*** ERIC BUSSIÈRE, MICHEL DUMOULIN, Eds.: Milieux économiques et intégration européenne en Europe occidentale au XXe siècle. Artois Presses Université (9 rue du Temple, B.P. 665, F-62000 Arras Cedex - Tel: (33-3) 21603700, fax: 21603737). "Histoire" series. 1998, 441 pages, FRF 170. ISBN 2-910663-19-1.
The culmination of an ambitious transnational research programme led by Professors Eric Bussière (Université d'Artois) and Michel Dumoulin (Université catholique de Louvain), this voluminous work reproduces in French and English the papers presented at a colloquium held in Arras in December 1996. The goal of the project was to go beyond the institutional approach usually taken with the history of European integration, including for its economic aspects. More specifically, the project was an attempt to understand how the European industrial, financial, agricultural and trade union sectors perceived Europe's economic and social identity and the forms of their action geared towards union or integration in these areas. In other words, when and how was the notion of interdependence or economic solidarity asserted? Unfortunately, it is impossible to do justice to this entire volume, which illustrates the depth of a question continually renewed by the position of the business world on the European challenge. We shall limit our remarks to singling out certain highly original and topical contributions out of the more than 20 papers by some of the best specialists in the field. They offer insight into how the mechanisms of cartels and concerted agreements by European industries, developed in the period between the two wars, can be recognised in the liberal stance adopted two decades later in Community economic provisions.
Organised by themes, the work is divided into four parts. Part One includes contributions on banking and big business. Olivier Feiertag (Université de Paris-X Nanterre) explains how, after World War One, the initiatives taken by the Bank of France in Central Europe and the Balkans corresponded very closely to the stance of French diplomacy in this region, especially as they benefited from a relative weakening of the Bank of England on the continent as a whole. He also takes a new look at the decisive role played by the Bank of France in the creation in 1930 of the Bank of International Settlements, considered at the time to be an ideal Trojan horse, guaranteeing its financial penetration and extending its influence in Europe. In any case, there was no awareness of any kind of European monetary identity at the time. The history of this identity is discussed by Professor Gérard Bossuat (Université de Cergy-Pontoise), who attributes its paternity to the European Payments Union which, beginning in 1950, did much to promote the liberalisation of trade and the convertibility of currencies in Western Europe. Eric Bussière examines the itinerary taken by Banque Paribas since 1960, and Laurence Badel (Université de Paris-I Panthéon-Sorbonne) studies the European commitment and the networks created in the 1920s by the French distribution and large retail sector.
Part Two reviews the European strategy of large industry. Françoise Berger (Université de Paris-I) places into perspective the relations between the leaders of the steel industry in France and Germany. She offers an original look at the role these industrialists played in the context of European rapprochement in the 50s, in which they were actively involved. The contribution by Cécile Hubert (UCL) examines the campaign for higher productivity launched in Belgium in 1950 by American experts in the context of the Marshall Plan. This programme smacking of propaganda sought to provide a massive transfer of American production and management methods, while favouring the emergence of European initiatives. Hubert brings to light the fact that the Marshall Plan represents the origin of the runaway Americanisation of European industry. Attempts to create solidarity in the oil sector so as to develop a common energy policy in the EEC are examined in an article by Professor Dumoulin. The involvement of employer organisations and trade unions is reviewed in an enlightening contribution by Yves Stelandre (UCL), who describes the overcautious attitude often demonstrated by the powerful Fédération des entreprises de Belgique to every new enlargement of the Communities. The FEB, more interested in the deepening of Europe than in its geographical extension, has always tried to limit full accession to countries with a level of socio-economic development and political ambition similar to that of present Member States. Denis Guérin (Université de Paris-IV) takes a look at the initiatives taken starting in 1919 by Albert Thomas, first Director of the International Labour Office, in support of European integration. Influenced by the triumphant American model, this visionary senior civil servant, who had the support of the trade union movement though he often found himself on the fringe of the Geneva-based institutions, launched a far-reaching programme of European public works in the electricity, motorway and railway sectors. An instrument to combat unemployment, this programme evidenced the determination to build European regional unification on pragmatic foundations. Thierry Grosbois (UCL and Université d'Artois) examines at length the attitude of trade unions in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg towards Benelux and the Marshall Plan. Grosbois explains how the Socialist unions, dissatisfied with the way they were being involved in preparatory work for the creation of Benelux, little by little managed to assert themselves in relation to employers' associations, to the point of obtaining the creation of a joint advisory economic and social council and securing important posts in the new European administrations.
Discussing the agricultural world, Gilbert Noël (Université d'Artois and UCL) analyses the process leading, at the end of the 19th century, to the development of mutual cooperation by farmers and between agricultural organisations and the public powers, with a view to building a regional agricultural community. Giuliana Laschi (University of Florence) traces the origins and causes of the relative lack of interest by Italian organisations in the CAP, concluding that the common agricultural policy failed to represent a genuine economic and social identity for European farmers.
