*** HENRI RIEBEN, MARTIN NATHUSIUS, FRANCOISE NICOD, CLAIRE COMPERIO-TIXIER: Un changement d'espérance. La Déclaration du 9 mai 1959, Jean Monnet-Robert Schuman. Fondation Jean Monnet pour l'Europe (Centre de recherches européennes, Lausanne). 2000, 277 pages. ISBN 2-88100-081-9.
"Peace in the world cannot be preserved without creative efforts equal to the dangers that threaten it. The contribution an organised and active Europe can make to civilisation is vital to maintaining peaceful relations". Thus begins the Schuman Declaration of 9 November 1950. These two sentences are found in every draft, from the first up to the ninth and definitive version. The eighth version included a third: "To this effect, Europe must be organised on a federal basis." While this sentence was deleted, the Final Declaration does assert: "Through the pooling of basic productions and the establishment of a new High Authority, whose decisions will be binding upon France, Germany and the countries that choose to join, this proposal will establish the first concrete conference of a European Federation vital to preserving peace". In the first draft, this Authority was "international"; by the third, it has evolved into a "common" Authority; and in the end, in the declaration pronounced by Robert Schuman on 9 May 1950, in the Quai d'Orsay's "Salon de l'Horloge": "The French Government proposes placing all Franco-German production under a common High Authority, in an organisation which the other countries of Europe are invited to join".
It is a moving experience today to go through these typewritten pages, with bits crossed out and corrections added by hand, starting with the first draft dated 17 April, up to the ninth, of 6 May. These original documents, from the archives of Jean Monnet and Robert Schuman, have now been published for the first time and are accessible to all, thanks to the work of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe, chaired by Professor Henri Rieben. Those who were part of these historic events recognise, in the extremely detailed account constituted by these documents and all the others reproduced in this magnificent volume, what they experienced at the time, what they sometimes knew or supposed but which they could not prove. And this first-hand "slice of history" is all the more enriching for those with little or no knowledge of these events! Henri Rieben says so, moreover: "In compiling this work, we gave a good deal of thought to today's youth and to future generations". These documents demonstrates, in any case, what a few men of vision, good will and courage can accomplish, even if, as Etienne Davignon observed at one of the many conferences marking the 50th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, it is legitimate to wonder whether Europe's destiny could be transformed on the initiative of "some ten men" today, as it was 50 years ago…
As the editors Henri Rieben, Martin Nathusius, Françoise Nicoud and Claire Camperio-Tixier point out, the convictions of those who had the courage in 1950 to "decide and to act", "in the midst of tragic circumstances leading others to resignation", were not developed overnight. This is seen in the remarks by Robert Schuman who, on probation in the Palatinate in 1942, said: "Once National Socialism has been overcome, it will be vital to develop new ways of unifying Europe. (...) Without a sincere and definitive reconciliation between France and Germany, peace in Europe is unthinkable". The early origins of these convictions are also seen in Jean Monnet's "note for discussion" written in Algiers on 5 August 1943. Monnet had been in Algiers since February of the same year to participate in the union of French nationals determined to join forces with the Allies (and the differences between his conception of the construction of Europe and the views of General de Gaulle became clear there, as seen in documents recounting a conversation between them on 17 October 1943, in the presence of only three other persons). In his note of 5 August, Monnet, observing that "the evolution of the war is such that we can imagine it ending soon", wrote: "There will be no peace in Europe if States are rebuilt on a basis of national sovereignty (...). If the countries of Europe protect themselves again one against the other, it will once again be necessary to build huge armies (...). The countries of Europe are too small to guarantee for their peoples the prosperity that modern conditions make possible and consequently necessary."
