*** JEAN-FRANCOIS DREVET: L'élargissement de l'Union européenne, jusqu'où ? L'Harmattan (5-7 rue de l'Ecole-Polytechnique, F-75005 Paris). 2004, 384 pp, 31 euros. ISBN 2-7475-6304-9.
A geography graduate of a prestigious French university, Jean-François Drevet works at the European Commission's Directorate General for Regional and Cohesion Policy. In this fascinating book, updated and supplemented since it was first published in 2001, he provides ways of answering fundamental questions being posed as the European Union commits to a virtually non-stop enlargement process. Facing a situation of twenty or so new countries joining the EU in less than twenty years, will the EU be able to manage these changes, which are not restricted in time or space? To put it even more clearly, can we set limits to the European project launched in 1957? These existential questions are supplemented by other questions more directly connected to the protagonists of this huge historical event that is unfolding before our eyes. Will current new member states (and future new member states) be able to join a system requiring skill in exercising common sovereignty over vital powers and the economic flexibility acquired in the EU through two decades of increasing competition and an administrative machine capable of playing by the sophisticated rules of the single market? In addition, will the new member states manage to achieve in one decade what current Member States took three decades to achieve? How should the former fifteen Member States think of the new arrivals? In the long term, in which direction will the new member states take the EU? In the direction of mercantile Europe or political Europe? And the other vital question - will the network of founder states still be able to help deepen the process of building the EU?
The author sets about answering these laden questions, full of meaning, and plenty of other questions along with them. First of all he draws a balance sheet of the former rounds of enlargement (sometimes very meaty or at least marked by great freedom of spirit) and then goes on to assess the motivation of the new Member States and the reactions of the former Member States, and how the accession process has been organised. He then looks at the never-ending queue of prospective new members from Turkey to the Balkans, not to mention the states waiting to ask to join in the former Soviet Union and the Mediterranean. After this, he considers how the enlarged Europe can operate and possible relations with the EU's Mediterranean and eastern neighbours. In the conclusion, the author argues that expansion is likely to continue in the absence of any setting of the EU's final limits with the domino scenario being more than the lesser evil since it is better than turning in on oneself or a face-off with the periphery. But he notes that such a development would favour a Hanseatic scenario (meaning simply economic cooperation) rather than a Roman or Rhine scenario. Michel Theys
*** MARIE-LUISE HERSCHTEL: L'Europe élargie: enjeux économiques. Presses de Sciences Po (44 rue du Four, F-75006 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 44393960 - Fax: 45480441 - e-mail: info.presse@sciences-po.fr - Internet: http: //http://www.sciences-po.fr/edition/ ). "La Bibliothèque du citoyen" series, February 2004, 162 pp, 12 euros. ISBN 2-7246-0923-9.
The enlargement of the European Union to ten new Member States on 1 May has already been the subject of much commentary. It is true that this is a significant event. It is the biggest round of enlargement of the EU, but more than that it is the 'return to the European fold' of countries cut off by the Second World War. The festive tone the European institutions wanted to give to the big re-gathering of the European family has not, however, caused joy for a series of Europeans in both the West and the East. The population of the EU went up by 75 million to 450 million, but GDP has only gone up by 5%. Facing this historical event, plenty of people have economic fears. The fear of relocation to lower wage countries, fear of mass immigration and the spectre of unemployment are black spots in some people's eyes, particularly in France. Other people fear a lowering of EU aid for disadvantaged regions and farming aid, with such aid being transferred to acceding countries. The functioning of the European institutions themselves will be affected, but the main challenge, the subject of this book, is economic and financial. Separating off myth from reality, the author describes the accession processes - possibly speeded up - and upgrading of the new acceding countries. He highlights the future challenges and risks, along with the opportunities and progress. Let us not have no doubts about it, the unification of Europe is also rich in promise and has the useful of effect of making Europe face itself. (FRo)
*** JOZEF LAPTOS, MARIUSZ MISZTAL: American Debates on Central European Union, 1942-1944. Documents of the American State Department. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. E-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.net ). "Euroclio Studies and documents" series, No. 25. 2002, 244 pp. ISBN 90-5201-976-2.
"Good idea!", this was the quite vague answer given by President Roosevelt when Polish prime minister Wladyslav Sikorski came to him in 1942 with his idea of setting up a federation of central and eastern European states. History lecturers at Krakow University, the authors of this book have dipped into the State Department archives, and this has led them to put forward the idea that despite the lack of drive from the US President of that time, the path of European unity could have been taken from the eastern part of Europe and US diplomats seriously considered the idea. Even if we never relive history, it is useful to learn how history might have worked out if… … (LD)
*** GIULIANA GEMELLI, ROY MACLEOD (Eds.): American Foundations in Europe. Grant-Giving Policies, Cultural Diplomacy and Trans-Atlantic Relations, 1920-1980. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (see above). "Euroclio Studies and documents" series, No. 28. 2003, 227 pp. ISBN 90-5201-994-0.
