*** MAURICE RIEUTORD, LOIC TRIBOT LA SPIERE (edited by): Le Bassin Méditerranéen: Un espace en quête de sens? Editions Publisud (15 rue des Cinq-Diamants, F-75013 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 45807850 - Fax: 45899415 - E-mail: publisud@compuserve.com). 2000, 85 pages. ISBN 2-86600-614-3.
This small book from the "Centre d'Etude et de Prospective Stratégique" is both slightly irritating and very interesting. Irritating because it is at times superficial: it skims and glances subjects, but leaves the reader hungry. It is no less also very interesting as it cross looks this includes giving the Mediterranean region a human image. The leads, from there, to a thousand miles from the geopolitical concept in the purged sense of the term that is generally emphasised and forms, due to this, a magnificent call in favour of the rapprochement of the countries and peoples of the region. A rapprochement that, not spoiling in any way, should be based on a dialogue between totally equal partners.
This human dimension, we have discovered from the preface signed by Michel Habib-Deloncle President of the Franco-Arab Chamber of Commerce. Refers to the Lebanese author Amin Maalouf who, during a dinner offered by the European Investment Bank, had asserted with elegance that many people have "secondary belongings" and that the Mediterranean is one of them, he writes that this idea is part of his strong personal belief, supported by a statement made, at the start of the century, by his father to an ignorant gendarme who asked him "Beirut? Where is that, Beirut?" and to whom he simply answered: "three stops after Marseilles" (which, notes the writer of the preface, by the maritime route - the only one practicable at the time - was true…). Belonging to the heart of the Mediterranean world must thus, for the writer of the preface and all those who contribute to the work, serve as a cement and inspire the actors that have, notes Loïc Tribot La Spiere, general delegate for the "Centre d'étude et de prospective", to catch a "human reality" by avoiding the "short-term" temptation, in other words "want to transpose the particularly inept pre-established blueprints to the economic and social reality of the Southern countries to the risk of harvesting the bitter fruits".
Starting from the human thus always leads to policy. In particular, in this case, to the policy developed by the EU and its Member States compared to the Mediterranean countries on the other shore. From the outset Michel Habib-Deloncle underlines that nothing long-lasting will be built without "the European countries from the North shore abandoning all paternalism, all superiority complex", including in the cultural domain and Maurice Rieutord, Jesuit who is Secretary General of the Robert Schuman Institute for European and the Mediterranean Monitoring Centre for Information and Reflection, adds: "the path of Arab and Islamic modernity entails and implies still from the part of Europe a lay diplomatic action (in the deepest sense) with a strong cultural accompanying, which avoids marrying religious quarrels. From this policy, cooperation is an indivisible aspect, without which a deep trench is dug that we will no longer be able to cross, aspect even required on behalf of humanism that loves us…
Under this view, the judgement made by the authors of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership started during the Barcelona conference is educational. For Paul Balta, President of the Association of Mediterranean cities and territories, the Barcelona Declaration is no more or less "the founding actor of the Mediterranean in the 21st century". The Barcelona process "deserves to exist", answers Habib-Deloncle for whom it is not enough to be satisfied, but to see it as a step in a long-term process - let us be demanding - should be the constitution of a large economic-cultural Euro-Arab group, from Helsinki to Mascate and with the Mediterranean as a centre and heart". A whole that, notes Loïc Tribot La Spière, can only be modelled by the single desire of Europeans, as long as it is true that we must question the pertinence of some of these aims from Barcelona, this through the creation of a free trade area between the EU and its partners, which "will not fail to overturn systems in place (as much a financial point over as industrial) and the social structure of these States", which "could even contribute towards destabilising the systems in place". A point of view confirmed by the lawyer and former Tunisian Minister Mohamed Ennaceur who considers that security preoccupations dominate in the partnership, but that the free trade area risks increasing the insecurity in the countries of the Southern Mediterranean as the y risk leading to job losses and a loss at the fiscal level (without including, he adds, that the Euro could lead these countries in the cycle of "speculative" or "competitive" devaluation in view of increasing their chances to export towards the European market). From which his realisation - at least attention grabbing - that the security concerns of the North meet and reinforce those of the South East and Mediterranean the source of all the dangers that threaten their security and their prosperity, there exists currents of opinion, within the European partner Mediterranean countries , which see in this a source of concern (…) due to its economic dominance and that its culture threatens, and who see in this European project for the Mediterranean a desire to revenge de-colonialism"… From which the crucial need, according to Mohamed Ennaceur, to go beyond the free trade area "towards a more open partnership, more global and closer", starting with the removal of the foreign debt of the Mediterranean countries and by favouring a significant flow of direct investment from the EU" thanks to a complete or partial taking charge of the risk premiums". A point of view heavily supported by Prof. Abdelkader Sid Ahmed (University Panthéon Sorbonne) who, considering it "difficult to believe the emergence of active partners from the South with economies burdened by financial difficulties", allows himself to consider this shocking idea for those who put it forward, in life, the hat full of certainties screwed to the leader's head: " the passive integration of a system meant to introduce in itself the generalised development of the planet through complete lasser faire, it may well prefer a "strategic integration" that guarantees the necessary changes to the local structures and institutions and the emergence of true partners". To be studied. Michel Theys
*** JOSE VIDAL-BENEYTO, GERARD DE PUYMEGE (Edited by): La Méditerranée: modernité plurielle. Editions Unesco et Editions Publisud (see details above). "Le développement dans les faits" collection. 2000, 304 pages. ISBN 2-86600-559-3.
This book is to the previous one what a symphony is to chamber music, by the score remains fundamentally the same. It forms the expression and the impressive result of a work started five years ago in the framework of the Mediterranean programme of UNESCO. It is divided in to three maim parts. The first, the Mediterranean is seen as a eco-cultural era. The French sociologist Edgar Morin calls, for example, not only to think of the Mediterranean, but also to "Mediterraneanise thought". The second part is dedicated to sustainable development, concept that, launched at the Stockholm conference in 1972, has just seen its first recognition in the region, when seventeen countries from the area and those from the European Community of the time created the Action Plan for the Mediterranean. The third part is, it, entitles "Multiculturalism, human rights and Mediterranean peace". It is of the same richness than the other; all the actors - mainly from the southern shore - block the interdependence of the Mediterranean countries by refusing to give in to a prospect of fear. (MT)
*** MIGUEL ANGEL MORATINOS CAYAUBE: European Union - Middle East: Developing Societies for Peace. Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies (European University Institute, Badia Fiesolana, 9 via dei Roccettini, I-50016 San Domenico di Fiesole. Fax: (39-055) 4685770 - Internet: http: //http://www.iue.it/RSC/MED/ ). "Distinguished Lecture Series" collection. 2000, 18 pages.
If you want to know the spirit in which the EU Special Envoy intervened (or, rather, sadly!, intervened…) in order to push the Middle East peace process, this work by the Florence European Institute - and, more specifically, people who work on the Mediterranean programme it had internally developed - will delight you. In simple terms, coming from the guts and the heart, Miguel Angel Moratinos explains (in a speech he made in Florence last 23 March) that his action, that of the EU, in the region aimed, aims and still aims, let us hope to export a "European model". This to build, as done by the Germans and the French at one time, with those that circled them as well, a common future with new instruments capable of transcending history, that built on the imitated, the appetites for nationalist power, the blood baths. Thus is, in fact, the lesson brought to the world by Europe at this end of century. A movement that called, in Europe, for the acceptance, accession and the mobilisation of people through disgust. The same applies to the Middle East. Mr Moratinos explains this in a superb manner! (MT)
*** DIETER PFAFF (Edited by): Zehn Jahre danach. Versuch einer Bestandsaufnahme der Entwicklungen und Trends zum demokratischen Rechtsstaat und zur sozialen Marktwirtschaft in einigen MSOE-Ländern. Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft (49, Widenmayerstr., D-80538 Munich. Tel: (49-089) 212154-0 - Fax: 2289469). "Südosteuropa-Jahrbuch" collection, N° 30. 2000, 346 pages, DM 82.
