*** GUY LENGAGNE: La Turquie et l'Union européenne. 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 ). "Rapport d'information", No. 1834. 2004, 163 pp, 5 euros. ISBN 2-11-118768-2.
The long-awaited moment of truth for Turkey and its ambition to join the European Union is almost upon us, making this the ideal opportunity to remind Agence Europe readers that it is on the 17th December of this year that the European Council will say whether or not it agrees to open EU accession negotiations with Turkey. If the EU heads of state say yes, this will not be the end of the matter because the accession negotiations with this huge country will last years rather than months, but it will mark a new stage in Turkey's long road to Europe, since the European Community noted in the Association Agreement with Turkey signed in 1963: "When the functioning of the agreement has made it possible to consider the full acceptance by Turkey of the obligations under the Treaty establishing the European Community, the contractual parties will examine the possibility of Turkey joining the Community". That particular stage began at the Helsinki European Council of December 1999, when the fifteen Member States of the time stipulated: "Turkey is a candidate Member State with the vocation to join the EU according to the same criteria as apply to the other candidate countries".
The next crucial decision to be taken, this time by the twenty-five Member States, will be taken in light of Turkey actually meeting the political criteria set out in Copenhagen. In its decision-making, the EU25 will take note of the positive but prudent report submitted by the Commission. Hence the utility of this newsletter following a visit to Turkey by French parliamentarians from across the political spectrum, to consider Turkey's respect of the Copenhagen political criteria. The author also looks at the fundamental questions for the European Union raised by Turkey's application to join the fold. A range of views are expressed, of course, but by and large they are all positive.
Michel Theys
*** JEROME LAMBERT: L'adhésion de la Bulgarie: un fort volontarisme européen en attente d'une reconnaissance rapide. Délégation de l'Assemblée nationale pour l'Union européenne (see above). Report No. 1479. 2004, 37 pp, 3.50 euros. ISBN 2-11-117620-6.
In this report, French parliamentarian Jérôme Lambert points out that the Commission's assessment of Bulgaria's progress in moving towards accession to the EU in terms of the political and economic criteria and transposition of EU acquis is highly encouraging. In the second part of the report, the author looks at the impatient enthusiasm displayed by the Bulgarians and their leaders with regard to joining the EU. Sometimes their voluntarism results in over-zealous but welcome application of EU legislation. In terms of recycling, for example, the Bulgarian authorities have set the minimum rate for recycling industrial packaging at 25%, well above the level set by the Member States. Bulgaria states that it favours a strengthening of the European Common Foreign and Security Policy, and common defence. On the other hand, notes Jérôme Lambert, Bulgarian politicians expect recognition of the efforts they have made and formal assurances of the accession timetable, this desire being shared by ordinary Bulgarians, who hope that joining the EU will speed up economic and social progress. In the third part of the report, the parliamentarian argues that France should take advantage of the opportunity to help Bulgaria improve its administrative and judicial capacities and increase investment in the country. (STu)
*** SYLVAIN PLASSCHAERT (Ed.): Les conséquences micro-économiques de l'élargissement de l'Union européenne - De micro-economische gevolgen van de uitbreding van de Europese Unie. 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. 5, 178 pp. Annual subscription: 81 euros (Belgium), 93 euros (rest of EU), 100 euros (outside EU). ISBN 2-9600353-8-0.
The latest round of EU enlargement brought with it a fair share of concerns for the different 'old' Member States. Mass immigration disrupting labour markets, relocation of companies attracted by much lower production costs in the 'new' Europe, and the spending required to relaunch problem economies are all piercingly sharp issues that have not gone away. This research aims to determine whether these concerns are well-founded or not, commissioned by the Belgian Institut Royal des Relations Internationales and the Fédération des entreprises de Belgique from a cross-university research network, the Groupe d'études politiques européennes, which brings together some of Belgium's leading experts. Following an introduction by Prof. Sylvain Plasschaert, the authors study the perceptions of enlargement in Belgium, and the path followed by former candidate countries to achieve their aims, enlargement in the light of developments in foreign trade observed in various sectors of the Belgian economy, direct Belgian foreign investment in countries to the East, and the implications of enlargement in terms of employment and immigration. The final essay looks at the strengths and weaknesses of the Belgian economy. The book makes a realistic, positive and constructive assessment (in either French or Dutch) of the most recent round of enlargement. (MT)
*** GERALD HINTEREGGER, HANS-GEORG HEINRICH (Eds.): Russia - Continuity and Change. Springer-Verlag (4-6 Sachsenplatz, P. O. Box 89, A-1201 Vienna. Tel.: (43-1) 3302415-0 - Fax: 3302426 - E-mail: springer@springer.at - Internet: http://www.springer.at ). "Europainstitut Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien Schriftenreihe - Publication Series", No. 24. 2004, 549 pp., 98 euros. ISBN 3-211-22391-6.
