*** LAURENT VERNIERE: Panorama des réformes des systèmes de retraite en Europe. Etat des lieux et perspectives. Institut de l'entreprise (6 rue Clément Marot, F-75008 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 53230540 - Fax: 47237901 - E-mail: doc@idep.net - Internet: http: //http://www.idep.asso.fr ). 2002, 63 pp, 15 euros.
It is news to no one that changes in pension systems and the future that seems to be irrevocably panning out for them, sends shivers down the backs of more than one European politician. In any case, all Union Member States have begun some sort of reform process in an effort to solve the pensions issue. Given the complexity of the question, will this involve an ongoing process of reform? For many observers, the answer can only be in the affirmative insofar as they consider that successive measures of adjustment that have been adopted over the past ten years in different European countries do not appear to be sufficient and that future additional reforms figure on the agenda for the next few years. A number of case studies have led many commentators on the current economic and social situation to over-dramatise the pension reform issue, as if nothing had been done in the arena of pension reform, and to sharply criticise the incapacity of decision-makers to introduce viable reforms. Laurent Vernière, in the "Branche Retraites" (sector pensions) of the Mutual aid funds (Dépôts et Consignations) goes beyond these superficial impressions in this book.
The author considers that the impression that is given by some, of a building site that is never finished, and the virulence of the polemic surrounding the issue, do not do justice to the level of progress already achieved. Critics fail to take on board the complexity of adapting the different national pension schemes, which have to simultaneously combine the social, economic and budgetary dimensions of the problem and win a majority vote to get them passed. This means that an ability to assess the issue clearly in a context of a whole plethora of reforms is crucial. This is Laurent Vernière's aim as he meticulously describes the composition and structure of the national pension schemes in an attempt to better understand the particularities of the reforms that have been adopted. With this as his goal, he focuses essentially on Union Member States and certain of them in great detail (but the integral version of his document, which covers other countries, is available on the Enterprise Institute web-site) as they are representative of the diversity of the array of different European systems: Germany, which has just finished its third reform programme since the 1990s, the Netherlands, because the second stage of its pension system is totally privatised, although these pension funds are essentially mechanisms for definitive benefits; Italy and Sweden, countries that have innovated by introducing new methods of acquiring pensions and paying them out in order to be able to plan their pension schemes for the long term. The author also pays particular attention to the Swedish and Italian examples in an effort to better understand the basis of the reforms they have introduced, as a model for dealing with dangers to pension funds.
Michel Theys
*** FRANKLIN DEHOUSSE, CAROLE MACZKOVICS: The opening up of the post office to privatisation. European regulation and application in Belgium. Socio-political Research and Information Centre (1A place Quetelet, B-1210 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2110180 - Internet: http: //http://www.crisp.be ). "Courrier hebdomadaire" series, No. 1749-1750. 2002, 57 pp, EUR 12.40. Subscription: EUR 235.
Strongly influenced by the tradition of public service, the postal sector has lived for a long time under the regime of a monopoly, in both Europe and the USA. This historical factor explains in part the lack of enthusiasm for liberalisation initiatives in the sector. One stage that would appear unavoidable with regard to the global developments in the information society, if we are to believe Professor Franklin Dehousse and Carole Maczkovics, "Postal companies appear both condemned to find new markets and restructuring. Preserving certain exclusive rights could put a break on these developments but it will not put a stop to them", they write in conclusion to the daily Courrier hebdomadaire. In the foreward, the writers initially point out the general principles of the Treaty of Rome such as those laid down in the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice. They then examine the political decisions and standards put forward by the Union. They also explore the 1997 postal directive, as well as the new draft proposal presented by the Commission in 2000 and adopted by the Council in October 2001. In conclusion, they "tackle the reform of the postal sector begun in Belgium in 1991".
(AD)
*** MICHAEL LUX: Guide to Community Customs Legislation. Etablissements Bruylant (67 rue de la Régence, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5129845 - Fax: 5117202 - E-mail: lib.bruylant@pophost.eunet.be - Internet: http: //http://www.bruylant.be ). "European Law in Practice - Pratique du droit communautaire". 2002, 621 pp, EUR 95. ISBN 2-8027-1512-7.
Commissioner Frits Bolkestein has written this guide to Community legislation on Union customs and excise. The guide is essential reading for all those involved in one level or other of trade relations with Member States of the Union. It is indeed a glowing endorsement given that the author, Michael Lux, is undeniably a specialist in this area, after having occupied a number of positions in customs and excise administration and who is now Head of the department responsible for customs legislation and procedures at de la DG Taxation and Customs at the Commission. In nineteen well-structured chapters he carefully explains every aspect of customs union, an essential part of the Single Market. Along with an analysis of tables of laws and various rulings, case studies and a glossary of terms, this book is a remarkable working and/or study instrument.
(LD)
*** PIERRE JADOUL, BERNARD DUBUISSON (Ed.): L'indemnisation des usagers faibles de la route. Larcier (39 rue des Minimes, B-1000 Brussels. Distributed by: Accès+, 4 Fond Jean Pâques, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve. Tel: (32-10) 482500 - Fax: 482519 - E-mail: acces+cde@deboeck.be). "Les dossiers du Journal des tribunaux" series, No 35. 2002, 247 pp, 71 euros. ISBN 2-8044-0861-2.
