*** VINCENT PETIT: Les continentales. Lettres sur la Constitution politique de l'Europe. L'Harmattan (5-7 rue de l'Ecole-Polytechnique, F-75005 Paris). "Questions contemporaines" series. 2001, 156 pp. ISBN 2-7475-0834-X.
"Dearly beloved godson, I would have liked to have sent these letters to my own children. Life's trajectory did not include the roles of father and husband, even though one day I might yet find myself using the words of Chateaubriand, "if I had been more like other men, I would have been happier". One must believe that solitude requires spirit and melancholy hope. Don't hold it against me, therefore, for admitting that I have addressed the lines that follow to you. Your tenderness of years means that you will not read them until later, if they are still of interest to you and future posterity. I hope that affection and family devotion will at least mean that you do throw them away and you keep them to remember a little what I was like. I dedicate them to you with the certainty that you will see the carrying out of what I believed should be accomplished"…
This small and unusual book begins in a literary style that is unfortunately no longer employed but succeeds, nonetheless, in bringing us a breath of fresh air. Vincent Petit is a thirty year old history lecturer, who after studying at the Universities of Besançon and Göttingen pursued his historical investigations into social Catholicism and Christian democracy. That's the official biographical description in a nutshell. And yet, there is a real being in this book who comes alive and shares his deepest beliefs and convictions with the reader. This can be illustrated by the following example, "Only time itself can tell if action by mankind is ever truly productive". He also adds that, "We need to be patient but I am not patient at all and hence reflect my century. I have convinced myself of the need to write as if a torch were thrown into the darkness of a well, like shouting from within an immense void"… This "provincial man without any great knowledge of international affairs" believes, like Tzvetan Todorov, that "the twenty-first century will pick up things where the nineteenth century left off". Leaping over the sufferings of the century that fills him with loathing and shame but which also feed his vestiges of hope, given that "the founding of a political Europe constitutes a project that gives rise to hope because it is built upon this memory; it moves forward to the future because it does not forget the past". By way of ten letters: "Nations and the States of Europe", "On European Languages", "The Need for Union", "The Federal Makeup of Europe" etc, Vincent Petit provides an impassioned plea for the political unification of the continent. Without falling into utopianism or a demoralised piecemeal approach, he also claims that: "in these times of individualism, disbelief and weariness, politics will be unable to limit itself to institutional innovations or legal reforms without being inspired by superior principles… without the Spirit, nothing in the way of justice will be achieved. I also tend to think that Political Union will not see the light of day until this period of demoralisation comes to an end "… Michel Theys
*** ROGER BEETHAM (Ed.): The Euro Debate. Persuading the People. Federal Trust for Education and Research (Dean Bradley House, 52 Horseferry Road, London SW1P 2AF. Internet: http://www.fedtrust.co.uk ). 2001, 207 pages, 21 euro, £12.95 ISBN 1-903-40313-8.
Roger Beetham is a retired British diplomat and former spokesman for Roy Jenkins, President of the European Commission from 1977 to 1981. Beetham was also spokesman for the team that negotiated the United Kingdom's accession to the European Community (the second and successful negotiation, it must be said). This book was a joint effort between Beetham and the Federal Trust, an organisation that has closely followed and forecast the twists and turns of European integration in a difficult country (the United Kingdom) over a number of years. At the moment of writing, he must have been pondering the famous "Speech of Florence" in October 1977, where Roy Jenkins launched the idea of European monetary union to the European University Institute of Florence. The significance of this speech was not recognised immediately and Jenkins' ideas were judged both utopian and ill-advised. In fact, with his seven "arguments" for monetary union (including the need for cohesiveness with greater emphasis on the world outside the Community and the prospect of enlargement: see EUROPE editorial of 2/3 November 1977), the first British President of the European Commission was both visionary and realistic, as history all too clearly shows. The Commission's spokesperson at the time, Renato Ruggiero, currently the Italian Foreign Minister, recalls in an article in Corriere della Sera of 18 October, that Roy Jenkins gave him the following advice: "Be careful Renato, never say that what we have done will lead to the single currency. If we say that, no-one will follow us".
