*** PAULINE SCHNAPPER: La Grande-Bretagne et l'Europe. Le grand malentendu. Presses de Sciences Po (44 rue du Four, F-75006 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 44393960 - Fax: 45480441 - Internet: http: //http://www.sciences-po.fr ). 2000, 218pp., FF 118, Euro 17.99. ISBN 2-7246-0807-0.
When authors sums up the content of their books so clearly on the back cover, what is a journalist who agrees with the vast majority of the case argued in the book supposed to do? The journalist simply has to follow the author's summary. So here follow the subject matter and thesis of the above essay as described by the Author herself.
There is a misunderstanding at the heart of the relationship between Britain and the 'Continent'. The latter can't understand the reasoning underlying Great Britain's attitude to the construction of Europe and ignores a number of factors that are specific to that country. But for their part, the British have underestimated and misunderstood how far the process of integration that began in the 1950s actually goes on the Continent. Pauline Schnapper, Senior Lecturer at the University of Orléans, invites people on the Continent to take into account the part played by history and geography in the British attitude and not to forget the 'founding myths' of the English nation and of nationalism on the other side of the Channel. These myths and nationalism 'have for centuries been defined in opposition to the Continent, sheltered behind a strong feeling of superiority'. From the history of the United Kingdom 'flows a political culture little inclined to a neutral participation in the construction of Europe'. The author invites Tony Blair, popular as he may be, to take account of this in his attempts to place his country at the heart of Europe. Ms Schapper recognises that sixteen years after joining the European Community, the United Kingdom 'still makes its partners feel it is separate, reluctant to commit itself to the European adventure and uniquely concerned about gaining some immediate, and essentially economic, advantages'. Alongside history and geography, she feels one should add 'a double political dimension unique to Britain: on the one hand, its unique institutional system based on an unwritten Constitution, and the dogma of the sovreignty of Parliament, which sit uneasily with the largely supranational idea of the Community and on the other hand, the way public life functions in the United Kingdom and the many party political constraints that all governments have to live with'.
Ms Schnapper's thesis is probably useful for helping gain a better understanding of the situation and move in the direction of better mutual understanding. But far from attacking the differences in approach, she explains and confirms them, not giving much hope of being able to paper over the differences. The second chapter of the essay outlines the constant pillars of the British attitude to Europe since 1945 (including 'the primacy of the link with the United States'), stresses the 'great continuity' in the policies pursued by the House of Commons in London which has been 'positive but prudent, pragmatic and untheoretical, based on promoting the free market and intergovernmental political cooperation'. This line 'is not shared by the other big players in the EEC' (we hope this comment is still valid today) and 'keeps colliding with reality in terms of how European institutions are run on a day-to-day basis, which necessitates a more active commitment'.
The author does note, however, backed up by other studies, that British people who work or have worked in Community institutions (or in close liaison with them) have acquired a 'generally more positive attitude in terms of the EU depending on how long and to what extent they have been involved in European affairs', singling out 'representatives from the Ministry for Agriculture, Trade and Industry, the Environment and, by and large, the Foreign Office'. This amounts to a fair number of people and would justify, in our view, an encouraging start. People personally involved in the process of European integration see that the process is something other than a mechanism for dissolving British autonomy and sovreignty or what is unique to Britain (this is not a view expressed by Ms Schnapper herself). But the value of this positive attitude is brutally countered by another of the Author's observations. Any hypothetical change in the British attitude would come up against the decisive hurdle of Euroscepticism, or in other words, 'Euroscepticism of a considerable section of the political world and British society in general'. The Author gives many telling examples, defining the attitude in society at large as 'hostile indifference' with those who are in favour of Britain's membership of the EEC remaining a distinct minority. The opposing view from the business community does not carry much weight in Ms Schnapper's eyes. She describes the attitude of the media such as the 'Eurosceptic hysteria' of the Sun newspaper. On a more general level, she believes that it is 'correct to say that the press maintains a decidedly Eurosceptical attitude'.
