*** BERTRAND ROCHARD: L'Europe des Commissaires - Réflexions sur l'identité européenne, des traités de Rome au traité d'Amsterdam. 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 ) "Organisation internationale et relations internationales" series. 2003, 503 pp. ISBN: 2-8027-1723-5.
As one of the key players in the Europe of the Commissioners, former European Commissioner Etienne Davignon, notes in the preface, this book by Bertrand Rochard brings back to life the thinking and action of members of the Commission who stood as witnesses at the bar of this formidable engine of the European project. The author provides a new interpretation of Community history, where the European identity is not an abstract philosophical concept but a springboard for policies and decision-making structures expressing it.
Bertrand Rochard, Doctor of international relations at the Geneva-based Institut universitaire de Hautes études internationales, has decided to focus on the European Commission, which as he points out, as the engine of integration has to propose initiatives likely to continually advance the realisation and maturing of the European idea. He says that the views expressed by the Commissioners are particularly interesting because they underlie political projects which are both realistic and avant-garde at the same time. He adds that the collegiate nature of the Commission is a highly pertinent subject of study. One might respond to this that this collegiality is far from guaranteed. Worse, it runs the risk of being weakened with the new round of enlargement. The author recognises himself that only time will tell whether the reforms currently under consideration by the fifteen Member States will be sufficient to prevent the EU being watered down into a huge free trade zone. He quotes Seneca in this connection, who said that if you do not know your destination port you cannot take advantage of favourable winds. The quotation is highly relevant …
In the book, Bertrand Rochard examines the launch phase of the European Community from 1958 to 1969. He goes on to explore the 'management phase' from 1970 to 1986, an 'epoch of hope and disappointment'. He then looks at the alteration phase from 1986 to 1997, between the lighthouse of the European Union and the pitfalls of State interests. In this connection, Bertrand Rochard asserts that it is not by fixing its aim at a long distant destination that the EU will acquire the critical mass needed for it to take deeper root and refocus on itself and avoid blind expansion that would remove all substance. He admits that what he terms the 'passive endogenous identity' of the old continent has begun to turn into an effective political and institutional identity, although this has not translated into the development of citizens feeling that they identify beyond national borders with the European idea. He says the formation of a genuine European civic area does not seem to lie on the immediate horizon. The author's book, however, reveals the distance travelled to date, and the ideas that the Commissioners have developed in these three phases. Jacques Delors is the Commissioner most often quoted, followed by or equidistant with Roy Jenkins, Sicco Mansholt and Walter Hallstein. All four figureheads proved very useful to the author for providing precious landmarks capable of shedding new light on the identity challenges that animate current discussions about the future of the integration process. By way of a conclusion, Bertrand Rochard puts forward some advice: It would be highly propitious for the European Union's decision-makers to take advantage of this because when you are have lost certainty about who you are and where you are going, it is highly useful, vital even, to have a clear understanding of where you have come from.
Marina Gazzo
*** PETER COFFEY: The future of Europe - Revisited. Edward Elgar Publishing (Glensenda House, Montpellier Parade, Cheltenham, Glos, GL50 1UA, UK. Tel: (44-1242) 226934 - Fax: 262111 - info@e-elgar.co.uk). 2003, 215 pp. ISBN 1-84376-039-8.
Peter Coffey, Emeritus Professor at Saint Thomas University in Minneapolis and St Paul University in Minnesota, has set to work with all the enthusiasm and interest in Europe that has long characterised him. This book provides a completely rewritten version of his previous books on the future of Europe (published in 1995 and 1996). Describing himself as an 'eternal optimist', Professor Coffey is convinced that Europe is on the threshold of genuinely monumental challenges and opportunities. He mentions, for example, the latest round of massive enlargement of the EU, the future of the euro and, of course, the European Convention and the reforms it has put forward. It should be noted that the book was written before the Brussels Summit that drew the Italian Presidency to a close and marked the failure of the Intergovernmental Conference.