How times have changed! Twenty years later in Europe one can say what one likes and Roger Beetham and the Federal Trust know it only too well. They are backed up by the seven "arguments" put forward by around twenty experts in the field - arguments supported by Neil Kinnock, former leader of the Labour Party and currently Vice-President of the Commission, Simon Buckby, Director of the Britain in Europe Campaign, former Director General of External Relations at the Commission, Sir Roy Denman, John Stevens, former Member of the Conservative Party, Christopher Hume, Liberal MEP and former Head of the European Movement in the United Kingdom, Ernest Wistrich. Opposing views are expressed by people like the Conservative MP Bill Cash and the late Lord Peter Shore, who served in the Cabinets of both Wilson and Callaghan, and Ruth Lea from the Institute of Directors. However, as Roger Beetham points out in his comments on the different contributions (which provide them with the fluidity of dialogue), characteristic British realism means that the "No" of convinced opponents of European integration is not as categorical as all that, simply a "No" while waiting to see. Whilst some are left waiting to see how the economic realities of the Euro pan out, others, like Roger Beetham, stress that the issue is obviously still political. (MG)
*** ANTONIO TIZZANO, DANIEL VIGNES: Code de l'Union européenne. Bruylant (67 rue de la Régence, B-1000 Brussels). "Pratique du droit communautaire - European Law in Practice" series. 2001, 1,140 pages. ISBN 2-8027-1446-5.
"The return to the actual text is quite indispensable in any legal undertakings, undertakings which are often difficult when normative or para-normative production emanates from a variety of different sources and accumulates in different strata within the moving landscape of the European Union. That is why we have nothing but praise for the perseverance of Antonio Tizzano and Daniel Vignes who, having decided to help students, teachers and those practising law to master the rising tide of literature on the subject, are now able to offer us their second edition of the European Code"... Jacqueline Dutheil de la Rochère, Professor at Université de Paris II, thus introduces us to this huge book, which is updated to the Treaty of Nice and of which it also includes a section. It is a pertinent book, for the "return to the text" is a demand that is felt to be increasingly necessary: we are inundated with commentaries, declarations, the adopting of positions (the Treaty of Nice is a good example), but being able to see the essential texts, in a way that facilitates their reading for reference, is another thing altogether. Antonio Tizzano, Solicitor General at the Court of Justice and Daniel Vignes, Honorary Director General at the Council of the Union, have played a large part in achieving just that.
The previous edition included texts up to 29 March 1996. So much has occurred since then, that a new edition was necessary. Who could claim to have in their possession the essential CFSP or CESDP texts (Common Foreign and Security Policy and European Security and Defence Policy) or texts on Justice and Home Affairs, the Charter of Fundamental Rights or the "consolidated" texts on the Institutional Treaties on a United Europe, incorporating the amendments and the new numbering system for Articles from the Maastricht and Amsterdam treaties?
Such a rich harvest of texts is important to begin with, but the usefulness of this "code" is down to the crucial work the writers undertook to make them accessible and easy to consult. The chronology and the alphabetical index is of key importance in this respect. The index must have been difficult to assemble but it is very user friendly: looking up "euro", for example, you will not only find the basic texts but also the appropriate cross-references as well: from the changes in the currency (the ECU becoming the euro) to a basket of exchange rates etc. Looking up "justice" gives you cross-references to the specific texts on extradition, spending, the fight against corruption and money laundering and so on. The acronym EMU provides particular references to Denmark, excessive deficits, possible fines for Member States and prudential supervision etc.
All the different texts at your fingertips that's what this weighty volume is all about. More than simply a selection, it's a remarkable tool, not only for university lecturers and students, legal experts and civil servants but also for politicians and even journalists.