To sum up: the conflict of ideas over Europe is far from dying out unless the changes now being brought about in the European Union with an eye to the coming round of enlargement gradually bring Europe round to the British way of thinking. Which we would hardly consider a matter for celebration.
Ferdinando Riccardi
*** ALVARO DE VASCONCELOS: Portugal 2000: La voie européenne. Notre Europe (44 rue Notre-Dame des Victoires, F-75002 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 53009440 - Fax: 53009444 - e-mail: notreeurope@notre-europe.asso.fr - Internet: http: //http://www.notre-europe.asso.fr ). 'Etudes et recherches' Series, No. 9. 2000, 31 pp.
Director of the International and Strategic Research Institute in Lisbon, Alvaro de Vasconcelos provides in this Notre Europe publication 'some keys for interpreting the view of Europe that characterises a country where the question is of a profoundly unique nature', namely Portugal. So writes Jacques Delors, not without justification, in the foreward. The document gives a broad idea of how the debate over Europe - which, as in many other countries 'is restricted to the defenders of European integration' - has developed in Portugal since the country joined the European Union in 1985. The author has selected four great themes from the debate over Europe in Portugal to use as analytical tools: 'Portugal's marginality and centrality in the European process'; 'European equilibrium and democratisation of the decision-making process: the relationship between small and large players'; 'Social cohesion and employability: the debate around the European Way'; 'European politics and our Atlantic vocation'.
For Alvaro de Vasconcelos, if the motives behind Portugal joining the European Union were 'eminently political' (in terms of 'consolidating democracy'), the paradox is that from 1986 to 1991 the country entered the first stage of membership which was 'marked by extreme prudence from the political point of view, enormous suspicion with regard to supranationality and an attempt to take as much advantage as possible of membership in terms of furthering the country's development'. It was not until 1992 and the first Portuguese Presdidency of the Council that Lisbon 'distanced itself from the British position', even though people still tended to consider that 'Portugal would be crushed by the weight of the big players in the construction of a federalised European Union ( … ) and that an intergovernmental model, managed in terms of unanimity, would provide Portugal with greater protection from its great partners'. This vision was abandoned in 1995 with the coming to power of Prime Minister Antonio Guterres who 'ended Portugal's alignment with Britain', prioritising relations with Germany. In the Author's view, this change can be explained by the constant support for European integration from public opinion and by the decline in the parties on both Left and Right which had championed Euroscepticism. From that point onwards, notes de Vasconcelos, 'unanimity was losing its supporters in the face of the lack of political viability of the veto (more for the small players than for the large), apart from as a weapon of last resort ( … ) and the concern for preserving equilibrium was therefore naturally transferred to adopting a hybrid version but with a more federal dimension'. For this reason, the Author believes that the present government of Portugal meets the requirements for becoming a 'forward driving Presidency'. In this connection, it has so far lived up to expectations. But it should be aware that the Author will also judge it by its capacity to breath life into an IGC whose great challenge 'is not to restore the balance of power between Member States, but to lay the foundations of a supranational democracy'.
*** The proportion of women members in regional and local parliaments and assemblies in the EU. Committee of the Regions (79 rue Belliard, B-1040 Brussels - Tel: (32) 022822211 - Fax: 2822325 - Internet: http: //http://www.cor.eu.int/ - Distributed by the Official Publications Office of the EU). 1999., 63 pp, Euro 7. ISBN 92-828-8167-9.
This document provides statistics in the form of tables and detailed graphics on the level to which women are represented in regional parliamentary assemblies and local councils in each of the EU's fifteen Member States. (ED)
*** STEPHANIE LANSON: European Funding. Grants - Loans - Technical Assistance - Companies - Associations - Groups. Editions Dalloz (31-35 rue Froidevaux, F-75014 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40645454 - Fax 40655471 - e-mail: delmas@dalloz.fr - Internet: http: //http://www.dalloz.fr - Benelux distributor: Patrimoine, 168 rue du Noyer, B-1030 Brussels. Tel/Fax: (32) 027366847). 'Encyclopédie Delmas' Collection. 1999, 379 pp, FF 298, BEF 2,026, Euro 45.43. ISBN 2-247-03418-7).