Since the unveiling of the French law of 5 July 1985 known as the Badinter Law, compensation for the victims of road accidents has been the subject of much discussion, particularly in Belgium. Changes in this field in Belgium are the subject of this publication, the fruit of a study day organised by the law and insurance economics course at the "Université catholique de Louvain" and the "Département des recyclages en droit" of Saint-Louis University. Insurance law specialists cast a critical eye over recent, unpublished case law concerning compensation for vulnerable road users from major law courts and the Belgian police. The book also gives a commentary of the most recent changes to legislation in this connection, namely the 19 January 2001 law amending various measures of automatic compensation scheme for the most vulnerable road users and passengers.
(MT)
*** MAGALI LE HARDY: Que reste-t-il de la liberté de la pêche en haute mer. Essai sur le régime juridique de l'exploitation des ressources biologiques de la haute mer. Editions A. Pedone (13 rue Soufflot, F-75005 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 43540597- E-mail: pedone@wanadoo.fr). 2002, 427 pp, 32 euros. ISBN 2-233-00397.
"The greatest attack on the freedom to fish is exercising this right in such a way as to exhaust fish resources ". The quotation from the Argentinean teacher José Léon Suarez is quoted in the introduction to Magali Le Hardy's book. Le Hardy is a senior lecturer at Savoie University in France. For a long time now, the dangers of overfishing in the high sea have been denounced by scientists the world over but without any convincing echo from the political world. The complex nature of the issue and the "wait and see" approach that it falls victim to seem to find their raison d'être in the application of the freedom to fish in the high seas. In fact, the idea of the freedom of the state makes it very difficult to combat the fact that many states have no desire to start rationally managing their fishing practices, explains the author. She argues that it is the lack of any supranational authority for fisheries that lies behind this cacophony of conflicting standards that leads to the exhaustion of what was long believed to be inexhaustible While it is true that the principle of absolute freedom seems to be threatened by changes in the economy and their legal consequences, she writes, it has to be recognised that these changes concern more the determination of the people with access to the resources than the preservation of the resources themselves. The "primacy of economics" both eliminates the previous principle and holds back awareness of the problem. The author retraces the legal development of the problem and sets out feasible perspectives for change.
(AD)
*** DANIEL PAUL: Les ports européens face aux dérives de la déréglementation. Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (Kiosque de l'Assemblée nationale, 4 rue Aristide Briand, F-75007 Paris. Internet: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr ). "Les documents d'information de l'Assemblée nationale", No. 3507. 2002, 93 pp, 3.50 euros. ISBN 2-11-115666-3.
This report is highly critical of the European Commission. To the question of whether the future of Europe's ports should involve deregulation, French MP Daniel Paul replies (commenting on the Commission's draft directive) that for the Commission, hardly surprisingly, it goes without saying that the answer to this question is Yes. Which is why it didn't feel it appropriate to draw up a true balance sheet or genuine prior consultation with all parties concerned. After examining the reasons for which the Commission considers it necessary to deregulate the framework governing Member States' port systems and opening the sector up to inter-port competitive, the author outlines the need to replace this approach with a logic that pays more attention to the interests and effectiveness of European ports, and basically go back to the drawing board and aiming at defending the general interest rather than solely the interests of groups of professionals, shipowners and shippers.
(MT)
*** ADRIENNE HERITIER, DIETER KERWER, CHRISTOPH KNILL, DIRK LEHMKUHL, MICHAEL TEUTSCH, ANNE-CECILE DOUILLET: Differential Europe. The European Union Impact on National Policymaking. Rowman and Littlefield Publishers (12 Hid's Copse Road, Cumnor Hill, Oxford OX2 9JJ, England - 4720 Boston Way,Lanham, Maryland 20706, US. Tel: (1-800) 4626420 - Internet: http: //http://www.rowmanlittlefield.com ). "Governance in Europe" series. 2001, 342 pp, £22.95. ISBN 0-7425-1104-9
This selection of essays is the fruit of research work carried out by Bielefeld University, the University Institute of Florence and a working group from the Max Planck Institute to develop a theoretical model for assessing the impact of European policies on Member States. Focussing on transport policy, the book convincingly argues from the basis of a quite wide selection of case studies, that the influence of the EU depends on pre-existing policies and the capacity of the institutions to adapt. Looking at examples from the UK, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands, the authors finally reach the conclusion that EU policies can have different impacts in Member States depending on the particular regulatory phase they find themselves in and the level of institutional flexibility.
(LD)
*** BERNARD DEROSIER: Le développement durable du transport aérien: un impératif majeur de la politique européenne des transports. Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (see above). "Les documents d'information de l'Assemblée nationale", No 3209. 2001, 127 pp, 4.57 euros. ISBN 2-11-115245-5.
To deal with mounting delays, the Commission recommends uniting the management of European airspace. In this report, French MP Bernard Derosier notes that this idea is highly controversial among air traffic controllers who believe them to be unsuitable. The author writes that achieving sustainable development of air transport implies correcting the deregulation excesses for air transport and considering measures at the level of the International Civil Aviation Organisation, the European Union and Member States.