Professor Coffey again raises a fundamental question of identity: What kind of European Union do we want? He lists various options, from laisser-aller to encouraging greater intergovernmental cooperation or the Community Method, via support for strengthened cooperation between specific Member States. The author also raises the option of organising a series of 'European Switzerlands' or of moving towards a 'European Federation'. All bar the first option would require a level of change in the life of European citizens, warns Peter Coffey, immediately adding that the he decided to write the book because a series of choices have to be made before the end of 2004. Peter Coffey has kindly dedicated his book to Agence Europe which, as he puts it himself, has for decades been, and continues to be, the 'conscience of Europe'. He concludes with an encouraging and positive note that the European Union has not only asserted itself as the biggest trade block in the world, but it is also the only viable competitor for the United States in domains like aircraft manufacture or the creation of an alternative currency. We stand at the threshold of the most enthusiasm-stimulating moment of our history since 1958… We are highly fortunate and the European Union is a magnificent example for the world.
(MG)
*** Les réformes à cloche-pied. France Forum (133 bis, rue de l'Université, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 53592060 - Fax: 53592060 - France-forum@udf.org). No 11, September 2003. 126 pp.
Focussing mainly on France, this quarterly review (connected to the UDF) includes a substantial dossier on the reforms currently being implemented in France. Its title is highly evocative, to put it mildly: 'hopping reforms'. The titles of the individual articles are equally colourful: "Reforms? The problem lies deeper" or "What if today's economic analysis had got it wrong?".
Europe has not been left out of the picture. In his essay, Jacques Mallet, former MEP, raises the reader's awareness of the adoption of the European Constitution by providing a detailed, in-depth analysis of it, while Francis Olivier, former director of branches of the Institut français in various countries, explains why he believes that European culture no longer exists. Celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the death of Robert Schuman, the book includes an article by Paul Collowald, former Director General of Information at the European Parliament who works closely with Pierre Pflimlin, who used to be its President. Looking at Robert Schuman's ideas today, the author recalls a number of thoughts which may be forty years 'old' but are still highly relevant at a time of great expansion of the European Union. One of the founders of Europe, for example, said we have to create Europe not only in the interest of free peoples but also to be in a position to welcome the peoples of the East who, freed of the servitude they have laboured under until now, will ask to join and will request our moral support. Readers may also benefit from reading the dossier on whether a European culture exists and the humour and quotations section. André Le Gall, a writer and graduate of the prestigious ENA, defines the term 'No' as a minimal form of political expression. One can always say 'No', for example: No to experimenting on the human embryo…
(AD)
*** ANTONIO D'ATENA, PIERFRANCESCO GROSSI (Ed.): Diritto, diritti e autonomie. Tra Unione europea e riforme costituzionali. Dott. A. Giuffré Editore (40 Via Busto Arsizio, I-20151 Milano. Tel.: (39-02) 38089290 - Fax: (39-02) 38009582 - Internet: http: //http://www.giuffre.it ). "Studi e materiali di diritto costituzionale" series, No. 21. 2003, 386 pp, 15 euros. ISBN 88-14-10513-8.
Issues twenty and twenty-one of this series look at he same issue, namely Europe and autonomy. Particular reference is made to recent changes experienced by Italy. In two hefty volumes, various authors look at 'Europe of autonomous provinces' and 'the regions and the European Union'. The last part of this book is entitled: "Law, rights and autonomy, between the European Union and constitutional reforms ".
(MG)
*** EVA ROOK, BASILE GERMANO (Editors): Agricoltura e alimentazione tra diritto, comunicazione e mercato . Dott. A. Giuffré Editore (40 Via Busto Arsizio, I-20151 Milano. Tel.: (39-02) 38089290 - Fax: (39-02) 38009582 - Internet: http: //http://www.giuffre.it ). "Istituto di diritto agrario internazionale e comparato series, No. 40. 2003, 382 pp, 32 euros. ISBN 88-14-09940-5.
