*** FRANKLIN DEHOUSSE, WOUTER COUSSENS (Ed.): The Convention's Draft Constitutional Treaty: Old Wine in a new Bootle ? Institut royal des relations internationales (69 rue de Namur, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2234114 - Fax: 2234116 - e-mail: studia.diplomatica@irri-kiib - Internet: http: //http://www.irri-kiib.be ). "Studia Diplomatica" series. 2003, No. 1-2, 189 pp. Annual subscription: 81 euros (Belgium), 93 euros (elsewhere in Europe). ISBN 2-9600353-6-4.
A judge at the Court of First Instance, Franklin Dehousse now has to keep his thoughts pretty much to himself. Fortunately however, he continues to pursue his career in academia, which allows him to give free expression to his prodigiously critical mind, aiming to be constructive and committed. Along with Wouter Coussens, researcher at the Belgian Institut Royal des Relations Internationales, he attempts in this book to analyse the Convention's draft Constitutional Treaty. He provides a detailed, even more cruel instrument for judging the final text arrived at by heads of state, giving in to the 'irresistible temptation to compare what was desired with what was achieved'.
Involved as outside consultants in the team of advisors to the Belgian members of the Convention, the authors are perfectly well acquainted with the subject matter. They take in turns to explore issues focussed upon by the Members of the Convention, chaired by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, namely fundamental rights, the Presidency of the EU, foreign relations, the Space of Liberty, Security and Justice, the fate of Economic and Monetary Union, etc. These are all essential focal points for this type of activity, but the authors make an effort to improve user-friendliness by adopting a distinctly pedagogical approach. For each case, they start by listing the desirable reforms, explaining why they were desired and then outlining the options decided upon by the Convention. In this way, they very clearly highlight what seem to them to be the new 'leftovers' from the last reform of the Treaties, which in Brussels last June the heads of state did not manage to deal with, quite the opposite in fact.
The authors reserve their most acerbic comments for measures concerning the review and implementation of the European Constitution. They believe the lack of immediate reform in the review process is one of the main weaknesses, perhaps the most fundamental weakness, of the Convention's draft Constitutional Treaty, since it runs the risk of leading to a major political crisis in the event there were to be a repetition on a bigger scale of the ratification problems encountered by Ireland and Denmark. The announcement of the holding of a series of referendums justifies their fears. Optimists will take heart, saying that faced with this danger, many people will no doubt already be considering get-out clauses to ensure it is possible to advance without those who do not want to advance.
Michel Theys
*** CHRISTIAN PHILIP ET PANAYOTIS SOLDATOS: La Convention sur l'avenir de l'Europe ? Essai d'évaluation du projet de traité établissant une Constitution pour l'Europe. Etablissements Emile Bruylant (67 rue de la Régence, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5129845 - Fax: 5117202 - E-mail: info@bruylant.be - Internet: http://www.bruylant.be ). 2004, 236 pp, 45 euros. ISBN 2-8027-1843-6.
Retrospectively, this book published by the European Studies Centre of the Law Faculty of Université Jean Moulin-Lyon 3, is a veritable mine of information about the initial draft of the European Constitution, the formation of the Convention and the appointment of its players. Once the text had been adopted on 18 June 2003 (following tooth and nail negotiations by the twenty-five states), it is useful to return to the work leading up to the Convention, the role played by its Chairman, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, the dawning of consensus and discord between Convention Members, the controversial granting of observer status to the Committee of the Regions, the Economic and Social Committee, the European Ombudsman and representatives of countries which are still candidates to join the EU, etc. Returning to the past like this also enables us to understand the most virulent criticisms expressed about the end result. The criticisms are aimed at the watering down of fiscal and social proposals, refusal to extend qualified majority voting, and the decision to keep 25 Commissioners after 2007. Each party then quickly withdrew to their own interpretation of the text. The Party of European Socialists see the text as not meeting expectations and being incompatible with the plan of a Social Europe. The Right and Centre Right see it as a historic step forward in the European project. Without claiming to be exhaustive in its subject matter or analysis, this book goes back over the tricky connection between the expectations of civil society, the reforms of the institutions and the decision-making process, the sharing of powers, the incorporation of new countries, the constitutionalisation of the Charters, etc. A user-friendly book which will help readers understand the vital steps preceding the adoption of the Constitution and its future ratification.
