*** GISELLA GORI: Towards an EU Right to Education. Kluwer Law International (P.O. Box 85889, N-2508 CN The Hague. Tel: (31-70) 3081552 - E-mail: sales@kluwerlawi.com - Internet: http: //http://www.kluwerlaw.com ). "European monographs" series, No. 28. 2001, 448 pp, 135 euros.
Nowadays, many young people spend some of their higher education abroad on programmes such as Erasmus, for example. It is therefore difficult to imagine that there was an era when countries like Belgium, Denmark and the United Kingdom considered that a national from a Member State of he European Economic Community did not have the right, according to the Treaty, “to go to another Member State for educational reasons or to be admitted to courses according to the same terms as nationals of that country. This applied to tuition fees and grants”. Fortunately, a lot of water has flowed under the bridge and the law has adapted to the reality of the Union. Over time, the competent legal authorities in the Community in this field have gradually been acknowledged and finally and permanently been written into Articles 149 and 150 of the Treaty of Amsterdam.
This book looks at the developments in law, education and vocational training in a third country and Member State. Under the dual effects of the decisions by the Court of Justice and the decisions by political actors. The Court has been released from being a simple economic field as defined in its original statute of simple instrument for increasing the mobility of workers in Community Europe. The methodology employed by the author, a graduate from the University of Florence and researcher at the Robert Schuman Institute of Political Studies in Strasbourg, is based on this dichotomy between education and vocational training. She looks at both political and legal action. The former leads to a form of positive discrimination insofar as it confers the individual with specific rights which are recognised positively by the law. The latter, legal action, leads to a negative discrimination as it recognizes specific rights, which are derived from fundamental rights such as the freedom of movement and protection against discriminatory measures by way of legal judgements and in particular, a broad and pro-active interpretation of Article 128.
"Towards an EU right to education" is divided into two. The first part describes the origins and development of European law in education and vocational training. The author reveals a number of legal cases which have produced legal rulings in this area, such as the Gravier and Forcheri case. Insofar as the drive for European integration sometimes clashes with the particular interests of the different countries, the second part examines whether we are moving towards a Europe of educational rights or a Europe of rights to an education. Just when the Union is aiming to develop a more competitive society by 2010, by drawing on knowledge, few books explore the Community policies implemented to attain this objective. Gisella Gori's thesis, therefore,, usefully makes good this shortcoming by studying the parallel between the evolution of individual rights and those of European policies in the construction of the European right to education. This construction acts as a mirror to the European integration process and the driving force behind the development of a supranational mentality among younger generations.
Frederik Ronse
*** GUY MICHAUD: Désir d'apprendre. Imprimerie Nivarel (99 route de la Reine, F-92100 Boulogne. Tel: (33-1) 41109291). 2003 72 pp, 16.50 euros.
It is always interesting to see how an experienced person, whose professional and activist life has been fulfilled, passes on, in a very simple manner, what he himself has learned. Professor Michaud has spent his professional life as a teacher in both secondary and university education in France, Turkey and Germany. Together with Alexandre Marc, he has taken part in the founding of a College of Federalist Studies in the Aoste Valley and the European Institute of Higher International Studies at the University of Nice. This brochure, edited by the author and containing a forward by Honorary Professor Gilles Ferry (University Paris X), is of interest to all those "who have the desire to learn and to learn in different ways". In ten brief chapters, followed by an index - the Professor should be congratulated! - the author examines the necessity of reforms in schools and universities, the way in which the young can be taught in an interesting fashion, of the need for interdisciplinary teaching, “the schools our parents went to”, the importance of symbols in education and of course, federalism, this mode of organisation of society, which sooner or later, will triumph over bellicose sovereignties and put a halt to uncontrolled globalisation.
(JRR)
*** PAUL GERBOT: Voyager en Europe. Du Moyen Age au IIIe millénaire. L'Harmattan (5-7 rue de l'Ecole Polytechnique, F-75005 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40467920 - fax: 43258203). "Logiques historiques" series. 2002, 232 pp., 1.,80 euros. ISBN 2-7475-2485-X
How long does it take to get from Orléans to Blois? If the traffic's light, two hours should be enough? Certainly, but “two days” would have been the answer from a monk in the Middle Ages. Two days walking in worn out shoes on muddy paths through the woods, through gloomy forests, up and down valleys infested by wolves, brigands and highwaymen, as well as having to face many other trials along the way. This was a few centuries after the Roman empire's glorious and imperial routes on which opulent traders travelled, which had now become the domain of the darkest brutality. We can only dream of the this transhumance of millions of people driven to take to these dusty tracks for reasons of faith or doubt, need, fortune seeking, or by fear, war, ambition, at the behest of others, to preach, find themselves, invade, free themselves, survive, steal, for political goals, to convince, to take action. Walking, trotting along, on velocipede, swimming, flying, by rocket. Up mountains, down valleys, muddy paths, railways, by sea, from Concile de Latran for lobbying at the foot of Justus Lipsus in the rue de la Loi in Brussels. This book is full of poetry, not to the taste of everyone (given that travelling in the epoch before package tours were more like visits from the sprit world or trips through purgatory rather than at the seaside). We are taken by the hand and guided through centuries of this huge space called Europe, stretching from Finistere to the Mongolian Steppes, from the glaciers of the Arctic right up to Africa. This book is sometimes a little too steeped in France, despite its title, as indicated in the chapter "en France et ailleurs". It could also have done with more accurate editing, as sentences are sometimes unfinished or quite simply interrupted, which makes it difficult to read, made worse by numerous punctuation mistakes. Nonetheless, a magnificent reference book on travelling in Europe, modes of travel and their reasons for undertaking them but unfortunately it appears like a first and unrevised draft. What a pleasure to read it though!