Due to agriculture's specific character and technique, it requires its own legal regulation for determining its particular needs. This has developed in a variety of ways, and civil law has proved to be insufficient for regulating this activity, which today needs specific legislation for protecting and promoting it. As the sub-title indicates, “Towards an agro-food and agrarian law for production and consumers”, this book encourages the elaboration of its own laws for agriculture and food. It formulates this goal by revealing the problems linked to specific law regulating each activity. As one of the contributors writes, “food security, like third generation human law, means not only the possibility of having access to food stuffs but also the guarantee of developing a healthy life and the maintaining of ecological balance”. The reader will also find an analysis of Community legal organisation and the different periods that agricultural and ecology have gone through.
(MRo)
*** CLAUDIA STEFANIS, CELIA LOSAVIO, TERESA BABUSCIO: La disciplina giuridica della filiera della carne in Belgio, Irlanda e Regno Unito. Dott. A. Giuffré Editore (40 Via Busto Arsizio, I-20151 Milano. Tel.: (39-02) 38089290 - Fax: (39-02) 38009582 - Internet: "Istituto di diritto agrario internazionale e comparato" series, no 38. 2002, 361 pp, 26 euros. ISBN 88-14-09889-1.
After having tackled the problems linked to diseased animals for human consumption, as experienced by some Union neighbours, the authors, three Italian legal studies lecturers, compare the different legislation incorporating food production, particularly in countries like Belgium, Ireland and the United Kingdom. They then look at the new food safety laws implemented outside the Union. They reflect upon one of the main problems affecting the Union: the absence of harmonized regulation. The United Kingdom, for example, does not distinguish between civil and commercial law. This is the case in Irish law. Normative corporate legal definition, particularly for farming enterprises is also lacking. Community standards are also debated, such as those determining meat production conditions, meat based preparations and derived products. The importance of veterinary inspections is also highlighted.
(MRo)
*** DANIEL GARRIGUE: Taux réduits de TVA: une réforme nécessaire. Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (Kiosque de l'Assemblée nationale, 4 rue Aristide Briand, F-75007 Paris. Internet: http: //http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr ). "Les documents d'information de l'assemblée nationale" series, No. 1160. 2003, 70 p., 3.50 euros. ISBN: 2-11-117188-3.
This newsletter covers the recommendation made by the French Nation Assembly's delegation to the European Union on the Commission's proposal to simplify and clarify reduced VAT systems in the Union. The context of this subject is seen to be “a difficult one”. The rapporteur even mentions “the inextricable regulatory jungle“. The report also approves the determination of the Guardian of the Treaties to modernize the current provisions. It goes even further by proposing to expand the remit of VAT rate reductions in other areas, especially for implementing compete reform of the current system. In conclusion, the final article in the draft resolution raises the very current question of voting at the Council. The French National Assembly “considers that reflection on qualified majority voting rights in taxation should definitely be continued in order to avoid paralysis of Community action in the future enlarged Union, while respecting the sovereignty of States and the subsidiary principle” .
(CF)
*** Capitale della culture. Genova 2004: un ponte per l'Europa. Centro In Europa, revista di studi e di iniziativa (7/5 Via Ippolito d'Aste, I-16121 Genova. Tel.: (39-10) 586716 - fax: 564356 - Internet: http: //http://www.centroineuropa.it ). No. 3. 2003, 77p.. ISBN 88-8163-228-4.
This issue of the review edited by Mario Bottaro focuses on Genoa, capital of culture in 2004. In it the reader finds a message from the minister for culture, Giuliano Urbani, and from the Mayor of Genoa, Giuseppe Pericu. Germano Celant, supervisor for artistic and cultural programming for the event, also gives us his low-down on the project. In this information sheet, those who have contributed to the organisation of the different activities at the event also provide testimonies, as well as their goals. We also find within the publication famous Italian writers and critics such as Edoardo Sanguineti and Fernanda Pivano. The president of the "In Europa" centre is not other than MEP Roberto Speciale.
