WEEKLY SUPPLEMENT / European library

*** ANDRÉE BACHOUD, JOSEFINA CUESTA, MICHEL TREBITSCH, Ed.: Les intellectuels et l'Europe de 1945 à nos jours. Publications universitaires Denis Diderot (2 place Jussieu, F-75251 Paris Cedex, Tel: [phone], fax: [phone]). 2000, 296 pages, FRF 100, EUR 15.24. ISBN 2-7442-0046-8.

Re-emerging belatedly in the world of historians, the notion of "intellectual" has for the past two decades been the subject of byzantine debates on the polysemic nature of a concept long accused of being elitist and on the assuredly polymorphous nature of scholarly circles. Little by little, the history of intellectuals has nevertheless asserted itself as an autonomous field of history open to a hybridisation of the genres of biography and political, social and cultural history. This renewed legitimacy has given rise to a growing interest in study of the behaviour of what Sartre himself did not hesitate to call, in deliberately provocative terls, the "narrow little world". In parallel, research into the progression of the European idea has nurtured increasingly abundant literature, to which this work adds a new contribution. This stimulating volume reproduces the proceedings of a colloquium held at the University of Salamanca in October 1997 on the commitment of intellectuals to European unification since the end of World War II. With support from the European Commission, this event was part of an ambitious international research programme launched four years earlier and focusing on European identities in the 20th century. Working on the basis of the latest epistemological achievements, the objective of the colloquium was twofold. First, to explore the cultural dimension per se of the European identity, often relegated, after 1945, to the background of the economic and political construction of Europe, that was itself dominated by the division into two antagonistic blocs. But over and above the changes that profoundly marked intellectuals' perception of Europe from the Cold War to the present, the authors also endeavour to zero in on the continuity that also characterised intellectuals' relations with the Community process "in time and space", whether this concerned the role of certain figures, the centres and networks of sociability, cultural institutions, the permanence of symbolic representations and ideologies, or the structure contributed by the Franco-German relationship to the development of a Europe of culture.

The thematic division is appealing. The work opens with a number of studies on various intellectuals who, rapidly aware of the "end of the coincidence between European discourse and universal discourse", were led to use sometimes new terms in their thinking on Europe. There then emerged the "European paradox", a period during which intellectuals who, after a brief second "golden age" of European commitment in the aftermath of the Liberation, rarely were activists in European construction. Among the more emblematic figures, we might mention Benedetto Croce, Salvador de Madariaga, Denis de Rougemont, Raymond Aron and Edgar Morin. Hans Manfred Bock (University of Kassel) also discusses the positions of the German intelligentsia who, after the collapse of the Third Reich, immediately began the peaceful effort to develop a "European Germany", and Nicole Racine (Fondation nationale des sciences politiques, Paris) analyses the underground action led by the Pen Clubs and European literary clubs to come to the aid of writers who were victims of censure and repression in Eastern European countries, while reiterating the fundamental unity of culture in a divided Europe.

The second part of the work is devoted entirely to this "other Europe", central and eastern, and the rediscovery, sometimes only very recently, of this "kidnapped West" dear to Kundera. Because this is where the subject of Europe gives full meaning to the struggle for liberty and democracy that slowly penetrated Western awareness. The often prophetic thinking of Czeslow Milosz, István Bibó and Jan Patocka on European civilisation and dissidence is studied in three thought-provoking papers. Next comes a chapter on collective representations and the popular imagination, of which European intellectuals are sometimes the creators or vectors. Jacques-René Rabier observes, in a well illustrated essay, the permanence and current fame of the Greek myth of the kidnapping of Europe through philately, numismatics, the plastic arts, popular literature and caricature. Michel Trebitsch (Institut d'histoire du temps présent-CNRS, Paris) continues in the same vein, examining the fate of the myth of Ulysses in 20th century literature. But of particular interest is the scathing contribution by Gérard Bossuat (Université de Cergy-Pontoise) who explains why the unified Europe has failed to develop a European patriotism and still has no memories evoking a common political destiny. He invites "European young people to have the ambition of a Community future while respecting the best of national heritages". The authors also address the subject of the establishment of European cultural policies, explaining how they have sometimes made it possible to relay diplomatic practice effectively while contributing to trade that can help create a feeling of being part of a shared destiny. But nothing is simple, as Jean-Marie Palayret (Historical Archives of the European Communities, Florence) demonstrates, recalling the many difficulties surrounding the foundation and beginnings of the European University Institute, which was long a victim of successive crises that affected economic and political Europe. The subject of academic cooperation is also addressed by Elisabeth du Réau (Université de Paris III-Sorbonne nouvelle) who explains the pioneering role played by the Conference of European Rectors in setting into place a genuine Europe of universities. More briefly, Emmanuelle Gosselin (Université de Paris III) places into perspective the impact of Franco-German cooperation on European university policy. To conclude, Fabrice Larat (University of Mannheim) analyses the reasons for the limited number of intellectuals figuring among the laureates of the famous Prix Charlemagne awarded by the City of Aix-la-Chapelle since 1950.