(NDy)
*** JOSE-MARIA GIL-ROBLES: Passion d'Europe. Editions Racine, EPP-ED (EPP-ED Group, European Parliament, Documentation Centre, 60 rue Wiertz, 1047 Brussels - e-mail epp-ed@europarl.eu.int). 2003, 225 pp, free of charge (available from Documentation Centre above). ISBN 2-87386-336-6.
Quoting Kant in his inaugural address as President of the European Parliament in January 1997, noting that fighting for the EP is fighting for freedom, José-Maria Gil-Robles pledged himself to the building of a Europe that would be more united, more prosperous, more free and show more solidarity every day. A commitment he never failed to respect, right up until his last speech as President in Strasbourg on 5 May 1999. This book reproduces in full all the speeches he made during his time as President of the EP, without additional comments. The selection of speeches sheds natural light, without any correction after the event, on the views taken in the heat of the moment by this politician, and hence by the European Parliament through his words, of the significant events of the 1997-1999 period, like the Amsterdam Treaty, the enlargement negotiations, the euro, revising the EU's Financial Perspectives, or preparing for the June 1999 European elections. All important issues, for which it is highly desirable to have further details, sometimes with an orator's emphasis, but usually with a disarming sincerity of belief and enthusiastic commitment to a common cause.
(FOc)
*** Revue politique et parlementaire. Sedep (6 rue Labrouste, F-75015 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 45315805 - Fax: 45311879). April/May/June 2004, No. 1029-1030, 24 euros. Annual subscription: 61 euros (France) or 75 euros (rest of Europe).
Under the heading "Quelle France au printemps 2004 ?", this double issue of the Revue politique et parlementaire has a series of 'idea merchants' (journalists, teachers, ministers, diplomats, lecturers, experienced commentators, etc) attempting to distinguish in the light of the most recent elections, how France is forming itself these days in Europe and in the world at large. There are contributions from the former European Affairs Secretary of State Pierre Moscovici on the new Europe and from former European Commissioner Yves-Thibault de Silguy, who sees it as vital this year for Europe to prioritise competitiveness. Jean-Dominique Giuliani, President of the Robert Schumann Foundation, looks at enlargement, asking how and how far?
(MT)
*** JACQUES FLOCH: Présence et influence de la France en Europe: le vrai et le faux. Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (Kiosque de l'Assemblée nationale, 4 rue Aristide Briand, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40636121 - Internet: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr ). "Les documents d'information de l'Assemblée nationale", No. 1594. 2004, 144 pp, 5 euros. ISBN 2-11-117637-0.
Stuffed with statistics, this Information Report of the Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale française (the French national assembly's Delegation for the European Union) takes a detailed and unusual snapshot of France's presence in the European institutions, considering its political representation, administrative presence, lobby organisations, adaptations of the French political and administrative machinery to the rising power of Europe, etc . In the conclusions, parliamentarian Jacques Floch comments that as opposed to a series of particularly tenacious preconceptions, France has nothing to be ashamed about in terms of its ranking and influence in Europe, although some structural weaknesses could be irreversibly damaging to the country if no changes are made. The suggestion is made, to make Strasbourg the European law capital, moving the Court of Justice there in addition to the European Parliament headquarters and giving Luxembourg the headquarters of the European Council in return, or at the very least, its stable Presidency promised by the Constitutional Treaty.