Ten years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Communist regimes in Eastern Europe, the Südosteuropa-Gesellschaft established, with this work, a first assessment in the light of the situation in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Hungary and Romania of the EU accession candidate countries where the efforts accomplished to adopt the EU standards. Efforts that according to Dieter Pfaff, are not sufficiently taken into account by the EU 15: They focus on the failings and delays of the candidate countries, but they never take into account the "incredible" efforts made by the administrators at all levels to align themselves with Community standards.
On the basis of various "testimonies", the author sees that a certain tension remains between the legal standards ("law in the books") and the legal reality ("law in action"), as the views offered by the various political parties are not yet very transparent and that the "clientism" survives where the dictatorships have been long-lasting, a special effort is needed at the level of justice and the magistrates (qualifications of judges), that mentalities must change and develop a "legal ethic" within the population and the awareness of the rule of law. Furthermore Dieter Pfaff deplores that the creation of the Central European Free Trade Association, which provides hope, has not incited the accession candidate countries to greater cooperation between each other, this would have formed not only an excellent exercise, but also a counterweight in the accession negotiation. Finally, Pfaff notes that there are two aspects that must not be confused, on the one hand, the undeniable and even "impressive" success of these countries in the legal field, for the last ten years, but also, on the other hand, the question of knowing to what extent these results equate to a true integration of the Community acquis. (CB)
*** DARIO TOSI: La Conférence intergouvernementale pour les réformes institutionnelles de l'Union européenne en vue de l'élargissement: prémisses, développement et perspectives. Istituto di Studi e Documentazione sull'Europa comunitaria e l'Europa orientale (27 Corso Italia 27, I-34122 Trieste. Tel: (39-40) 639130 - Fax: 634248. E-mail: isdee@spin.it site web: http://www.isdee.it ). "Papers ISDEE" series, N 13. 2000, 40 pages.
The author of this study, former civil servant at the European Commission and expert in relations with the countries of Eastern Europe, analyses the possible results of the present IGC for the candidate countries, noting in particular that, if Nice achieves "minimal" institutional reforms, additional obstacles would not be created to the entry of these countries to the EU. However, in this case, we cannot exclude, according to him, that the Member States "more concerned with a future degradation of the functioning of the institutions" try to "protect themselves from this possibility" by trying to impose on the new members numerous and long transition periods, in order to limit their participation in certain "Community mechanisms and decisions" concerning them. If the IGC achieves "significant" reforms, this would lead to "a certain extension" of the negotiations and probably some delays for the first accessions, feels Mr Tosi, who at the same time wonder if it is not preferable for the candidates to enter "a little later in a EU that functions efficiently" rather that accede faster to an EU where the "decision-making" mechanisms" do not work in a satisfactory manner. (MG)
*** Revue du XXIe siècle. JLW (16-18 bld Maurice Lemonnier, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5374445 - Fax: 5378000). October 2000, 133 pages, BEF 250.