(LD)
*** ECTAA Report on European Union policies affecting the tourist industry. Group of National Travel Agents' and Tour Operators' Associations within the EU (36 rue Dautzenberg box 6, B-1050 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 6443450 - Fax: 6442421 - E-mail: ectaa@skynet.be - Internet: http://www.ectaa.org ). 2001, 306 pp, 125 euros.
Aimed principally at the tourist industry and tourism policy makers, the 2001 ECTAA Annual Report gives an overview of EU legislation and Community initiatives affecting tourism. Some 150 regulations, directives, decisions, recommendations and proposals for EU legislation in more than forty domains are covered. This is a special edition to mark ECTAA's fortieth anniversary which also covers topics of the moment like aviation, consumer protection, competition, tax and social policies and the like, along with information on enlargement, e-commerce, the euro. Basically anything that influences tourism stakeholders, whether directly or indirectly.
(CB)
*** EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985, Luxembourg) has published the following documents:
*** Phare. Phare National Programmes. Highlights. DG Enlargement (170 rue de la loi , B-1049 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2954378 - Fax: 2991777 - E-mail: enlargement @cec.eu.int - Internet: http: //europa.eu.int/enlargement/). March 2002, No. 4, 76 pp.
Pre-accession instrument of Central and East European countries, the Phare programme combines "interactivity and human dimensions", emphasises Commissioner for Enlargement, Günter Verheugen, in his forward. Among the other titles in this issue are: "Reconstructing an historical bridge between Hungary and Slovakia", "Struma, Lulia and Trakia: stretching out the Bulgarian transit routes", "Men who make a difference: when infrastructure is vital to the well-being of the community", "Fresh air for Zakopane", "Controlling pollution in Slovakia: combining efforts for improving environmental management", "Making friends and implementing programmes: Kerli Lorvi in preparation of Structural Funds and Co-decision in Estonia", "The onion principle or preparing Czech agriculture for accession", "One task at a time or how to prepare for the struggle against organised crime in Hungary".
*** Inforegio news. DG Regional Policy (Fax: (32-2) 2966003 - E-mail: regio-info@cec.eu.int - Internet: http: //europa.eu.int/inforegio). June 2002, No. 99.
Accession negotiations are now increasingly influenced by regional policy. Considered as one of the most sensitive chapters, chapter 21 "Regional policy and co-ordination of structural instruments" has been provisionally concluded for Cyprus and the Czech Republic. Other subjects tackled included in this newsletter: the conclusions of the "Euromontana" conference on the future of Europe's mountainous regions, "Towns in the service of cohesion: the lessons of the European Urban programme", "Promoting innovation in the European regions ", publication of a Guide de Financial Engineering in Regional Policy".
*** Liaisons sociales Europe. Groupe Liaisons (1 av. Edouard-Belin, F-92500 Rueil-Malmaison. Tel: (33-825) 825371 - Fax: (33-1) 41299668 - Internet: http: //http://www.ls-europe.com ). 27 June to 10 July 2002, No. 59, 8 pp, EUR 25. Subscription EUR 506.
This issue is entirely given over to reforms that have been implemented in unemployment insurance systems, like the one that has plunged Spain into disarray. Under the heading "Activating unemployment expenditure and speeding up return to work", the magazine explains that reflecting the current reform of the Spanish unemployment insurance system, the reforms implemented in Europe aim to make a closer link between unemployment benefit and activity on the job market even though the measures adopted will have different consequences depending on the state concerned. In Spain, the reforms put more pressure on the unemployed and have generated hostility in social milieu that criticise the challenging of the unemployed's unconditional right to benefit. Other subjects covered include a dossier on information and consultation over pay in Italy and the European Telework Agreement (which has just been signed).
*** Bulletin de l'Observatoire des politiques économiques en Europe. Pôle économique de gestion et d'économie, Université Louis Pasteur Strasbourg (61 av. de la Forêt Noire, F-67085 Strasbourg Cedex - E-mail: thierry.stolle@urs.u-strsbg.fr - Internet: http: //opee.u-strasbg.fr). Summer 2002, No 6, 23 pp, 5 euros. Subscription: 10 euros.
In the editorial, Michel Dévoluy deplores the lack of any real debate over Europe, particularly during the last election campaigns in France. In the contents: an analysis of the Broad Economic Policy Guidelines in 2001 and 2002, public policies to raise the retirement age in the EU, a dossier on innovation in Europe (the key to economic growth, risk capital and technological innovations and the regional dimension of innovation policies in Europe..
*** La Lettre du CEPII. Centre d'études prospectives et d'informations internationales (9 rue Georges-Pitard, F-75015 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 53685514 - Fax: 53685503 - Internet: http: //http://www.cepii.fr ). May 2002, No 212. 4pp. Annual subscription: 47.50 euros.
Articles on retirement schemes - "Restricting the collective pensions pot to increase savings?" and whether a stock market pillar should be introduced in addition to the collective pot in order to increase the savings ratio in the economy.