The length of this review reflects the ambitious goal of the contributors to the volume. They have attained their goal and deserve recognition. This work will no doubt inspire many more, paving the way to a new area of research.
Etienne Deschamps
*** ISABEL CORTE, KOEN NOMDEN, MICHAEL KELLY, FRANCK PETITVILLE: Les administrations en mouvement. Les réformes de modernisation administrative dans quatre pays: Portugal, Pays-Bas, Irlande et France. Institut européen d'administration publique (22 O.L. Vrouweplein, PO Box 1229, NL-6201 Maastricht, Tel: (31-43) 3296274, fax: 3296296, E-mail: m.simons@eipa-nl.com, Internet: http: //http://www.eipa.nl ). "Current European Issues" series. 1999, 148 pages. NLG 50. ISBN 90-6779-139-3.
Commissioned by the federal government of Belgium as part of a far-reaching inter-university research programme on administration and public management in Europe, this EIPA report presents a comparative analysis of modernisation prograrmmes undertaken recently in France, Ireland, the Netherlands and Portugal. Prepared by a national expert seconded to the EIPA, each of the four studies is based on a detailed forward analysis of contextual factors, available human and material resources and the techniques and areas concerned by these processes of political-administrative reform. Based on case studies, the work examines questions as varied as the working conditions of personnel in the central and local civil service, relations between the political sphere and the senior administration, legal and policy-making systems, deregulation and decentralisation systems, budget and finance, human resource management and information and communication management.
(ED)
*** Europa Europe. Fondazione Istituto Gramsci (95c via Portuense, I-00153 Roma. Tel: (39-6) 58334151, fax: 58349186, Internet: http: //http://www.europaeurope.it , info.ee@europaeurope.it). Bimonthly No 5/99, 155 pages. Annual subscription (five issues): ITL 120,000 (Italy) or 180,000.
In this issue: the impact of the European elections on political integration in the EU, shrinking the democratic deficit in Community decision-making, reform of the welfare state in Europe. Also: a major dossier on the future of Europe at the dawn of the 21st century; a debate on the consequences of the events in Central and Eastern Europe in 1989 on the collapse of Communism and the end of the Cold War; and a report on Rio Summit focusing on relations between the EU and Mercosur.
(ED)
*** ALEXANDER HEICHLINGER: A Regional Representation in Brussels: The Right Idea for Influencing EU Policy Making? Une représentation régionale à Bruxelles: un choix judicieux pour influer sur l'élaboration de la politique européenne? Institut européen d'administration publique (see above). "Current European Issues" series. 1999, 66 pages, NLG 35. ISBN 90-6779-136-9.
Resulting from a round table sponsored in Brussels in 1998 by the EIPA's Centre of the Regions, with the support of the government of Catalonia, this publication contains the French and English versions of a study examining the origins and present and future role of regional representations and liaison offices in Brussels. Mushrooming in the European capital, these infra-national bodies represent the main institutional and private regional players in the EU, with the goal of obtaining and dealing with the information of interest to their regional or local authorities and government bodies. They also endeavour to influence the development of subnational policies at Community level. The study categorises the structure, operation and resources of regional delegations and measures their goals and actions in terms of their hoped-for or avowed efficacy. It includes a brief bibliography and a complete list of the regional representations in Brussels.
(ED)
*** JOHN LOUGHLIN, Ed.: La démocratie régionale et locale dans l'Union européenne. Committee of the Regions (79 rue Belliard, B-1040 Bruxelles. Tel: (32) 022822211, fax: 022822325, http: //http://www.cor.eu.int/ ). Distributed by Official Publications Office. 1999, 285 pages., EUR 52. ISBN 92-828-7619-5.
The Committee of the Regions has put out a work offering readers a new tool for gaining insight into the diversity and complexity of democracy in the European Union, focusing on its local and regional dimension, an increasingly important element destined to be a lasting one. The study looks at all fifteen Member States, from the standpoint of the development of democracy in each (historical background and contextual approach, including the role of the political parties), the infranational democracy emerging and taking root (Länder, regions, autonomous communities) and the infraregional democracy (local and regional levels) accompanying this movement. In conclusion, the authors observe that these movements reflect historical traditions, but also that they vary according to the different traditions of state and nation-state.
(LD)
*** GIANNI ROSA: La Sardegna vista da lontano. Editrice S'Alvure (via Campanelli, Oristano. Tel/fax: (0783) 310182). 1999, 255 pages.
Do you believe in the Europe of regions? In a European Union where regional identities are increasingly recognised, along with national identities? I do. The more the continent and the world become unified, the more men and women need to see themselves in their history and traditions which, in Europe, are basically regional. And while there is an abundance of literature on relations and reciprocal influences between countries, few scholars have studied relations between a given EU region and the others. This is the innovative contribution of Gianni Rosa (who worked several years in the Community institutions) in a work on Sardinia as seen by foreigners and as it remains in the memory of those natives to Sardinia who become renowned elsewhere.