Locations for producing knowledge, US foundations have helped for more than eighty years to build bridges between the two sides of the Atlantic. It is, however, astonishing to see the extent to which philanthropy has been largely ignored by historians. This book makes a temporary halt to this. It gathers together contributions from scientists from across the world held in a place called Held in 2001. The first essays put the spotlight on a number of bilateral programmes launched by the Rockerfeller and Ford Foundations in a huge range of areas. They show the connection between the success or failure of civil society initiatives with the international political context in which the Foundation the initiative is based on must operate. The second part of the book looks at transatlantic relations and transatlantic networks. The last part focuses on the 1960s, when one witnessed an internationalisation of the Foundations and their policies. Giuliana Gemelli is a lecturer in contemporary history at Bologna University. Roy MacLeod is also a history lecturer, at Sidney University in Australia. (ADr)
*** VOLKER BÖRSTINGHAUS: Generationenbilanzen - Theorie, Empirie und Konsequenzen für die EU. Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, Postfach 350, CH-2542 Pieterlen, Switzerland. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - Fax: 3761727 - e-mail: publicity@peterlang.com - Internet: http: //http://www.peterlang.de ). "Publications Universitaires Européennes" series, No. 2884. 2002, 203 pp. ISBN 3-631-39138-2.
The idea of generational balance sheets, developed in the 1990s, enables one to calculate the total of financial transfers (taxes, social security, pensions and public deficit) between the different generations in a national economy. In this book, a doctoral thesis for the Catholic University of Eichstätt-Ingolstadt , the author Volker Börstinghaus, a German economist, assesses the financial impact of changes in demography, policies, economics, social affairs, taxation and public deficits on the different generations in twelve Member States. The author reaches the conclusion that budget discipline and adjustments of fiscal convergence criteria are necessary in Economic and Monetary Union to manage the impact on generations which differ widely from one country to the next. It also suggests measures for achieving inter-generational justice. Despite the hugely important subject matter, the technical language and mathematical formulae, along with detailed calculations, make this a difficult book to read and understand. This is no doubt a book when is very interesting for specialists, economists and demographic and social security experts. (PB)
*** KLAUS HARNEY, ANJA HEIKKINEN, SYLVIA RAHN, MICHAEL SCHEMMANN (Ed.): Lifelong Learning: One Focus, Different Systems. Peter Lang (see above). "Studien zur Erwachsenenbildung" series, No. 19. 2002, 246 pp. ISBN 3-631-37705-3.
Evening courses and life long learning are the subject of this book, a collection of seventeen academic essays. The authors, from Germany, Switzerland, the UK, Scandinavia and Unesco, are members of research network, the "Vocational Education and Culture Research Network". The essays include examples and case studies from European countries and theory and the social, biographical and sociological aspects are considered and assessed. It is an excellent, very clear introduction to the issue, considered from various angles, but it could be usefully supplemented by essays from southern and east European countries in order to enlarge the analytical and comparative base.
(PB)
*** ULRIKE LIEBERT (Ed.): Gendering Europeanisation. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes-Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. E-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.net ). "Multiple Europe" series, No. 19. 2003, 304 pp.
Gender equality has seen a series of important changes in the right direction over the past three decades in the European Union. This has been accompanied by an ever greater diversity of systems. This collection of essays (most of whose authors, like the editor Ulrike Liebert, are lecturers in politics) look at the range of options in the European Union. It shows how the Member States have applied the various equal opportunity directives since 1975 and lists the political controversies that have raised their heads over time. A very detailed book on gender equality and how it has changed.
(LD)
*** MARION SABINE RAUNER, KURT HEIDENBERGER (Eds.): Quantitative Approaches in Health Care Management. Proceedings of the 27th Meeting of the European Working Group on Operational Research Applied to Health Services (ORAHS), Vienna, Austria, July 30 - August 4, 2001. Peter Lang (see above). 2003, 305 pp. ISBN 3-631-39009-2.
When it comes to health care policy, decision makers are facing a double problem. On the one hand, ever more restricted spending, and on the other hand, constantly growing demand. Convinced that quantitative approaches will be able to resolve the problem specialists set up the European Working Group on Operational Research applied to Health Services, a member of the International Federation of Health Care Services. The book includes eighteen essays, presented in an annual conference in 2001.
(LD)
*** JEAN-PIERRE MOUTON, JACK CHABOUD: La sécurité en entreprise. Sensibilisation des personnels et mise en œuvre d'un plan d'action. Dunod (Paris. Internet: http: //http://www.dunod.com ). "Fonctions de l'entreprise" series. 2003, 187 pp, 28.46 euros. ISBN 2-10-006452-5.
