel focuses on “drivers for change” irrespective of whether this involves action taken in the public arena, the role of governments and the governed or a possible technological determinism, it also includes two very welcome European perspectives. The first is provided by Gabriel Arnoux, a Commission administrator, who very usefully points out what really are the competences of the European Union. He also emphasises that the Union does not in fact have the means to take any concrete direct action other than in areas of competition, trade agreements, monetary policy and, to a certain extent, in financial regulation. We are therefore a long way away from the fantasies propagated with the certain complicity by a number of governments. This is because the writer, who is also a lecturer at Sciences Po in Paris and the Institute of Higher Social Communication Studies in Brussels, points out that, “there are very few heads of government who amicably approve of the action taken, for example, by the European Central Bank, when the latter is doing its best to set interest rates in a period of crisis by favouring the declarations emphasising how their action has proved efficient for convincing Brussels (in actual fact Frankfurt) of the need to take action”. Five different scenarios are then assessed by the Commission with regard to developments between the Union and its member states. In this respect, the author argues that “a several speed Europe” is the one that is likely to attract the most attention and the one that will resolve nothing if the member states do not support it or explain quite clearly what action they intend to take. This demonstration would be totally convincing if the author does not commit the mistake of considering the “deal” negotiated by David Cameron with the Union as having had a “very anecdotal character”. In his usual “European column”, his former colleague, Jean-François Drevet, proves much more inspired by drawing attention to the fact that Brexit could also reawaken a certain number of conflicts that the European Union has been unable to settle, such as the ones in Cyprus, Gibraltar and in Northern Ireland. (MT)
*** PANAYIOTIS LIARGOVAS, CHRISTOS PAPAGEORGIOU: Le phénomène européen. La consolidation et les efforts pour la réalisation de l’idée. Editions Tziola (91 rue Philipou, GR-54635 Salonia. Tel: (30-231) 0247887 – fax: 0210729 – Email: info@tziola.gr – Internet: http://www.tziola.gr ). 2017, 356 pp. €30. ISBN 978-960-418-678-5.
In this book, Panayiotis Liargovas, Director of the National School of Administration and a lecturer at several universities (Patras, Clark, Bologna, Athens and Salonica) and Professor Christos Papageorgiou (University of Patras) assess the foundations of the “European idea” and the first attempts to implement it. From the ruins of the Second World War, we therefore return to the genesis of the New Europe (1945-1950), the Schuman Declaration and the creation of the successive European Communities (1950-1958), the crisis linked to the pseudo-Luxembourg compromise and the first years of stagnation (1958-1969), to the Hague Conference and the crises of the 1970s (1969-1979), to the gestation of the Single European Act, from the passage of the single market to the goals of the Treaty on European Union (1986-1993). The authors then analyse the Amsterdam Treaty (1993-1999), the Treaty of Nice and the fifth and sixth enlargements (1999-2007), then finally the Lisbon Treaty up until 2013. This is a useful book for understanding the journey the European Union has made and why and where it is going. It also contains a vast bibliography and index that contain references to the main leaders from the very origins of the project to the present day. (AKa)