This collection of essays by Russian and Austrian diplomats provides a cross-disciplinary analysis of developments in Russia since the break-up of the Soviet Union. The authors look at recent changes in the EU's big eastern neighbour, which remains enigmatic to the West, and describe the type of sea-changes which can be expected in the country in the future. There is inevitably a chapter on Chechnya, entitled "Chechnya: will there ever be peace?", and on Russia's relations with the European Union. The authors comment on Russia's domestic politics and economic transformation process, and there is a chapter devoted to changes under the rule of Vladimir Putin. Another chapter looks at how the multi-party system and political parties in general operate in modern Russia. There is also an assessment of the doctrine of Russian national security, relations with NATO and how Russia fits into the world political scene these days. (STu)
*** JOSEPH HENROTIN (Ed.): Au risque du chaos. Leçons politiques et stratégiques de la guerre d'Irak. Editions Armand Colin (21 rue du Montparnasse, F-75006 Paris. Tel.: (33-1) 44395447- Fax: (33-1) 44394343 - E-mail: infos@armand-colin.com - Internet: http://www.armand-colin.com ). "Interventions" series. 2004, 288 pp, 20 euros. ISBN 2-200-26754-1.
This cross-discipline book takes advantage of the skills of a team of Belgian academic researchers, members of the Réseau Multidisciplinaire d'Etudes Stratégiques (RMES), to determine the lessons to be learned from the Iraq War, going beyond simply dividing the world into 'for' and 'against', 'good' and 'evil'. The introduction shows that the Iraq War acted as a catalyst on the world scene, and also in terms of the complex political, sociological, strategic and economic arenas. In the first chapter, the authors highlight the risks and new perceptions following 11 September 2001, like the perception of a "global war on terror", constructing the idea of a threat and how this has been perceived, and the emergence of never-ending conflicts. The second chapter analyses the security consequences for Europe - geopolitical reconfiguration "can never fail to impact on developments in the European Union, which is much closer than the United States to the theatre of operations". In this situation, what approach should be taken to changes in the EU in general and the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Common Security and Defence Policy? The author also look at changes in transatlantic relations under the strain of the Iraqi crisis. The fourth chapter determines the military stakes of the Iraq War, while the fifth assesses the geo-economic consequences of the war. The final part of the book provides more general considerations on the international arena and how to interpret current conflicts. (STu)
*** GERARD COHEN-JONATHAN GERARD ET JEAN-FRANCOIS FLAUSS (Eds.): Droit international, droits de l'homme et juridictions internationales. 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 ). "Droit et justice" series, No. 55. 2004, 152 pp, 42 euros. ISBN 2-8027-1900-9.
This book publishes the proceedings of a round table organised by the International Human Rights Institute to consider the relations between general international law and international human rights (which has grown enormously in recent years) through the attitude adopted by the various international courts. The round table's starting point was the fact that international human rights form part of the general international legal order referred to by more and more human rights monitoring institutions. The general introduction examines the application of international law by courts of human rights and the way universal courts of law deal with international human rights. Other chapters look at how human rights mesh with general international law through an analysis of courts and more specialist mechanisms like the American Convention of Human Rights, case law of the European Court of Human Rights, international courts of law and recent recourse to non-specialist courts for the protection of human rights. (STu)
*** FLAUSS JEAN-FRANÇOIS, LAMBERT-ABDELGAWAD ELISABETH (Eds.): L'application nationale de la Charte africaine des droits de l'homme et des peuples. Etablissements Bruylant (see above). "Droit et justice" series, No. 54. 2004, 152 pp, 65 euros. ISBN 2-8027-1892-4.