Clearly, the timing of this publication couldn't be better. Given the challenges it is facing today, Europe is searching for an identity. The family of intellectuals cannot side-step the debate. In spite of the rather disparate nature of the contributions it contains, this stimulating research reinforces the idea that intellectuals also have their stone to add to the Community edifice. But after having developed thinking, at a very early date, on the Europe in which they would undoubtedly have formed an avant-garde, intellectuals seem now to convince the elite rather than the general public. Admittedly these are times of uncertainty not very propitious to the emergence of a clear vision of the process of European construction. But the process remains to be developed, now more than ever before. Far from exhausting the subject, this book prepares the ground for further reflection at the dawn of this 21st century. The answer to Euro-scepticism may also lie in this same direction. Etienne Deschamps

*** The Federalist Debate. Papers for Federalists in Europe and in the World. Via Schina 26, I-10144 Turin. Internet: http://www.federalist-debate.org. April 2000, No 1, 64 pages. Annual subscription: EUR 15.

The most recent issue of the publication edited by Lucio Levi, now in its thirteenth year, contains an editorial by Mr Levi entitled "No Globalisation without Representation" and various articles on the phenomenon of globalisation, including an essay by Peter Ustinov, President of the World Federalist Movement, entitled "Who is Controlling Globalisation?" (World Federalists "are not dreamers", nor are they "cynics who believe that systems cannot be changed", asserts Ustinov, known primarily for his work in theatre and cinema). He prefers to liken the Federalists to "practical idealists "who combine high principles with achievable strategies, long-term visions and short-term objectives". Vera Palea examines the advantages of a Tobin tax, seeing it as an "important contribution to the construction of a new international order", and Jo Leinen, Member of the EP and President of the UEF, discusses EU citizenship and the Charter of Fundamental Rights. Tommaso Padoa Schioppa, Member of the European Central Bank Executive Board, in an article entitled "States Vote, People Do Not", asserts that, in the light of the recent rejection by the US Congress of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), it will become "increasingly obvious that democracies within individual states do not satisfy the need for an international democracy". Only 48 Senators out of 100 voted in favour of the CTBT, which is nevertheless supported by 80% of Americans, observes Mr Padoa Schioppa, going on to note that the 20th century "might have been more peaceful" had the US Senate not twice failed to ratify the Treaty of Versailles -in 1919 and 1920- (and consequently the entry of the US into the League of Nations), that the political union of Europe could have come about earlier had the French National Assembly supported in 1954 the creation of the European Defence Community and that world economic relations might have developed more rapidly and in a more organised way had the United States ratified in 1947 the Havana Treaty. "The expression of general will is not a monopoly of the states; it belongs to all people", he concludes. (MG)

*** CHRISTIAN DEUBNER: Harnessing Differentiation in the EU. Flexibility after Amsterdam. Forschungsinstitut für Internationale Politik und Sicherheit (Haus Eggenberg, D-82067 Ebenhausen; Tel: (49-8178, 70-0, fax: 70-312). "Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik" series, No S 430, 1999, 99 pages.

This publication presents the results of hearings conducted by five institutes specialised in international relations and the European Commission's Forward Studies Unit, in six European countries -Germany, Denmark, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland- and in the Commission itself, on the possibilities of enhanced cooperation offered by the Treaty of Amsterdam. Organised in 1998, these hearings revealed that the officials approached had doubts about the capability of enhanced cooperation to improve the efficacy of Community decision-making and policy implementation. The general tone of the positions expressed is marked more by doubts and reluctance than enthusiasm. An interesting revelation even as the subject of enhanced cooperation comes to the fore at the IGC in progress. (MT)

*** FREDERIC SUDRE, SABRINA QUELLIEN, NICOLAS RAMBION, CAROLINE SALVIEJO: Droit communautaire des droits fondamentaux. Recueil de décisions de la Cour de justice des Communautés européennes. Bruylant (67 rue de la Régence, B-1000 Bruxelles. 1999. ISBN: 2-8027-1288-8.

This collection edited by Professor Sudre, with the collaboration of three doctoral students of the Jean Monnet Chair in Community Law of Fundamental Rights, at the Law Faculty of University Montpellier I, seems particularly useful at a time when the Convention chaired by Roman Herzog is in the process of drawing up a draft Charter of Fundamental Righs of the Union. It discusses the role played in this area by the Court of Justice of the European Communities and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg. To measure fundamental rights in the Community order, it is essential to be familiar with the relevant Court of Justice case law, observes Frédéric Sudre in the forward to this volume. He admits that this case law is not necessarily easy to access because decisions in this area, "sometimes limited to a few legal grounds", are submerged within a voluminous body of case law. This volume, explains Prof. Sudre, contains the Court decisions that "we believe set out the guidelines of Community law of fundamental rights". An interesting remark by Prof. Sudre in the context of current discussions within the Convention: the authors did not deem it advisable to include free movement of persons as one of the fundamental rights because it is asserted first by the Treaty as an "economic freedom" and because the Court of Justice has not analysed it "from a perspective of respect for fundamental rights". (MG)

*** Mémento pratique Communauté européenne 2000-2001. Ed. Francis Lefebvre (42 rue de Villiers, F-92300 Levallois Cedex. Tel: [phone], fax: [phone], Internet: http: //http://www.efl.fr . Distribution Benelux: Patrimoine, 168 rue du Noyer, B-1030 Bruxelles. Tel/fax: [phone], E-mail: [e-mail]). 1999, 1598 pages, FRF 698. ISBN 2-85-115-431-1.