(MT)
*** ELKE BRUCK: Francois Mitterrands Deutschlandbild. Perzeption und Politik im Spannungsfeld deutschland-, europa- und sicherheitspolitischer Entscheidungen 1989-1992. 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 ). 2003, 361 pp. ISBN 3-631-50202-8.
François Mitterrand's view of Germany and the influence this has on the policies he inspired in France during the reunification of Germany are examined in this book by a young German political analyst and culture and language expert from Munich. The research served as her doctoral thesis for Munich University, supervised by Prof. Werner Weidenfeld, President of the highly acclaimed Applied Political Science Research Centre (Centrum für angewandte Politikforschung). She describes the development and ambivalences of the former French President's image of Germany. A most interesting book for discovering the personal ideas of a great French statesman and European, and highly useful for understanding ideas and poles that determine how Germany is comprehended by political and intellectual elites in France.
(PB)
*** ANSBERT BAUMANN: Begegnung der Völker ? Der Elysée-Vertrag und die Bundesrepublik Deutschland - Deutsch-französische Kulturpolitik von 1963 bis 1969. Peter Lang (see above). "Moderne Geschichte und Politik" series, No. 18. 2003, 342 pp. ISBN 3-631-50539-6.
The cultural Franco-German policy launched by the Traité de l'Elysée for cooperation between France and Germany is the subject of this doctoral thesis by a German historian Tübingen University. The author takes an in-depth look at how these cultural exchanges between France and Germany, launched in the 1960s, impact on the institutions and policies of the two countries in the longer term. Detailed analysis of the period based on a vast array of biographical and academic source material and archives.
(PB)
*** SERAINA GILLY: Der Nationalstaat im Wandel. Estland im 20. Jahrhundert. Peter Lang (see above). "Geist und Werk der Zeiten - Arbeiten aus dem Historischen Seminar der Universität Zürich", No. 97. 2002, 676 pp. ISBN 3-906769-19-4.
The author of this weighty monograph, a half Swiss, half Estonian historian, provides us in this doctoral thesis for Zurich University with a very full and detailed overview of Estonian in the twentieth century. Accompanied by an impressive bibliography, the book is bursting with information and reference sources concerning this Baltic state which joined the European Union on 1 May this year and is still rather an unknown quantity...
(PB)
*** ERIC DAVIES: Eurojargon. A dictionary of European Union acronyms, abbreviations and terminology. European Information Association (Central Library, St. Peter's Square, Manchester M2 5PD, United Kingdom. Tel: (44-161) 2283691 - Fax: 2366547 - e-mail: eia@libraries.manchester.gov.uk - Internet: http://www.eia.org.uk ). 2004, 344 pp, 50 euros for EIA members, 75 euros for non-members. ISBN 0-948272-93-7.
The European institutions and the people working for the European Union have developed over time a jargon which is often opaque and incomprehensible, even for people working in the same field of European affairs as the jargon refers to. On top of that, new terms are continually being added to the stock of this jargon through the very diversity and complexity of the European institutions' work. For this reason, the publication is already in its seventh edition, and is 25% longer than the previous version, now including more than 5200 terms whose meaning has been revised and extended. The new version publishes more terms without an English origin, particularly French terms. The dictionary obviously includes a wealth of acronyms, abbreviations and terms, but also contact addresses, websites and bibliographical references. Anyone working for or around the European institutions will agree that the explanations and information in this book is very precious …
(FRo)
*** Revue d'Allemagne et des pays de langue allemande. Société d'études allemandes (CNRS, Bâtiment 40, 23 rue du Loess, BP 20, F-67037 Strasbourg Cedex 02. Tel: (33-3)88107316 - Fax: 88106482 - e-mail: christiane.weeda@urs.u-strasbg.fr). January-March 2004, No. 1, 16 euros. Annual subscription: 56 euros.
This issue of the Revue d'Allemagne looks at the question of whether the Rhine can be seen as a model. Through a variety of explanations ranging from history to the economy, via social and cultural issues and river navigation, a series of articles attempts to verify whether the Rhine model is still a valid concept these days.
