*** MICHEL BARNIER (Edited): Sortir l'Europe des idées reçues. Editions Perrin (76 rue Bonaparte, Paris 6e) pour "Nouvelle République" (Bureau B 212, Sénat, Palais du Luxembourg, 15 rue Vaugirard, F-75006 Paris. Tél.: (33-1) 42343747 - fax: 42344347 - Internet: http://www.nouvellerepublique.com ). 2005, 181 p., 6 €. ISBN 2-262-02364-6.
Michel Barnier has left only good memories behind in the European heart of Brussels. He was relatively unknown when he arrived as Commissioner for regional policy and institutional reforms in Romano' Prodi's team. This native of Savoie soon made his mark as one of the “big surprises” of the previous Commission and his ability to take on a massive work load served his commitment to Europe unfailingly and with insight. From an initial spell at the French ministry of European affairs and “national dialogue for Europe”, which he initiated in the wake of the mass warning made during the referendum on the Treaty of Maastricht, he was careful to take note of the “distance between the French people and the European project, despite the project being developed by France”. With a fast approaching event that bears the marks of something even more sensitive, Barnier uses his small book as a new initiative to target not simply received truths but something much worse, the shameful lies being emitted in some quarters! Lies which could dictate the verdict of the referendum at the end of May. Michel Barnier clearly wants to use this publication to attack the “fantastic lack of knowledge displayed by the French about European construction” (and he also observes that “without wishing to put anyone on trial, the education dispensed at school and the information available in the media has not helped to improve this situation”, which is not a fact specific to France by a long chalk. A book with a propagandist aim? On the contrary, as the current resident at the Quai d'Orsay explains, “understanding and supporting the European project cannot be right-thinking alone but a clear and worked out choice to which much more than advertising slogans are required to back it up”. This book was put together with the support of the volunteers at “Nouvelle République”, the association set up by Barnier to nourish the “ the pluralist debate on the stakes at play in French society on a European and world stage”. Its aim is to provide the factual tools that can make an educated choice and to open up a too inward-looking political culture to a political culture that is more Europe-orientated.
The book seeks to provide clear answers to simple questions that any hones person would legitimately pose but which are often the source of counter-truths or demagogic affirmations spread by those who for one reason or other do not like the Europe that has been built over the last fifty years. Is Europe democratic? The book explains how, “for fifty years, democracy is extending its borders” and very instructively illustrates the role of the European Parliament and the Council, which protect the national interests, as well as the Commission which is the driving force behind Europe's general interest. The book attacks the received ideas, for example, the Brussels bureaucracy nourishing the myth of a costly Europe. He also denounces the scapegoat made of Brussels, too often used by various politicians , “this demagogic alibi of a Europe imposing its rules” allowing these very same politicians to “escape their own responsibilities when it was them who adopted the these rules, or indeed came up with them in the first place!” Finally, just to put the icing on the cake, the book also looks at how the Constitution will really change the current situation and answers a number of questions. Will Europe one day have its own borders¸ Will Europe be left without a social dimension? Does Europe intend to kill off its social services? Is Europe witnessing the death of its own companies? Will it protect its citizens? Should it be afraid of immigration? Is it against its farmers? Is it a sanctuary or a rubbish tip? Is it moving to a junk-food culture? Is regional policy moving eastward? So many answers brought to so many questions, so much so that the demagogues will be left seething!
Michel Barnier also takes a risk in his preface of not making a lot of friends in France with his diplomatic description of the “European” complex his country suffers from. A complex, which is above all political and which takes the form of an “insufferable superiority complex” displayed by France to its partners, as well as a lack of knowledge of the valuable practices in Brussels where “we have as little need of Napoleon's armies as the Russians had of Talleyrand!” Furthermore, in this period, “the European countries less enthusiastic about Europe, clinging on to their sovereignty…are extending their tentacles throughout Brussels out of fear of suffering a bloody nose!” The ingredients for another book of the same calibre?
Michel Theys
*** PHILIPPE MOREAU DEFARGES: Constitution européenne: voter en connaissance de cause. Spécial référendum. Editions d'Organisation (1 rue Thénard, F-75240 Paris cedex 05. Internet: http://www.editions-organisation.com ). 2005, 103 pp., €5.90. ISBN 2-7081-3292-X.
A few weeks away from the French referendum on the European Constitution and in face of the current opinion polls, Philippe Moreau Defarges, already an esteemed author with his book “Comprendre la Constitution européenne” (with the same publishers), goes even further with this pamphlet, an art in which he excels - making things understood by the layman in an intelligent and honest way. Like Michel Barnier, he seeks to get to the heart of the matter, without any subterfuge, in an effort to answer questions posed by citizens (French, certainly but his answers are also valid for all Europeans), to provide them with the full picture on issues in the debate and to allow them an insight into how the institutions work. Similarly to Michel Barnier's book, this pamphlet provides a welcome contribution to European health! (MT)
*** L'Europe en formation. Les cahiers du fédéralisme. Centre international de formation européenne (10 av. des Fleurs, F-06000 Nice. Tel: (33-4) 93979397 - fax: 93979398 - E-mail: europe.formation@cife.org - Internet: http: //http://www.cife.org ). 2004, No 4, 80 pp., €11. Subscription: € 30.