(FOc)
*** BEATRICE HOUCHARD: Pour en finir avec l'hécatombe routière. Fondation Robert Schuman (29 boulevard Raspail, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 53638300 - fax: 53638301 - Internet: http: //http://www.robert-schuman.org ). Collection "Notes de la Fondation Robert Schuman ", 2003, 87 p, 10 euros. ISBN.
"Twenty two people died on our roads today!” This sentence could be uttered by a television news presenter on a daily basis to the millions of people watching the news. This is what has prompted the author to bring up “the scandal in France”. The figures prove that France is bottom of the class in the Union in road safety. Béatrice Houchard, journalist and teacher at the Centre de formation et de perfectionnement des journalistes (a school for journalists) draws up a balance sheet and examines the lack of progress made by France in this area. Since his re-election in May 2002, the President of the Republic has made the fight for improving road safety, one of his priorities. In the preface to this book, Jacques Chirac highlights the refusal to give into fatalism and banalisation, as well as the key role of the public authorities in this matter. He also stresses the need for action on a Community level. That said, it appears that even before the new laws are voted on, the figures were still rising considerably. The author comes up with a call for serious action. "Although education is still a priority, tough repressive measures are need in France and elsewhere to get the statistics down and save hundreds of lives" , is the view of Béatrice Houchard, who divides her analysis into three parts. Firstly, she looks at the causes of the problem, of the “poison of amnesty” and the “individual characteristics of France”. She then explores the “very virtual sanctions” and the “shattered policies”. The author then depicts three model countries in Europe: the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom, whose civic awareness she welcomes wholeheartedly. Finally, Béatrice Houchard analyses the Commission's objective, which is to reduce the number of deaths on the roads by half by 2010. This book is edited by the Robert Schuman Foundation, presided by Jean-Dominique Giuliani. The latter seeks to promote the European ideal of contributing to the Union's development.
(NBo)
*** BERNARD CASSAGNOU: Les grandes mutations de la Marine marchande française. Comité pour l'histoire économique et financière de la France (6 avenue de l'opéra, F-75001 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 44775264 - fax: 44775298). "Histoire économique et financière de la France" series. 2002, 2 vol., 741 pp., 1252 p., 40 euros. ISBN 2-11-093298-8.
One of the explanations for this book is the author's passion for maritime history. Bernard Cassagnou poses the question "why did the merchant navy, after a remarkable expansion over twenty years (a three fold increase in its transport capacity between 1958 and 1978), experience a recession that was equally as dramatic up to 1990, followed by a long period of stabilization that we are currently experiencing? ". This book therefore traces the history of the French merchant navy through its different changes. In the aftermath of the Second World War, the merchant navy had lost almost two thirds capacity in tonnes. However in five years it managed to build itself up again and meet head on a two-fold phenomenon. This consisted of the disappearance of its liners, rivalled by the first long haul aeroplanes flying over the Atlantic and the substantial loss of merchant traffic from its gravitational lines following the process of decolonisation. Up to 1970 the sector managed to exist with the same level of social welfare and benefits while efficiently competing internationally”. Post-1980, the second world oil crisis and the absence of a stable maritime policy dragged it into a long recession that finally bottomed out in the 1990s. This books constitutes the PhD thesis of this long-haul captain. The book will appeal to specialists and history lovers like the author who has dedicated his life and almost tow thousand pages to the object of his passion.
(Bha)
*** CATHERINE FLAESCH-MOUGIN, DANIELLE CHARLES-LEBIHAN, CHRISTIAN LEQUESNE (Editors): La politique européenne de la pêche: vers un développement durable ? Apogée publications(11 rue du Noyer, F-35000 Rennes. Tel: (33-2) 99324595 - fax: 99324598 - E-mail: apogee.rennes@wanadoo.fr). 2003, 270 pp. 25 euros. ISBN 2-84398-132-8.
This sector is in perpetual evolution. Fishing constitutes one of the European policies since 1970. At the end of last year, a few months after the symposium on whose analysis this book is based, fishing was once again subject to a revisions that would determine its objectives for the next ten years. The subsequent agreement clearly marks the taking into account of the extremely sensitive nature of the sector. The agreement could make Community management of the sector extremely modern and flexible and which at the same time subjects the main players in fishing to standards that are continually changing and which, therefore creates a certain feeling of instability. This book looks at the scientific contributions to the symposium jointly organised by the Centre of European Research at the University of Rennes and the Centre of International Research and Studies whence those responsible for the publication of this book. The different analyses “attempt to clarify the complexity and diversity of the problems affecting the fisheries sector in the Union”. Different aspects of ”Blue Europe” are tackled in the book: its political management in a system of governance of many levels; its coherency with Community policies from discussions to external Union action.