(MT)
*** The EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following document:
*** RDT Info. DG Research, Information and Communications Unit (Tel: (32-2) 2959971 - Fax: 2958220 - E-mail: research@cec.eu.int). May 2004, No. 41, 40 pp.
Research and development in the new Member States from the former Communist block has been transformed in many ways in recent years. The centres of scientific excellence established and protected by the state have had to be wholly reformed. RDT Info this month devotes a dossier to these centres of knowledge, which have come through hard times but will be called upon to play an important role in the development of the European Union. This issue starts by taking a tour of the centres of scientific excellence in the Czech Republic and Hungary. Other articles look at the European Social Survey -a gargantuan European opinion poll looking at citizens' views on their social and political environment, and an interview with Commissioner Philippe Busquin on a potential doubling of the European R&D budget.
*** Europe Info. Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community and the Catholic European Study and Information Centre (45 rue Stévin , B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2350510 - Fax: 2303334 - E-mail: debbichi-ocipe@tiscalinet.be). June 2004, No. 61, 12 pp. Annual subscription: 27 euros.
In this epoch of change within the European Union, the Europe Info review takes a look at issues close to its heart. One article looks at the place devoted to religion in the Constitutional Treaty, which goes beyond the reference to Christianity in the Constitution's Preamble. Another looks at bioethics and the need to regulate human genetic testing. Others consider the annual Santiago de Compostela pilgrimage and the draft European Penitentiary Charter to ensure acceptable prison conditions.
*** Evropaiki Ekfrassi. "European Society, Politics, Expression, Institutions" Asbl (54 Omirou st., GR-10672 Athens. Tel: (30-210) 3643223 - Fax: 3646953 - E-mail: ekfrasi@ekfrasi.gr - Internet: http//http://www.ekfrasi.gr ). 2nd quarter 2004, No. 53, 48 pp., 5 euros. Annual subscription: 21 euros.
This is the second special issue, in French and English. It focuses on the European elections but there are articles from other authors, Members of the Convention, MEPs and legal experts, outlining their visions and desire for tomorrow's Europe. The review includes the speech made by Dr Vastagh (Hungarian parliament's representative on the Convention) in defence of the Constitution, and an article on the vision of Europe's future challenges of Patrick Rajoelina, lecturer in European law at the Ecole supérieure de journalisme in Paris.
*** AmCham Business Journal. AmCham Belgium (50 Av. des Arts, Box 5, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5136770 - Fax: 5133590 - E-mail: gmuyshondt@amcham.be - Internet: http://www.amcham.be ). 2nd quarter 2004, No. 550, 34 pp, 6.20 euros.
This issue of the Brussels American Chamber of Commerce Business Journal incorporates a dossier on lobbying in enlarged Europe, presenting the Society of European Affairs Professionals and its code of conduct, and explaining how enlargement changes matters for lobbyists. It also gives various sources of information. Other articles in the review look at dispute regulation and IT outsourcing.
*** IOM News. International Organization for Migration (PO box 71, CH-1211 Geneva. Tel: (41-22) 7179111 - Fax: 7986150 - E-mail: info@iom.int - Internet: http: //http://www.iom.int ). June 2004, 24 pp.
This issue's "Policy & Research" dossier looks at three topics. The first is the concerns of Mediterranean countries at enlargement of the EU to the East. Many fear that enlargement to the East will lead the EU to neglect the EuroMed partnership, but this may not happen. The second topic is the Berne initiative of 2001 to improve inter-state cooperation when it comes to regional and overall management of immigration. The third looks at the feasibility of establishing a common legal framework in Africa to manage migration.
Review in brief
*** The Japan Journal. The Japan Journal Ltd.. June 2004, No. 2, Tokyo. This issue looks at Japan's diplomatic activity and the practice of working long hours.