This issue of the review, founded by Alexandre Marc, contains a main article on the European Constitution. Professor. Vlad Constantinesco explains that this constitutional treaty dos not deserve “the excess of indignity which the symbol of a Europe devoted simply to the market and competitive proclaims, nor the excess of honour attributed to it of an importance comparable to the constitution governing the United Sates of America…” This Robert Schuman University lecture from Strasbourg believes that the text is just another link in the “road set out in 1950 with the Schuman declaration”, which at this particular moment in history is the return of the countries of central and eastern Europe to the European fold and is “based on the method of taking a number of small steps”. Constantinesco believes that failure to ratify would result in “a loss of influence of countries like Belgium, Germany and France, which promoted the Convention” and would strengthen countries like the United Kingdom or Poland which have been more reserved, “even hostile to the enterprise of the Constitutional treaty”. Professor Renaud Dehousse appeals for a return of the institution building dear to the heart of Jean Monnet, the legitimisation of Europe, “largely tributary of its ability to illustrate its relevance on a daily basis” . For the new director of the Centre of European Studies (political science, University of Paris), the current difficulties perceptible in France are “in large part due to the result of the Constitutional gaols contained within the project”, namely the constitutionalisation of provisions on existing policies, which creates a “fallacious impression of newness”. The dossier contains an analysis and assessment (in English) of the last Intergovernmental Conference by Danish University lecturer Finn Laursen.
(MT)
*** SEAN VAN RAEPENBUSCH: Droit institutionnel de l'Union européenne. De Boeck & Larcier (39 rue des Minimes, B-1000 Brussels. Diffusion: Accès+, 4 Fond Jean-Pâques, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve. Tel: (32-10) 482500 - fax: 482519 - E-mail: acces+cde@deboeck.be). "Collection de la Faculté de droit de l'Université de Liège". 2005, 757 pp. €78. ISBN 2-8044-1663-1.
Currently a public auditor at the European Court of Justice, Sean Van Raepenbusch's book (in its fourth edition) looks at the notes from the courses on institutional law of the European Union as taught at the Faculty of Law at the University of Liège. He reviews some of the great classics (competencies, how it works, how the Institutions are made up, sources of Union law, relationship between Union law and national laws, disputes etc.). The author highlights the basic concepts, the foundations and institutional balance of a multinational legal system currently being built and in which the national dimension has to be preserved. It also looks at European integration, its historical context and its prospects for growth, particularly those opened by the European Commission if it is ratified. Particular attention is paid to jurisdictional control of the Union and Member States. (PBo)
*** WERNER WEIDENFELD, WOLFGANG WESSELS (Editors): Jahrbuch der Europäischen Integration 2003/2004. Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft (Postfach 100310, D-76484 Baden-Baden. Tel: (49-7221) 2104-37,-38,-45 - fax: 2104-43 - E-mail: vertrieb@nomos.de - Internet: http: //http://www.nomos.de ). 2004, 524 pp., €49. ISBN 3-8329-0968-0.
The Jahrbuch of European integration, edited by two renown German political scientists - Werner Weidenfeld, from the University of Munich (Centre CAP), and Wolfgang Wessels, Jean Monnet Professor at the University of Cologne -, has been published for the first time by this prestigious publishing house, Nomos de Baden-Baden (which takes over from 'Europa Union Verlag in Bonn). It is the result of an annual political report on the state of the Union in all its dimensions. This publication since the 1980s has been a genuine classic in academic literature on European integration. More than seventy academics, researchers, lecturers, researches, officials and other practitioners from Germany and Brussels have contributed to 80 articles, each of them providing their expertise in their given area.
It is especially the logical and practical conception of this very comprehensive reference tool, which explains the success and positive welcome it gets from researchers, journalists and practitioners. It begins with a balance sheet of European integration in 2003/04 extended by an academic research insight and development of the Constitutional Treaty. The eight main themes are then presented in a variety of specialised contributions focusing on the current political scene: developments in the Union institutions, Community policies, external relations and Union foreign policy, political infrastructure, European policy in the EU25, enlargement and candidate countries, as well as European policy in other international organisations. It contains some useful annexes, thematic bibliographies that are concise and updated, a general chronology, as well as a long list containing comments and themes of internet sites on European integration categories by subject, which complete this indispensable tool for all those searching for documents and up to date analyses that are both targeted and comprehensible on the major European themes. (PB)
*** TOM SPENCER (Editor): Everything Flows. Essays on Public Affairs and Change. Landmark publishing (402 av. de Tervuren, B-1150 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 7799549 - fax: 7799563 - E-mail: info@landmarks-publishing.com - Internet: http://www.landmarks-publishing.com ). 2005, 182 pp, € 28 (Belgium), €30.50 (Union) or € 32 (outside the Union). ISBN 90-74373-19-4
After having left the European Parliament in 1999 and having sat through three terms (including one where MEPs were elected by universal al suffrage), Tom Spencer, a founder of the European Centre for Public Affairs, has discovered a passion for writing. Following the publication of fifteen essays in then book "Public Affairs and Power: Essays in a Time of Fear", he has written this book containing other prestigious contributions. The twenty nine contributions are covered in five chapters. The first focuses on the future of lobbying in Europe which is undergoing "a torrent of changes". Changes undergone by the European institutions are then analysed but with particular attention to the European Parliament (with notably the construction undergone under Secretary General, Julian Priestly) and a contribution by Richard Corbett on the Constitution. The challenges facing Union enlargement are then studied, Tom Spencer provides a comprehensive insight into, "reasons why we should have the courage to say no to Turkey ". The two final sections focus on relations with the USA and certain political themes, which like environmental issues, are likely to remain priorities in the different political agendas. (PBo)
*** Bibliographie Parlement européen - European Parliament Bibliography. 1970-2003. European Parliament (Directorate General - Studies, B-1047 Brussels. Official Publications Office publications. Internet: http: //http://www.europarl.eu.int ). ISBN 92-823-1717-X.