The latest issue of this quarterly review contains, among others, an article by the great leader of the Russian oil industry, Mikhaïl Khodorkovsky. He explains that Russia must imperatively move away from the economic tradition that prevailed in the 20th Century: rather than to continue to mainly rely on exports of primary goods and on heavy industry, the leaders must now, according to him, inject the Russian economy of the new age with intellectual capital that may rival with the largest economic entities of the world. On the other hand, Bruno Théret proposes a global vision of the century to come and challenges the belief that economic freedom may bring a solution to all the ills, as it is true that a "free market society without infrastructure is a bottling company where everybody wastes their time" and that "without educational infrastructure, its an exclusion society that feeds within it the germs of its own destruction. (MT)
*** EUROPEAN COMMISSION. In the framework of the European campaign against domestic violence, the Commission published (Office for the Official publications of the EC, 2 rue Mercier, L-2985 Luxembourg. Tel: (352) 2942455 - Fax: 2942758 - E-mail: info.info@cec.eu.int) the following brochures:
*** Break the silence. 2000, 15 pages. ISBN 92-828-8120-2. This work presents the initiatives that have been taken by the Commission, in partnership with the Member States and non-governmental organisations active on the ground (in particular the European Women's Lobby created a research and strategy centre for violence against women), to raise the awareness of public opinion and bring it to adopt a "zero tolerance" attitude against this scourge. This campaign started in 1997 and unfolded under five successive Presidencies to end last May. Since the start of the year, a new Daphné programme, with a budget of EUR 20 billion over seven years, brings its support to NGOs.
*** The Europeans opinion on the issue of domestic violence against women. This Brochure provides the main results of an opinion poll carried out on request of the "Women's information sector" in the Commission in the framework of Eurobarometer. Undertaken in March and May 1999, it reveals, among others, that 50% of European feel that this form of violence is relatively widespread and that 90% of them consider sexual violence as being "very serious". According to a British study, one woman in two is killed by her partner. The causes of domestic violence identified by the Europeans are, in order of importance, alcoholism, drug addiction, unemployment, poverty and, lastly, the provocative behaviour of some women.
*** Europa Regioni. Edited by AICCRE (86 piazza di Trevi, I-00187 Rome. Tel: (39-06) 69940461 - Fax: 6793275 - E-mail: http://www.aiccre.it-europaregioni @aiccre.it). October 2000, N°32. Annual subscription: ITL 100,000
In summary: the simplification of Common Agricultural Policy that translates itself for the small farmers, into payments of a standard economic aid, the first research, concerning renewable energy, the help of the European Parliament during the floods that flooded the North of Italy, the procedure dreamt up by the EP to date... The EU with a constitution by 2004, the approval of a new social programme in order to strengthen NGOs.
National review in short
*** Innovation et technologie. Brussels, November 2000, 31 pages. This special edition is dedicated to new technologies. The trends of European policy in the matter are detailed, as well as its performance, in the light of the objectives pursued (coherence of innovation policies, creation of a favourable regulatory framework, development of performing companies, develop towards a society open to innovation). A European table of innovation is presented. *** Look Japan. Hong Kong, December 2000, N° 537, 40 pages. In summary: the reform of transparency in terms of company strategies, the filmmaker Nakahara Shun as the pillar of youth cinema, what to think of the diplomatic efforts between North and South Korea, assessment of the vaccination campaign against polio and the technological prowess of the country. *** Slovenia Weekly. Ljubljana, November 2000, 23 pages. In summary: he positive side of the European Commission report concerning the Slovenian march towards accession and the economic mirror that is the balance of payments. ***Défis sud. Brussels, October 2000, N°43, 46 pages. Micro-finance is at the centre of debates in both the North and South. Challenge the South attempts to take on, namely give a complete snap shot of the problems linked to micro-finance. To do this, the review combines a geographic approach and theme bases analysis. "Micro" does not necessarily mean small: Bancosol, created in 1992 in Bolivia, has 70,000 clients and a turnover of USD 80 million per year, its weak point: the legal framework within which the micro-credit institutions undertake their actions in the Southern countries. *** Statistique: notizia petrolifere. Rome, August/September 2000, 26 pages. In summary: job security and pollution risks, Italian economic indicators, analysis of the consumption of the main oil based products, the consumption of oil during the first months of 2000 and assessment of European supply and demand.. *** Guide pratique du Ministère des Affaires économiques. Brussels (23 square de Meeûs, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5065111 - Fax: 5142472), 65 pages. This brochure - bilingual French and Dutch - provides practical information on the role and structure of the Belgian Ministry of Economic Affairs and is aimed at simplifying access to these services.