As Manager of Information and Advice for French Enquirers at Sources d'Europe (the Information Centre set up by the French Government and the EU at Arche de la Défense), Stéphaie Lanson is aware the the French know little or nothing about EU sources of funding and this sparked off her idea of producing this guide. The book reviews the dozen or so sectors for which European funding exists (Business, Agriculture-Fisheries, Consumer Affairs, European Citizens, Culture-Tourism-Sport, Education-Youth, Energy-Transport, Research-Technology, the Regions, Environment, International Relations, Social Affairs-Health, Work-Jobs-Training, etc.) It should not be assumed from this list that the book is simply a 'catalogue' of the different EU programmes since the Author's aim is far more ambitious. She aims to guide project leaders through each stage of the process of requesting funding right from the initial feasibility study to the final report. Based on the Amsterdam Treaty, the book takes account of the Results of the European Council in Berlin which, by means of Agenda 2000, set the rules for the new policy for Structural Funds from now until the year 2006. An alphabetical subject index is provided. (LD)
*** UTE MÜLLER, REGINE PRUNZEL: Handbuch der EU-Förderinstrumente für Kommunen und Wohlfahrtsverbände. VZM-Verlag für zielgruppenorientierte Medien (Frankenstrasse 90, D-50374 Erfstadt). 1999. ISBN 3-9805951-1-0.
In the form of a ring binder, this guide covers all European Union funding programmes currently in existence. The authors both work in Brussels, one as Manager of the Representation of the Bundesartbeitsgemeinschaft der Höheren Kommunalverbände, and the other as Advisor to the Socialist Group in the EP. They describe in detail all the different EU aid in the areas of professional training, adult education, employment, equal opportunities, underprivileged sections of the population, migration, health and state-registered associations. They also give an overview of European Structural Funds. The guide is particularly useful for community and social affairs groups. The reader is also provided with practical advice on applying for funding and preparing projects. The guide is systematically designed so that additional information and updates can be added as necessary. (CB)
*** Déméter 2000. Economie et stratégies agricoles. Club Déméter (1 rue Edouard Colonne, F-75001 Paris - Tel: (33-1) 40267650 - Fax: 40267560 - e-mail: clubdemeter@compuserve.com) - Armand Colin (21 rue du Montparnasse, F-75006 Paris). 1999, 285 pp, 130 FF. ISBN 2-200-25110-6.
The Déméter Study Association is an club created by leaders in the world of French agriculture, which organises regular debates and publishes each year both background and detailed analyses of news concerning the agricultural economy at the national, EU and world levels. For the year 2000, Déméter has published a well-researched and highly documented report examining in turn problems surrounding the agro-food industry, the agricultural implications of Mercosur and management of the French countryside. The first article, written by Professor Jacques Nefussi, Manager of the UER d'économie et de gestion at the Institut national agronomique de Paris-Grignon, looks at the services provided at each stage of the process of producing food and agricultural products. Along the way, he also examines how tasks and responsibilities are distributed, along with the breakdown of value added in agriculture, the food industry and distribution channels. From the Geography Department at the University of Toulouse-II, Martine Guibert analyses the strengths and trading ambitions of Mercosur. She looks at the importance of agriculture in the negotiations between Mercosur and several countries and regional blocs with which the Southern part of the Common Market is hoping to create privileged trading relations. The book concludes with an essay jointly written by Jean Boiffrin and Pierre Stengel, Researchers at the Institut national de la recherche agronomique, which looks at the new demands placed by modern agricultural techniques and environmental issues on land evaluation. The volume also includes a scientific annex and a list of the most important agricultural statistics for France, the EU and the world as a whole, along with interviews with captains of industry and other people working in agriculture. (ED)