Sardinia, the biggest island in the Mediterranean, is still rather mysterious, from its prehistory (there is no satisfactory explanation of the distant origins of its civilisation) to the present day (due primarily to the character of its inhabitants), and throughout the numerous eras of its history: Carthaginian, Roman, Byzantine, Spanish, Italian, and now, "region of Europe". One of the author's merits is that he mentions and summarises the works which have given Europeans the opportunity to become familiar with Sardinia: the first in German (1780), the second in English (by Admiral Nelson, in1803), followed by three in French (between 1825 and 1830) and the opus magnum of 1830, three volumes in English offering the most comprehensive vision of Sardinia ever presented by a foreigner. Also to Gianni Rosa's credit: his description of Sardinian cuisine and wine (he mentions Sardinian restaurants, notably in Brussels, one of which was frequented by Jacques Delors) and presentation of Sardinians who have become well known elsewhere (including football player Gianfranco Zola, a star in London). But his primary merit is to have initiated a new form of analysis, namely of relations between a region and the rest of Europe, which should be pursued by others.
(FR)
*** Uniting Europe. Weekly. Agence EUROPE (tel: (32-2) 7379494, fax: 7363700, E-mail: http://www.agenceurope.com ). No 95, 17 April, 14 pages.
Reporting on the latest developments in Community policy in every sector as they relate to Central and Eastern Europe, this publication addresses more specifically questions related to enlargement of the EU and relations between the "two halves of Europe".
*** Storia Politica Società. Via Principe Amedeo 12, Torino. Published twice a year. No 2, December 1999, 142 pages.
This latest issue contains several articles on Russia. Dario Staffa and Stefano Monti Bragadin examine certain aspects of the Russian Revolution from the historical-sociological standpoint, and the latter also contributes an article on the formation and dissolution of the Soviet Empire. Giuseppe D'Amato and Mara Morini analyse the post-Communist transition period in Russia, the former focusing more particularly on the emergence of political parties and the latter on the elections of 1993 and 1995. Other articles address issues such as the frontier between Europe and Asia, youth participation in politics and the role of pressure groups. The "Civil Europe" section analyses the direct election of the EP.
*** L'Est européen. BP 51, F-75261 Paris Cedex 06. No 256 (October-December 1999), 56 pages. Annual subscription: FRF 100 (France), BEF 800 (Belgium), CHF 25 (Switzerland) or USD 20 (USA and Canada).
In this issue: the Ukrainian genocide "that must not be forgotten", the 1000 years of existence of the Ukrainian currency, and the history of Roxolana, sultan of the Ottoman Empire. A historical document on the war in Ukraine between 1944 and 1946 is also reproduced.
L'Est européen also puts out a four-page bimonthly newsletter entitled "Ukraine-Information", which publishes brief articles on current events in Ukraine.
*** The United Nations (Brussels office: 40 av. de Broqueville, B-1200 Bruxelles, tel: (32-2) 7705047) regularly publishes studies, reports and documents, among which:
- Human Development Report 1999. 1999, 298 pages. Also available in German. With numerous statistical tables, this annual report presents various aspects of human development worldwide.
- Chronique. No 2/99, 92 pages. The feature article in this issue is on the human tragedy of the war in Kosovo. Other contributions discuss the rights of refugees, the usefulness of the United Nations Charter, the role of the International Court of Justice, and peacekeeping in unstable regions.
- Europe Refugees. No 1/2000, 12 pages. This issue focuses on the Stability Pact for South East Europe, the programme of the High Commissioner for Refugees (HCR), the European directive on family reunification and the HCR's position in Chechnya.
- Update. January 2000, 16 pages. Articles on trafficking in human beings, drug abuse in South Africa, construction of an effective legal system to counteract the drug problem, and more.
- Choix. La revue du développement humain. August 1999, 28 pages. A special issue on poverty.
- Africa Recovery. No 2-3, September 1999, 40 pages. The debt of the poorest countries, efforts to promote peace in Africa, the poverty of women, development challenges in the African countries, their investment potential, and more.
*** Défis Sud. SOS Faim (rue aux Laines 4, B-1000 Bruxelles, tel: (32-2) 5112238). No 40, Jan.-Feb.-March 2000, 44 pages, FEB 125.
In this issue: a dossier entitled "Cities in Turmoil" addressing the development problems of Southern cities. Several interviews are also published, notably with Adolfo Milabur Nancuil on the situation of the Mapuches in Chile, and the Venezuelan Ambassador in Brussels, who analyses the controversy surrounding the personality of Hugo Chavez, the current President of Venezuela.
*** Dimension 3. Bimonthly. Direction générale de la Coopération internationale (6 rue de Bréderode, B-1000 Bruxelles, tel: (32-2) 5190881, fax: 5190544, E-mail: h4.infor@badc.fgov.be). No 1/2000, 20 pages. The first issue of the year 2000 includes a special feature on fighting AIDS.