This book also demonstrates how necessary Monnet and Schuman were for one another, how much their combined efforts were essential for succeeding. In 1950, given the uncertainties weighing on Franco-German relations, Jean Monnet felt war coming while Robert Schuman, French Foreign Minister, was due to meet in London, on 10 May 1950, the American and British Foreign Ministers Dean Acheson and Ernest Bevin, who had asked him to study the destiny of Germany and to discuss his view and present his proposals on that occasion. And this is where Jean Monnet intervened, without any mandate, sending to Robert Schuman, on 1 and 3 May, two notes in which he expresses his concern and outlines responses. "Thinking is crystallising on a simple and dangerous objective: the cold war (...). The cold war (...) is the first step towards preparation for war (...). The course of events must be changed; to do so, there is a need to change men's way of thinking (...). There is a need for immediate action that changes something essential (...). Europe has never existed (...). We need to create Europe", Monnet wrote to Schuman. And Bernard Clappier recalls: "Jean Monnet had the same concerns as Robert Schuman (...). The 'detonator' was the Franco-Anglo-American meeting to be held in London on 10 May. It was the proximity of the date of that meeting that precipitated events". Clappier, who was a valuable aide to Schuman, as others were for Monnet, speaks in his Mémoires of Hirsch (thanks to him, "construction was going to be solid from the ground up "), Reuter (he "was behind the High Authority, both the term and the structure ") and Uri (who "gave coherence to the economic project and step by step created the notion of the common market ").
Through the work of these few men, the ninth and final draft of the declaration was ready on 6 May, and on 7 May Schuman wrote a three-page letter to Chancellor Adenauer that begins as follows: "On the eve of proposing that the French Government take an important decision for the future of Franco-German relations, of Europe and of peace, I would like to analyse for you the declaration I will be asking my government to accept and to make public on Tuesday evening, 9 May." On 8 May, Adenauer replied, in an official letter, that the German Government was willing to study the plan, and in a personal letter, that he was happy over this prospect for relaunching cooperation with France, after "weeks and months" during which reciprocal relations had been marked by "mistrust and reservations". On 9 May, at 6.00 p.m., Schuman made the plan public in the "Salon de l'Horloge" at the Quai d'Orsay, and the same day, at 8.00 p.m., Adenauer did the same in Bonn, before the Bundesrat meeting in plenary...
Marina Gazzo
*** Robert Schuman, artisan de l'Europe. Edition Coprur (34 rue du Wacken, F-67000 Strasbourg). 2000, 58 pages. ISBN 02-84208-056-4.
One of the many publications to come out in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, this one presents the personal memories of those who knew Robert Schuman before the famous "Salon de l'Horloge" speech -beginning with Pierre Pflimlin, who met Schuman in 1938, when the latter was "considered the most eminent parliamentarian of the region", he notes in the preface. Impressed by "the radiance of this man, whose modesty did not mask his profound spirituality", Pierre Pflimlin met up with him again in the constituent National Assembly. He recalls: "He guided my first steps in politics, giving me advice I believe I have always followed faithfully."
Paul Collowald traces the period of Robert Schuman's life, from school in Metz to his law studies in Berlin, Munich, Bonn and Strasbourg, until he was appointed Under Secretary of State for Refugees and was the first French MP to be imprisoned by the Gestapo, on 14 September 1940…. Paul Walter, President of the Robert Schuman Association in Thionville, remembers Schuman as "parliamentarian representing Thionville for 43 years", and Richard Stock, General Secretary of the Robert Schuman Association in Scy-Chazelles, recalls that the declaration of 9 May was delivered "after a few days' soul-searching in Scy-Chazelles", the village in the wine-growing region where Schuman, a practising member of the Metz Bar and MP from Moselle, had bought an estate in 1924. (MG)
*** Régions et communes d'Europe. Lettre d'information du Comité des Régions (79 rue Belliard, B-1040 Bruxelles, Tel: (32-2) 2822155, fax: 2822085, http: //http://www.cor.eu.int ). In this issue: European research policy, the Structural Funds 2000-2006 and the subsidiarity principle.
*** La vie. Ces Chrétiens qui ont fait l'Europe… La Vie (163 boulevard Malsherbes, F-75859 Paris Cedex 17. Tel: (33-1) 48884502). 2000, Special issue No 10, 65 pages. FRF 39.