*** Le CERCAL (Centre d'Etude et de Promotion des Relations entre les Pays de la CE et le l'Amérique latine, Bât. NB - CP 181 - local 4160, av. Paul Héger, B-1000 Brussels, Tel: (32) 026503103 - Fax: 026504198) has published the following essays:
- L'Amérique latine à la veille du troisième millénaire. Série 'Cahiers Cercal', No. 27, 69 pp. This Cahier, or Notebook, has been published in the framework of the winter season Workshop organised by Cercal in February 1999, and is made up of four essays. The first, written by Marcelo Ossandon, Economist at the University of Mons, follows on from the Rio Summit in June 1999 and is written in the context of the complete introduction of the market into globalised trade. If the Continent of Latin America can be characterised at the end of the 1990s by a strengthening of democracy, an opening up of the economy and an acceleration in the process of regional integration, the Author believes that the benefit of these changes are taking their time to make themselves felt. The second essay, by Pierre Defraigne, Director of North-South Relations at the European Commission, stresses the importance of the dialogue between the EU and Latin America in the modern post-Cold War world and expresses his fears that Latin America may come to depend on the United States given the marginalisation that Latin American economies still suffer from. In the Author's opinion, the EU cannot satisfy the demands of Latin America in that it still handicapped by continuing structural unemployment which hampers its prospects for growth. The third essay, by the Third World specialist Pierre Salama, documents the over-simplicity of economic theories that attempt to draw a mechanical link between growth and falling poverty. Finally, the journalist Anne Martynow Remiche reflects on Amazonia and denounces attacks on the Indian population. She looks into ways of managing the transition from ancestral traditions to modern life which would not make indigenous populations reliant on welfare.
- L'Europe et l'Amérique latine à l'aube d'un nouveau millénaire. Eléments bibliographiques. 47 pp. This Bibliography completes the previous publication and gives details of a series of essays and studies, divided into 5 themes. The fallout from the Rio Summit (1), Democracy in Latin America (2), Regional integration in Latin America (3), The economic and trade challenges facing Latin America (4) and education and culture as competitives tools (5). An Index of Authors is provided.
*** Politica exterior. Padilla 6, E-28006 Madrid - Tel (34-91) 4312628 - Fax 5777252 - e-mail: revista@politicaexterior.com - Internet: http: //http://www.politicaexterior.com . Annual subscription: 7,200 pesetas (Spain) or 13,000 pesetas (the rest of the world). No. 74, March/April 2000, 184 pp.
'Europe and its Defence Industry' is the theme of this latest issue. The News section contains short articles on the unpredictable nature of world politics which can tear apart the most detailed speculations of how it is likely to evolve; the IGC inaugurated on February 14 with the aim of reforming Community Institutions in preparation for enlargement of the EU; arguments around nuclear disarmament in the United States and the Pope's visit to Israel. There are full essays on Vladimir Putin, the new strong man of Russia; creating a European defence industry; the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy; changes in the Balkans over the last ten years; the hopes for democracy incarnated by the new President of Argentina, Fernando de la Rua; and the challenges facing the President of Chile, Ricardo Lagos. The final essay covers the history of genocide in Rwanda.
*** Rivista di Studi politici internazionali. Lungarno del Tempio 40 - I-50121 Florence - Tel: (39-055) 666384). No. 265, January -March 2000, 176 pp. Annual subscription: Euro 51.65 (Italy) or Euro 62 (rest of the world).
In summary: Human rights and international institutions; the role of religion at the dawn of the third Millennium; 'The 21st Century: A Better World or the 'Best of all Worlds'?; European security in the 21st century; the EU on the threshold of the new century; Protecting linguistic minorities. The 'Documents' section includes the Conclusions of the Presidency of the European Summit at Helsinki (10-11 December 1999).
*** World Policy Journal. New School University, 65 Fifth Avenue, Suite 413, New York, New York, 10211-0655. No. 4 (Winter 1999/2000), 114 pp. Annual subscription: 19.95 dollars.
In summary: The changes brought about by Euroland in relations between the United States and the EU; the weaknesses of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Association) in that it may facilitate drugs trafficking between Member States; the new relationship between the US and Iran; reflections on human rights (are they universal?) and on the power of the EU (towards a new American century?).