(M.G.)
*** EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following document:
*** Enterprise Europe. Enterprise DG (SC15-6/135, B-1049 Brussels. Tel.: (32-2) 2966549 - fax: 2991926 - Internet: http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/library/enterprise-europe - E-mail: enterprise-europe@cec.eu.int). January - March 2004, No. 14, 24 p..
As asserted by Erkki Liikanen in the editorial, companies are subject to a whole raft of policies from different sources that need to be coordinated if we want to create the necessary conditions for improving competitiveness. The contribution from the Commissioner for enterprise and information society begins a publication that in this instance focuses exclusively on competitiveness. An article, "Meeting the competitiveness challenge" underlines the gap between the USA and the EU. This can be explained by a lack of competitiveness, which the Fifteen will have to overcome. Other articles look at what incentives are provided for Small and Medium-size Enterprises: looking at bankruptcy, as well as the unsatisfactory level of innovation in Europe and the legal problems linked to e-commerce.
*** 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.liaisons-sociales.com ). December - January 2003, n° 94, 14 p., 32 euros. Subscription: 867.85 euros.
The summary in this edition includes a draft law for simplifying the law on freedom of movement, a laws that has become obscure with all the numerous additions and successive amendments. The publication also provides a detailed insight into the Czech Republic, examining the transition of the country free enterprise, social partners and social dialogue mechanisms, as well as certain consequences of its accession to the Union.
*** Responsabilité & Environnement. Editions Eska (12 rue du Quatre-Septembre, F-75002 Paris. Tel.: (33-1) 42865573 - fax: 42604535 - Internet: http://www.eska.fr - E-mail: eska@eska.fr). Collection "Annales des mines". July 2003, 108 p., 20,58 euros.
"Responsibility and Environment" looks at the issue of marine pollution in two articles that provide an analytical and historic description of this kind of pollution. It thus demonstrate that ways for fighting this pollution exist but are not used. Other contributions focus on the risks linked to industrial out-sourcing, prices conventionally established for assessing the value of human life and a balance sheet of the framework for the Sapin law.
*** Forum - Das Magazin der Bertelsmann Stiftung. Bertelsmann Stiftung (256 Carl-Bertelsmann-Straâe, D-33311 Gütersloh. Tel.: (052-41) 8181160 - fax: 8181999 - E-mail: angelika.turowitz@ bertelsmann.de). 2003, n° 4, 40 p..
The Bertelsmann Foundation the first edition of this publication to reform of the social security system in Germany. A number of subjects are tackled: trans-Atlantic relations, choices of federalism in Iraq, the importance of education and training as well as the warding of the Bertelsmann prize to the Hilti company
*** Benelux Newsletter. Union économique Benelux - Secrétariat général (39 rue de la Régence, B-1000 Brussels. Tel.: (32-2) 5193811 - fax: 5134206 - Internet: http://www.benelux.be - E-mail: info@benelux.be). 4th quarter 2003, n° 4, 26p..
the Secretary General of the Benelux Economic Union, B.M.J. Hennekam, indicates that international cooperation involves ensuring that the general interest prevails over specific interests. It criticises certain European countries that move heaven and earth to conserve their own Commissioners after enlargement. It also points out that this function has to serve the general European interest and not strictly national interests. The publication also looks at the different activities and events taking place within the Benelux framework.
Reviews in brief
*** News from Cyprus. Press Bureau of the Embassy of the Permanent Delegation of the Republic of Cyprus to the Union. October - November 2003, Brussels. This information bulletin puts forward the position of President Papadopoulos and Commissioner for enlargement, Günter Verheugen, on developments involving the Cypriot question. Two articles focus on "Cypriot archaeological treasures in danger" and "convergence of views between Luxembourg and Cyprus".