(FR)
*** PASCAL DELWIT, EROL KÜLAHCI, CEDRIC DE WALLE (Ed): Les Fédérations européennes de partis. Organisation et influence. Editions de l'Université de Bruxelles (26 av. Paul Héger, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 6503799 / 6503793 - Fax: 6503794 - E-mail: -EDITIONS@admin.ulb.ac.be Internet: http://www.editions-universit é-bruxelles.be) mail: EDITIONS@admin.ulb.ac.be Internet: http://www.editions-universit é-bruxelles.be). 2001, 254 pp. ISBN 2-8004-1266-6.
For thirty years European political party federations have contributed to the makeup of the political landscape. In the immediate aftermath of the first European parliamentary elections by universal suffrage (1979), a significant amount of research into political groupings across the borders was carried out with this in mind before disappearing altogether from the scene. It was not until the adoption of the Single European Act in 1988 and the Maastricht Treaty in 1993 that political science began investigating the question again. Following the Intergovernmental Conference that revised Article 138 A of the Treaty on the European Union, replacing it with Article 191 of the Treaty of Nice, the authors considered it necessary to review the issue once again. They provide an analysis of the current federations, looking at their history, politics and organisations in order to clarify their contribution to the construction of a supranational political system. The first part of the book tackles the controversies and debates, such as the institutional limitations on the development of the party federations, as well as the conditions which allow for possible recognition and the second part of the book analyses the organisation of five existing party federations. The last part of the book deals with the influence these federations wield upon the European decision-making process. (CB)
*** ANTONIA GOHR: Die Lega Nord. Eine Herausforderung für Italien. Peter Lang (Europäischer Verlag der Wissenschaften, Frankfurt am Main). "Europäische Hochschulschriften" series, No. 426. 2001, 178 pages. ISBN 3-631-36147-5.
This book provides a detailed analysis of the history of the Northern League, a party that was created in Italy during the 1990s. Its programme, organisation and the reasons for its success are examined with the help of internal League publications, press cuttings and interviews with party members, in an effort to define a political phenomenon in Italy that has hitherto been difficult to figure out. There is a general agreement that the Northern League constitutes one of the main political novelties in the Italian political system since the Second World War. The rise of this party has in fact put an end to Christian Democrat domination that went unchallenged in Venetia and Lombardy for decades. It has managed to succeed where the Communist Party failed. Stirring up the 'antagonism between North and South, Milan and Rome, the League mounts a radical challenge to the legitimacy of the nation state. After calling for a federal Italian state, the League went as far as calling for secession of the rich and North under the name Padania. The Northern League is considered by its detractors as racist and castigated for its penchant for crude and populist language. It is led by Umberto Bossi - who exercises a kind of party dictatorship and who boasts, despite the party's future perspectives, of being a "thorn in the side" of the Italian political system and who was one of the principal contenders on the Italian political stage during the 1990s.
Antonia Gohr's analysis emphasises the party's choice of key words - secession, federalism, regionalism. What does the Northern League want exactly and what is behind its success? How does it perceive Europe? How can it play a more important role in the future? By answering these questions, the author concludes that the League has been responsible for introducing a new impetus into the political debate in Italy but its radicalism has marginalised it somewhat and led it to adopt more moderate positions.
(CB)
*** MICHEL DUMOULIN, MARK VAN DEN WIJNGAERT, VINCENT DUJARDIN (Ed.): Léopold III. Editions Complexe (24 rue de Bosnie, B-1060 Brussels). "Questions à l'Histoire" series. 2001, 398 pp. ISBN 2-87027-878-0.
This book is the result of several years of research. Thirteen Belgian history experts help to shed light on the most controversial king and reign in Belgium's history. Throughout the book the authors provide a synthesis of a reign that ended with the abdication at the beginning of the 1950s and which constituted a huge turning point in the history of the Belgian monarchy. (MT)
*** GERISON LANSDOWN: Promouvoir la participation des enfants au processus décisionnel démocratique. Innocenti UNICEF Research Centre (12 piazza SS. Annunziata, I-50122 Florence. Tel: (39-055) 20330 - Fax: 244817 - E-mail: florence.orders@unicef.org - Internet: http://www.unicef-icdc.org ). 2001,45 pp. ISBN 88-85401-74-0.