This book aims to make an initial assessment of the effectiveness of direct and indirect internalisation of the African Charter of Human Rights. The application of the Charter at national level still varies widely from one country to the next, and is disappointing overall. Although the Charter's influence on national legal systems is restricted, it has had a greater impact in English-speaking Africa than in French-speaking countries. In the view of Jean-François Flauss, Secretary General of the Institut international des droits de l'Homme, the main structural obstacle to full application of the Charter is the lack of any international body able to force national authorities to actually respect the Charter's measures in their domestic legal set-up. Judges in the different countries of Africa often prefer to refer to other international human rights instruments. According to Jean-François Flauss, the Charter will be more effective once judges in Africa are able to be less reserved about political power. He points out that serious human and financial resources are needed to apply such a legal instrument, as was demonstrated by the European Convention of Human Rights, but such resources are not available on the African continent. Prof. Flauss adds that one has to remember that the 'full acclimatisation' in domestic law of a multilateral convention for the protection of human rights takes a long time and the African Charter is relatively new on the scene. Other essays look in detail at training and awareness raising about the African Charter of Human Rights, its application in southern and eastern Africa, North Africa, central Africa and Western Africa, application by national authorities and the role of the future African Court of Human Rights. The book surveys all aspects of the Charter. (Stu)
*** ISABELLE BOURGUEIL ET AL: L'accès au livre. Edition solidaire et bibliodiversité. Editions Colophon (25 rue Gratès, B-1170 Brussels. Tel.: (32-2) 6758156 - Fax: (32-2) 6758327 - E-mail: info@colophon.be - Internet: http://www.colophon.be ). "Essais" series. 2003, 111 pp. ISBN 2-930254-10-6.
This book was published by the 6 November Consortium, a group of NGOs and development associations, as part of their combined information and development education work, with the support of the Belgian 'Coopération belge au développement'. Members of the umbrella group come from all four corners of the globe, but are all members of the 'Association des éditeurs indépendants'. They explain that books are not like other saleable goods, and should be considered a cultural exception, or even as 'essential public property', as the only vector of knowledge and culture in countries in the Southern hemisphere. This book looks at the issues surrounding printing and books in general, along with their distribution and access, and recommends a fairer book policy that pays greater attention to respecting the specific needs of different communities. (STu)
*** The EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following documents:
*** Egalité et non- discrimination: Rapport annuel 2004. DG Employment and Social Affairs, Unit D3 (B-1049 Brussels. Internet: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/employment_social/fundamental_ rights/index_fr.htm). 2004, 36 pp. ISBN 92-894-7655-9 .
As Odile Quintin points out in the preface, "the last twelve months were an essential time in the European Union's work to combat discrimination on the basis of race, ethnic group, religious and other ideas, disability, age and sexual orientation". The last twelve months witnessed the expiry of the deadline granted to EU Member States to transpose into their legislation anti-discrimination directive. Some countries have successfully done so, but others are lagging behind and are condemned by the Director General of DG Employment and Social Affairs. The first part of this report looks at the measures taken to transpose the directives by national governments and other measures in this connection. The second part describes a wide range of different activity, such as awareness raising campaigns in the workplace.
*** Construire l'Europe des peuples: l'Union européenne et la culture. DG Press and Communications (B-1049 Brussels). "L'Europe en mouvement" series. 2002, 23 pp. ISBN 92-894-3059-1.
The EU is the image of a group of different communities and cultures, each different from the others, but having arisen from exchanges and links with the surrounding cultures. Particularly through the Maastricth Treaty, the EU expressed its desire to encourage cultural exchange and the feeling of belonging to a single community, while respecting specific local customs. This document describes various facets of this multiculturalism and activity throughout Europe aiming at the promotion and opening up of different cultures. European Cultural Capitals are one part of this approach, as are projects to bridge the digital gap and put museums' works of art on the internet, supporting unemployed musicians and producing films with participants from either side of the Mediterranean.
*** Forum. Bertelsmann Stiftung (256 Carl-Bertelsmann-Strasse, D-33311 Gütersloh. Tel: (49-52) 418181160 - 418181999 - E-mail: anette.sanders@bertelsmann.de - Internet: http://www.bertelsmann-stiftung.de/verlag ). 2004, No. 3, 44 pp.
As various indicators descend into the red in Germany (like the employment indicator), Forum notes the importance of public authorities and citizens pledging to build the future. The review looks at various aspects of the labour market, from social security reforms to integration through work, the ageing population, and the fashionable concept of "corporate social responsibility". It also looks at other aspects of society, such as promoting tolerance, healthcare and education.
*** Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies. European University Institute (19 Via delle Fontanelle, I-50016 San Domenico di Fiesole. Tel.: (39-55) 46851 - Fax: 4685770 - E-mail: forinfo@iue.it - Internet: http://www.iue.it/RSCAS ). 2004, 36 pp.
The European University Institute near Florence was set up in 1976 by EU Member States for PhD level and higher academic study and research. This publication outlines the main research areas covered by the Robert Schuman Centre, such as institutions and governance, economic policy, culture and knowledge, and international relations. It also describes other activity and publications, along with practical information.
Review in brief
***Most. Slovenian Business & Research Association. Summer 2004, No.18, Brussels. This SBRA publication aims to build links between business and research communities in Slovenia and the European institutions. ***Infos Voies Navigables. Voies navigables de France. September 2004, No. 90, Béthune. A newsletters for authorities and people working in river and canal transport.