Brussels, 30/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - In Issue 10 of Challenge Europe, entitled "Charting New Paths for Europe at Home and Abroad", the European Policy Centre, a think tank founded by Stanley Crossick, looks back on 2003, a year characterised by the war on Iraq and in Europe by the work of he Convention on the European Constitution, as the Editor-in-chief, John Palmer, points out.
On the Stability Pact, Senior Advisor to the EPC, Graham Bishop, asks whether our present understanding of budget deficits takes proper account of the looming challenge of funding future pensions provision. Klas Eklund, Chief Economist at the Swedish Central Bank, and Servaas Deroose, Director at the European Commission, challenge this. Swedish journalist and commentator Rolf Gustavsson explores the longer term consequences for Sweden and for the future ratification of the new Constitutional Treaty of Sweden's rejection of the single currency this year.
On the European Constitution, Challenge Europe went to press before the failure of the IGC Summit in Brussels and focusses on the Convention's work, in a discussion between Giovanni Grevi of the EPC and Convention Members Bonde, Dini, Hain and Rupel, with articles by the erstwhile Belgian and US Permanent Representatives to the EU, Philippe de Schoutheete and Stuart E. Eizenstat.
On European security policy, British commentator Ian Davidson discusses 'Tony Blair's war', while Fraser Cameron of the EPC sends a message to Javier Solana - "Well done Javier - Now for the difficult part".
Other big issues include the future of the WTO (with an article by Corrado Pirzio-Biroli, Commissioner Fischler's head of cabinet), the problem of migration and the EU's new neighbours. (Website: http://www.theEPC.be )