(SCa)
*** ANNIE CUDENNEC, GAËLLE GUEGUEN-HALLOUËT (Editors): Le juge communautaire et la mer. Bruylant (67 rue de la Régence, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5129845 - fax: 5117202 - E-mail: info@bruylant.be - Internet: http: //http://www.bruylant.be ). "Rencontres européennes" series. 2003, 188 p., 40 euros. ISBN 2-8027-1768-5.
This is the report of the eponymous study day organised by the From the Centre for M maritime Law and Economic Science at Brest. The book sets out to provide a balance sheet of Community law in maritime affairs, “the Community and then the European Union covering maritime areas, Community law , while adapting to international maritime law, has developed an original construction”. The book analyses this evolution around three themes: port and maritime transport policies, sustainable development and use of maritime resources. The method used is based on Community jurisprudence, the original Union treaties having had little impact on regulation in this field. This book also introduces an additional refection: “does the Community judge contribute to producing essential elements for founding a European maritime policy” ? And if he does, how so?”. The elements of response appear by way of competing reflections from eminent researchers in maritime law and those of legal practitioners in the Union, which are decided on at the Court of Justice, by Commission administrators and the Honorary Director of the Council.
*** EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following documents:
*** Europe at a crossroads: The need for sustainable transport. DG for Press & Communication Publications (B-1049 Brussels). Collection “ Europe on the move”. 2003, 22 p. ISBN 92-894-5926-3.
The opening of the borders in the Union, with the objective of facilitating free movement of goods services, people and capital, has produced a freedom of movement for individuals, that has never been experienced on such a scale before. It has also improved competitiveness and an increase in opportunities for businesses. That said, European mobility has been a victim of its own success. The entry of ten new countries could create bottlenecks in the Union. Numerous obstructions and slowdowns indicate a need for action at a European level. This publication looks at some of the problems that Europe will have to face, as well as some of the potential solutions, such as car pooling, for example.
*** The Magazine. DG for Education & Culture (B-1049 Brussels. Fax: (32-2) 2964259 - Internet: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/education_culture/index_en.htm - E-mail: eac-info@cec.eu.int). 2003, n°21, 23 p.
In the editorial, Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for culture and education, indicates the responsibility of the Union in the cultural domain in Europe, particularly in its dimension of wedding together the different peoples. The Magazine presents an array of European action in the cultural sector, by way of the cultural programme for cooperation, "Culture 2000". It paints a picture of the world of culture and highlights, for example the different forms of the "artist's status" in Europe, the culture industry and how it is perceived by European and the rest of the world.
*** Liaisons sociales Europe. Groupe Liaisons (1 Avenue Edouard-Belin, F-92500 Rueil-Malmaison. Tel: (33-825) 825371 - fax: (33-1) 44722027 - Internet: http//http://www.ls-europe.com ). October - November 2003, No.90, 8 p., 31 euros. Subscription: 757.58 euros.
This publication focuses on the most recent advances in social security and health in the workplace. The review also analyses the concept of corporate social responsibility. The Belgian plan to create 60,000 jobs, family regrouping of immigrants, as well as other subjects are looked at in this issue.
*** Paneuropa Intern. Paneuropa-Union Deutschland (17 Dachauer Strasse, D-80335 München. Tel: (089-55) 4683-84 - fax: 594768). October 2003, No. 11, 4 p., subscription: 95 euros.
The “South Asian Tigers” are tackled in this issue. Despite the stock market crash and the problems of terrorism confronting some of them, they appear to have picked up again. They are planning on closer economic and political cooperation, similar to the European model. Europe has a very definite interest in paying attention to these developments, particularly in the current global situation.
*** Notabene. Observatoire social européen (13 rue Paul-Émile Janson, B-1050 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5371971 - fax: 5392808 - Internet: http: //http://www.ose.be - E-mail: info@ose.be). October 2003, No. 131, 16 p., subscription: 20 euros.
The contours for a social Europe are still very sketchy. It was barely tackled at all in the discussions on the Constitution and it was not highlighted during accession negotiations. Nevertheless, the social face of Europe with twenty five members will depend a lot on a clarification of the social model and its integration by candidate countries.
Reviews in brief
*** ECB monthly bulletin. European Central Bank. October 2003, Frankfurt am Main. This report examines the economic and monetary situation in the Euro zone and focuses on specific issues such as the impact of excess liquidity in the zone. *** Carrefour de l'économie. SPF Economie, PME, Classes moyennes et Energie. 2003, Brussels. This comes in the shape of an information report on the Belgian economy and includes macro-economic data, as well as analyses concentrating on areas such as reform of the law on economic protection.