Like quality control and maintenance, security is a vital component of business life. This book considers the different sides of security, namely what is at stake and tools, risk assessment, hierarchies of causes, security inspections, scoreboards, etc, and security management systems. A pragmatic teaching book, illustrated with real case scenarios. (LD)
*** STEPHANIE LANSON: Financements européens. Subventions, prêts, assistance technique, entre prise, association, collectivité. Editions Dalloz (31-35 rue Froidevaux, F-75014 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40645454 - Fax: 40645471 - e-mail: delmas@dalloz.fr - Internet: http: //http://www.dalloz.fr ). "Encyclopédie Delmas". 1999, 379 pp, 45.43 euros. ISBN 2-247-03418-7.
The European Union is one source of subsides for local development projects, business aid, research, training, social activity and cultural matters. Projects can be put forward by companies, local authorities, associations, research centres, training institutions and more besides. But these structures have to be able to find their way in the EC's special labyrinth of institutions and procedures. All areas of activity covered by EU aid are considered in the book. It is designed in such a way that it will help project leaders at every stage in the process of applying for EU funding, from feasibility studies to the final report and suggests how to find the most appropriate aid programmes. It gives a synthesis of the sources of EU funding and aid, and addresses of information and advice bodies. The methodological advice given in the book make it a very useful work tool. (LD)
*** The EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following document:
*** Innovation & Technology Transfer. DG Enterprise, Information and Communication Unit (EUFO 2295, L-2920 Luxembourg. Fax: (352-4301) 32084 - Internet: http://www.cordis.lu/itt/itt-en/home.html ). March 2004, No. 2/04, 32 pp.
The review notes that it looks more and more likely that the Lisbon targets will not be met. Innovation plays a vital role in this process, and the review looks at this situation and outlines a series of European initiatives that could help the EU to really become the world's most completive knowledge based economy by the year 2010. It includes a dossier on innovation in the shining example of Ireland, the Celtic Tiger, which can set an example for other countries.
*** Dokumente. Gesellschaft für übernationale Zusammenarbeit e.V. (86 Dottendorfer Straße, D-53129 Bonn. Tel. (Editorial section): (49-2) 289239805 - Fax (Editorial section): 28690385 - e-mail: guez.dokumente@gmx.net - Internet: http://www.guez-dokumente.org ). April 2004, No. 2, 116 pp, 3.90 euros. Annual subscription: 19.90 euros.
At a time when many people are criticising the domination of the English language, especially for scientific information, and fearing that it will whittle away cultural diversity, Dokumente looks at multilingualism in Europe and sheds light on Franco-German cooperation in this connection. One article looks, for example, at French efforts to promote young people's learning of German. Others consider public opinion in France in the run-up to the European elections, and French farmers' reliance on EU subsidies.
*** Rivista di studi politici internazionali. Rivista di studi politici internazionali (40 Lungarno del Tempio, I-50121 Florence. Tel: (39-55) 666384). April - June 2004, No. 282, 190 pp, annual subscription: 62 euros.
This issue has interviews with Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, Joschka Fischer and Hosni Mubarak. The first interviewee talks about the Constitution, relations between Italy and the EU and with the United States, while the second interview sees Joschka Fischer give his vision of the future of Europe, while the Egyptian President talks about the necessary changes and peace process in the Middle East. Other articles look at global peace, the situation in Israel and the future of Afghanistan.
*** Afkar / Idées. Estudios de Política Exterior SA (6 Padilla, ES-28006 Madrid. Tel: (34-91) 4312628 - Fax: 5777252 - Internet: http://www.politicaexterior.com ). March 2004, No. 2, 122 pp, 8 euros. Annual subscription: 26 euros.
Ironically enough, the second issue of this review promoting dialogue between North Africa and Europe, was being completed on the day of the Madrid attacks. It provides a series of explanations, from a political, economic and social angle, of Euro-Med reports. This issue has an interview, for example with Major General Mohamed Touati, talking about elections and democracy in Algeria. Other articles look at the EU”s good neighbours policy, democracy in North Africa, the transition experiences of Morocco and Tunisia, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Libya's return to international favour.
*** Slovenia News. Government PR and Media Office (Trzaska cesta 21, SI-1000 Ljubljana. Tel: (386-1) 4782636 - Fax: 2512312 - e-mail: slovenia.news@sta.si - Internet: http: //slonews.sta.si). March 2004, No. 13, 16 pp.
Aiming to promote and raise awareness of Slovenia abroad, particularly in the EU, this magazine has short articles on current events in Slovenia and longer articles on Slovenian politics, culture and society. This issue focuses on Slovenia joining NATO.
Reviews in brief
*** Monthly Bulletin - April. European Central Bank. March 2004, Frankfurt am Main. This report outlines the economic and monetary trends in the eurozone, with analysis and articles on subjects like the influence of fiscal policy on pricing and macroeconomic stability. *** Report 2003 - Part 1. National Bank of Belgium. March 2004, Brussels. This report looks at financial and economic developments in Belgium, analysing its international environment, labour market and price trends.