Obviously, the pensive face of Robert Schuman appears on the cover of this special issue of the weekly edited by Jean-Claude Petit, which pays tribute not only to Schuman's "unshakeable confidence in the human heart and spirit", but also to the convictions of "two of Europe's other political giants, Adenauer in Germany and De Gasperi in Italy". After drawing upon 1500 years of Christianity, "La vie", in an article by Jacques Mallet, former Member of the EP, discusses European "precursors": in 1831 with "L'Avenir", led by Félicité de Lamennais, in 1848 "L'Ere Nouvelle", in 1894 "Le Sillon", the work of Marc Seigner, the "indefatigable artisan of Franco-German rapprochement", and, in our century, of course, Jacques Maritain and Emmanuel Mounier. Paul Collowald contributes his recollections of Bernard Clappier, who worked closely with Robert Schuman from 1946 to 1952 (as Head of Cabinet to the Finance Minister, Council President and Foreign Minister); Henri Poumerol discusses the "unions, associations, newspapers and conferences", in short, "the activists in the field"; and Leo Tindemans, in an article with a personal tone, discusses "Father Schuman" (as he was called by his Head of Cabinet Alain Poher, who later served as President of the Senate for years), "the type of man in whom people spontaneously have confidence".
But the tribute to Robert Schuman is not simply a matter of remembering the past, but also an occasion to think about the future. Karl Lamers, CDU foreign policy spokesman in the Bundestag, notes that the idea he suggested in 1994 together with Wolfgang Schäuble, of forming a Europe with a "solid" and not "hard" core group of states (a "fester Kern", rather than the "harter Kern" that gave rise to considerable controversy) capable of "playing a leading role in essential policy areas such as security and defence, appears "increasingly to be the appropriate solution". Commission President Romano Prodi, discussing "Christians and European Construction: And Now What?", notes that the values defended by the European Union "reflect in large measure the humanist tradition and the moral heritage of the three religions of the Mediterranean". In an interview, Jacques Delors recognises that after 1945, "Christians often found themselves in the avant-garde, working to unite Europe", but adds that the Europe of Six was a combined creation of Christian Democrats and Social Democrats. "The values of democracy, tolerance and freedom defended by Christians are not unique to them… Fortunately!", observes European Parliament President Nicole Fontaine. "We cannot be content with being heirs", observes François Bayrou, who reiterates that the Europe taking shape is "federal in nature", which does not mean a super-state, but, on the contrary, a "true democracy", the only one "moving in the direction of the immense work, the future-oriented work, of Robert Schuman". (MG)
*** HORST GÜNTER KRENZLER, Ed.: Preparing the EU and Its Institutions for Enlargement. European University Institute (Convento, 9 via dei Roccettini, I-50016 San Domenico di Fiesole, Italie. Fax: (39-055) 4685-770, E-mail: divry@iue.it). Policy Paper No 99/7. 1999, 17 pages.
This paper is the report of the European University Institute's Working Group on the Eastward Enlargement of the European Union, chaired by former European Commission Director General Horst Günter Krenzler. Karen E. Smith served as rapporteur. Based on an initial report by Professor Wessels, the group studied four scenarios, from simple adaptation of the institutions and procedures established by the Treaty of Amsterdam to radical overhaul along the lines of the emergence of a federation, handling of the Amsterdam leftovers alone, or the drafting of a constitution. The working group concluded that limiting efforts to addressing the Amsterdam leftovers would not be enough in the medium term and that more fundamental reforms are needed, at least within the framework of an ongoing process. (MT)
*** WALTRAUD HAKENBERG: Grundzüge des Europäischen Gemeinschaftsrechts. Verlag Vahlen (München). "Studienreihe Jura" series. 2000, 240 pages, DEM 38. ISBN 3-8006-2504-0.
Professor Hakenberg, Law Clerk at the Court of Justice, has updated a reference work on Community law published in 1994, adding the legal advances made since that time, one of the most important of which being the entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam on 1 May 1999. Otherwise, the concept of the first edition remains unchanged, namely there is a brief presentation of the origins of the EU, followed by descriptions of the institutional system, the EU legal order, different Community policies and the adaptation of Community law in specific areas. (CB)
*** Economía Exterior. Estudios de Política Exterior (Padilla 6, E-28006 Madrid, tel: (34-91) 4312628, fax: 5777252, E-mail: revista@politicaexterior.com, Internet: http: //http://www./politicaexterior.com ). Spring 2000, No 12, 174 pages. Annual subscription (4 issues): ESP 6,500 (Spain) or 11,000 (outside of Spain).