A "bible" for the initiated, the new annual edition of this monumental work constitutes, for companies and all economic decision-makers, a comprehensive inventory of Community legal, fiscal, social, accounting and financial provisions. After a brief review of the general principles of European law, the manual describes successively and in extreme detail the principles and procedures related to competition, company law, the award of public contracts, intellectual property, public aid, the introduction of the euro, taxation, social policy and accountancy rules. All texts in force (treaties, conventions, regulations, directives and communications) appear in annexes to the volume, which also contains recent case law. Updated to 1 October 1999, this indispensable tool also includes a table of case law, an alphabetical index and a detailed analytical summary that facilitates consultation considerably. The work also includes the changes resulting from the entry into force of the Amsterdam Treaty in May 1999. (ED)

*** WALTER COSCIA, Ed.: Wallonie et pays du Sud. Sous le signe du partenariat. Fonds de Coopération au Développement (4 bd de l'Empereur, bte 4,B-1000 Bruxelles, tel: [phone], fax: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]). 2000, 636 pages,. ISBN 2-930126-09-4.

Published with the support of the Walloon Region of Belgium, this work was drawn up by a Socialist development cooperation NGO. Based on recent statistical research, it examines the partnership relations that can -and must, in the interest of all- be developed between SMEs in Walloonia and in the countries of the southern hemisphere. (MT)

*** EUROPEAN COMMISSION: European Economy. DG for Economic and Financial Affairs, distributed by the Official Publications Office (L-2985 Luxembourg). Annual subscription (2 issues, 3 reports and supplements): EUR 190. Internet: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/economy_finance.

Entitled "The EU Economy: 1999 Review", No 69 provides a detailed (488 pages) look at economic developments in the EU in 1999. Part One analyses the supportive international economic environment, the EU economy on the verge of a sustained recovery, improvement of the labour market performance, inflation developments, current budgetary developments and prospects, monetary conditions and progress towards pan-European financial markets. Part Two presents thematic studies on unemployment (origins and challenges), tax-benefit systems and incentives for work and job creation, the long-term economic and budgetary implications of ageing populations, market integration and differences in price levels between EU Member States and key developments in European equity markets. The volume also includes a lengthy statistical annex. No 4/99 of the "Reports and Studies" series concerns the liberalisation of network industries (telecommunications, postal services, electricity, natural gas, water, urban transport, air and railway transport), examining economic implications and main policy issues.

*** La europeización de las políticas regionales de desarollo agrícola y rural. Institut Universitari d'Estudis Europeus (Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (E-08193 Bellaterra (Barcelona), Tel: [phone], fax: [phone]. No 33 in the "Quaderns de treball" series, 28 pages.

This publication analyses the Europeanisation of regional agricultural and rural development policies. The analysis is based on these two policy areas in Spain, particularly in two regions, Catalonia and Estremadura..

*** L'activité de la construction en Europe - Construction activity in Europe - Die Bautätigkeit in Europa). European Construction Industry Federation (66 avenue Louise, B-1050 Brussels, Tel: [phone], fax: [phone], Internet: [e-mail]). December1999, 222 pages.

This annual trilingual (French, English, German) statistical report presents a detailed panorama of construction activity in Europe in the past year (with projections for 2000). It opens with a look at the European Union as a whole, followed by a study on each EU Member State as well as Switzerland, Norway, Romania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

*** Fostering Entrepreneurship in Europe. The Unice Benchmarking Report 1999. Unice (rue Joseph II, bte 4, B-1000 Bruxelles, tel: [phone], fax: [phone], E-mail: [e-mail]). 1999, 45 pages, 12 euros.

This study examines ways of boosting levels of enterpreneurship in Europe. It clearly illustrates low levels of entrepreneurship in Europe relative to other leading economies, especially the United States, highlighting the negative effects of this situation, namely weaker economic growth and high unemployment. The report also denounces the lack of consensus between European governments, which hinders the development of an environment favourable to the spirit of enterprise.

*** Guide FEB. Fédération des entreprises de Belgique (4 rue Ravenstein, B-1000 Bruxelles, Tel: [phone], fax: [phone], Internet: http: //http://www.FEB.BE ). 1999, 148 pages.

This guide explains the structures of the Fédération des entreprises de Belgique, along with its role and activities at the federal level in Belgium and at European level. It includes a detailed presentation of the sectoral federations affiliated with the FEB and describes the working of Unice (Union of Industrial and Employers' Confederations of Europe).

*** Rapport 1999. Banque nationale de Belgique (Bd de Berlaimont 14, B-1000 Bruxelles). Volume One: Economic and Financial Developments. 1999, 163 p..

This annual report provides useful information on recent economic and financial developments in Belgium. The National Bank also reports on its own activity, a subject developed in greater depth in Volume Two.