This CD-ROM contains references from bibliographies for all publications involving the European Parliament and its activities over the period 1970-2003. Only monographs and articles from review of a minimum of three pages are examined. The internal publications of the Community institutions, articles from newspapers and brochures have been left out. The bibliography is divided into nine sections: general themes, powers, members, procedures and rules, sessions and activities, direct elections, headquarters groups and political parties, relations with the other institutions. This is a valuable instrument because (its contents are also available in hard copy and on-line) it contains a simple data base that facilitates research from files on the 1990-2003 period by applying a certain number of criteria. The results of the research can be save on a PDF file. (MT)
*** EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following document:
*** How the European Union Works? Guide to the European Institutions for the use of Citizens. DG press and communication. "European Documentation” series. 2003, 46 pp., ISBN 92-894-5284-6.
This guide provides a summary of around forty pages on how the European institutions work in their broadest sense. It opens with a general presentation on the objectives and accomplishments of the Union, the main treaties and the general way in which the Union works. There are then descriptions of Parliament, the Commission and Council. The document also explains why the Court of Justice was set up and how it works, as well as the Court of Auditors, European Central Bank, Economic and Social Committee, European Investment Bank and the European Ombudsman. It also looks at the role of the decentralised agencies.
*** Revue du marché commun et de l'Union européenne. Editions techniques et économiques (3 rue Soufflot, F-75005 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 55426131 - fax: 55426139- E-mail: editecom@starnet.fr - Internet: http: //http://www.editecom.com ). March 2005, No. 486, 80 pp., subscription: 202 euros.
Some contributions to this issue focus on Europe's geographical limits and certain facets of its relationship with the outside world. Therefore Philippe Marchat examines Europe's borders and retraces their evolution. Will the last enlargement and those to come further distance the Union from “the European power”' as dreamt by some? What will Turkish accession mean for the Union? The author poses many questions. The following contribution draws up a picture of the relations between Greece and Turkey. These two countries have been snarling at each other for years before a marked warming up in their relationship in the second half of the 1990s. However, although a number of signs of political openness have occurred, several sensitive dossiers remain which put a brake on further improving bilateral relations. An article loos at the Common Security and Defence Policy in the constitutional treaty. Other contributions focus on the future of the Union in Eastern Europe, reactions from economic operators facing anti-fraud inspections and making e-commerce safer.
***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 - Courriel: christiane.weeda@misha.u-strasbg.fr). July -December 2004, No. 3/4, 215 pp. 16 euros. Subscription: 56 euros.
This review is divided into two parts. The first focuses on economic relations between Germany and central European countries, particularly after enlargement. Enlargement reinforced economic integration between these countries and Germany and did not constitute any real upset but rather the consolidation of a phenomenon of renewal dating back to the fall of the Berlin Wall. The study also focuses on trade flows, energy and industrial issues. The second part brings together subject with historical and cultural connotations. These articles focus on the situation of German prisoners of war in France at the end of the Second World War, the impact of 20th century conflicts on the iconography of the warrior. It also posed the question of a draft Franco-German historical manual.
*** Rapport 2004 -Tome 1: Evolution économique et financière. Banque Nationale de Belgique (14 bld de Berlaimont, BE-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2212241 - fax: 2213091 - Email: philippe.quintin@nbb.be - Internet: http://www.nbb.be ). February 2005, volume 1, 204 pp..
The report opens with an overall view of the international environment (world economy has registered record growth over the last three decades at around 5%), as well as the main economic actors. It underlines, in this context, the importance of reabsorbing balances such as the US trade deficit. The import looks at the Eurosystem monetary system. It also provides a table of production, spending and current operations, and the labour market and wage costs, as swell as prices in Belgium. It presents the state of public finances, the accounts and financial markets, as well as financial stability.
Reviews in brief
***Monthly Bulletin -February. European Central Bank. 2005, Frankfurt am Main. This report looks at the economic and monetary situation in the euro zone. It also reviews the external environment, the financial situation and price levels etc.