This book gives an in-depth analysis of Article 12 of the Convention on Children's Rights and its repercussions, including in terms of parents' rights.
(MT)
*** The EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985, Luxembourg) has published the following documents:
*** RDT Info. European Research Magazine. DG Research (Tel: (32-2) 2959971 - Fax: 2958220 - E-mail: research@cec.eu.int - Internet: europa.eu.int/comm/research). November 2001, 24 pp.
While young people are still passionate about science, how can their lack of interest in scientific studies be explained? Weaknesses in the education system, the narrow career base on offer and the image it puts across, the fragmented way in which these studies are divided up, indeed the ambiguity of the sciences and scientists themselves that has been created by, "the desire to impart knowledge using the vague notions of power and domination"? These go some way in explaining the problem. The editorial of this special issue on "science and the young" even claims that "the sciences themselves are isolated and cut off from culture, excluded from current debate and marginalised within the media. It states that, "Whilst their influence has never been so great, working towards the reintegration of the sciences in society is both necessary and urgent, as well as the need for redeveloping the dialogue between scientists and citizens"… In a heated debate Commissioner Philippe Busquin emphasised the, "need to restore science's image". Other articles include "Learning Differently", "SOS Science" and "What is European Education Worth?"
*** Liaisons sociales Europe. Groupe Liaisons (1 av. Edouard-Belin, F-92500 Rueil-Malmaison, RCS Nanterre. Tel: (33-1) 41299623 - Internet: http://www.liaisons-sociales.com ). No. 41, 18 October -1st November 2001, 16 pages. Subscription: 487.84 euro, 3,200 FF.
"New company seeks firms for merger if suitable"…This is the title of an article expressing the distress of European companies who even after the adoption of their statutes by Member States, will provoke no reaction at all (apart from indifference). Other subjects tackled include: legal limitations by the Court of Justice on the free circulation of citizens from candidate countries, the inauguration of the European Observatory on Change etc.
*** Rivista di studi politici internazionali (40 Lungarno del Tempio, I-50121 Florence. Tel: (39-055) 666384). October - December 2001, 191 pp. Subscription: 62 euro, 120,000 lira.
An interesting summary with subjects including the basis and religious policy of Israel, how the need for water figures in the Middle East crisis, Israel and its Arab citizens, "Black September" 2001 and the World Trade Center disaster, the Arab-Israeli conflict, issues and perspectives on the "Irish Question", "German Identity and European Destiny", defending the values in the theory and practice of Lord Russell-Johnston, teleworking in Europe etc. There are also other articles on the situation of East European countries and the "democracies facing terrorism" from the point of view of the Council of Europe.
*** Chambers Europe. The Newsletter of EuroChambers (5 rue Archimède, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2820850 - Fax: 2300038 - E-mail: eurochambres@eurochambres.be - Internet: http://www.eurochambres.be ). September 2001, No. 56, 9 pp.
In brief: an editorial by Commissioner Erkki Liikanen on "EU enterprise policy and the role of the chambers of commerce", ArchiMèdes 1999-2001, "ChamberSign: Changes in Management", Union programmes under the Magnifying Glass etc.
*** The CEPII Newsletter. CEPII (9 rue Georges Pitard, F-75740 Paris cedex 15. Tel: (33-1) 53685500 - Fax: 53685504 - Internet: http://www.cepii.fr ). 2001, No. 15, 8 pp.
The newsletter of the Centre d'études de prospectives et d'informations internationales focuses on mimetic contagion in the euro and dollar markets and the consequences of capital transfers on demographic development.
*** Kangaroo Group Newsletter. The Kangaroo Group (c/o EP, 60 rue Wiertz, EAS 260, B-1047 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2844666 - Fax: 2840784 - E-mail: info@kangaroogroup.org). October 2001.
This issue deals with globalisation and interviews MEP Erika Mann- there are also articles on "Europe: An Internal Market in a Global Market", "The Soldier and Europe", "The International Monetary System: Best Put it to Work and Predict Future Crises", "The imminent reform of the European Parliament", as well as summaries of recent decisions taken by the Court of Justice.