Having succeeded in achieving a certain level of political stability and encouraging economic results, Mexico has become one of Spain's privileged trade and investment partners. This most recent issue of Economía Exterior presents a number of studies on this country, in particular concerning the contribution of the free trade agreement between the EU and Mexico. Articles of particular interest include: Spanish Economy Minister Rodrigo Rato's analysis of the socio-cultural ties between Spain and Mexico; an essay by Mexican Trade, Energy and Tourism Ministers, Herminio Blanco, Luis Téllez and Óscar Espinosa, welcoming the development of closer economic relations with Spain. Other contributions concern the Spanish banking presence in Mexico and the opening and modernisation of Mexico's electricity sector, in which Spanish investors are very interested. This issue also includes a 30-page overview of the current state of the economy in Mexico, illustrated with numerous tables.
*** Internationale Politik. Verlag für Internationale Politik (Bachstrasse 32, D-53115 Bonn, Tel: (49-228) 7290010, fax: 695734, E-mail: euv-vip@t-online.de). No 4, April 2000, 134 pages. Annual subscription (12 issues): DEM 190.
Space policy is one of the themes of this issue, which discusses Europe's space policy -still highly dependent upon national policies-, and Europe's interest in observation satellites. Other studies examine the possibility of a political crisis in Germany owing to the CDU scandal, Europe's boycott of Austria with the entry into office of Jorg Haider' party, the necessity of Germany's participation in European defence and the trans-Atlantic security policy.
*** Dokumente für den deutsch-französischen Dialog. Europa Union Verlag (Bachstrasse 32, D- 53115 Bonn, Tel: (49-228) 7290010, fax: 695734, E-mail: euv-vip@t-online.de, Internet: http: //http://www.europa-union.de ). April 2000, Volume 2, 97 pages. Annual subscription (6 issues): DEM 30.
In this issue: articles on "cohabitation" in France, the Schuman Plan in 1950, pension reform in France and Germany, the generation gap in France, the intercultural aspects of cooperation between German and French companies, and more.
*** Documents. Revue des questions allemandes. 50 rue de Laborde, F-75008 Paris, Tel: (33-1) 43879042, fax: 42935094, E-mail: bild.documents@wanadoo.fr. No 1/2000, 128 pages. Annual subscription: FRF 230 (France) or 250 (other countries).
In this issue: the fate of the CDU; the financing of politics in Germany and France; a portrait of Angela Merkel, the CDU's new leader; electoral stability in Schleswig-Holstein; the contributions of Mecklembourg-Pomerania prior to German unification; the events that have left the most lasting imprint on Germans; Austria in 2000 and Germany in 1993; European integration in the teaching of history in France and Germany, and more.
National journals, briefly.
*** Qui Italia. Brussels. In No 66 (May 2000, 24 pp.) of this publication geared towards the Italian community of Belgium: the government of Giuliano Amato, the outcome of the elections of 16 April in Italy, the right to vote and stand in elections guaranteed to Europeans living in another Member State, and more. *** Slovenia Weekly. Vitrum (Ljubljana). In No16 (26 April 2000, 24 pp.): a report on the meeting of MPs from applicant countries, attended by Nicole Fontaine, held on 18 and 19 April last in Ljubljana; an interview with Alain Pilloux , the EBRD's Director for Trade for Central Europe, who discusses the Bank's key role of providing support for Slovenia; various other articles on current events in Slovenia in different sectors. *** Tunisia News: Tunis. In No 370 (22 April 2000): American investments in Tunisia, economic reform, and various articles on current events in Tunisia and Africa. *** Look Japan. Tokyo. This annual publication (around 40 pages) contains different articles on topics of current interest in Japan. The issue dated April 2000 focuses on global warming.