*** RICHARD CORBETT, FRANCIS JACOBS, MICHAEL SHACKLETON: The European Parliament. Sixth Edition. John Harper Publishing (27 Palace Gate Road, London N22 7BW, United Kingdom. Tel: (44-20) 88814774 - Internet: http://www.johnharperpublishing.co.uk ). 2005, 399 pp. ISBN 0-9543811-7-3.
For more than fifteen years this book has been a valuable guide to 'the only directly elected institution in the European enlarging Union', explains the President of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell in the preface to the sixth edition, trusting the book will continue to provide useful knowledge 'in this crucial period for democratisation of our enlarging Union'.
In nearly 400 pages the authors describe in detail an institution they have insider knowledge of. British Labour MEP Richard Corbett has been a Member of the European Parliament since 1996, specialising in institutional issues; Francis Jacobs heads the EP unit responsible for the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Protection Committee; and Michael Shackleton recently left his job as Head of Unit for conciliation and co-decision to head a research team on the feasibility of establishing a European Parliament television channel.
The authors recount the history of the European Parliament from the very first European elections in June 1979 onwards, an important stage in the European project foreseen in the 1951 ECSC Treaty that proved very difficult to achieve. The constant reinforcing of the European Parliament's powers, its role in institutional change in European from the 1984 Spinelli Treaty until the very active involvement of MEPs in the Convention that drafted the European Constitution, and the holding of various European elections are all examined in detail, as are changes in the EP's political groups, internal structure and functioning, including the regular squabbles about whether plenary sessions should be held in Strasbourg or Brussels (few people remember these days that Luxembourg also has a European Parliament 'hemicycle', last used back in 1986) and the ever more complex question of official languages. In this connection, the authors discuss the Parliamentary 'style', acknowledging that one of the reasons why the European Parliament is not as 'sexy' as national parliaments in the view of the media is precisely the range of languages spoken - making the debates 'far from spectacular' (although one should add that some MEPs are excellent orators, sometimes in more than one language). But when it comes to legislative or detailed budget work, he explains, MEPs play a greater role in shaping legislation than most MPs. The authors stress various special characteristics of the European Parliament, like the fact it is the most far-reaching experiment in transnational institutional systems; it forms part of a unique and historically unprecedented institutional system… with its mixture of supranational powers and intergovernmental cooperation; its very existence is controversial with politicians in some Member States having opposed its creation and further development; it is evolving quickly - it is still a 'young parliament but has developed its role and powers considerably' in the twenty-six years since the first European elections; it is obliged by the Member States to operate in three different locations rather than have a single seat; it is multilingual to a degree unknown elsewhere in Europe (only the Indian and South African Parliaments are comparable); like the United States Congress and unlike all the parliaments of the EU Member States, no government emerges directly from the European Parliament and when the EP is elected, it is not a question, therefore, of keeping or changing an executive. Looking ahead, the authors outline the obstacles it may face: a thirty-state European Union might hesitate to strengthen the role of an increasingly complex parliament with the multiplicity of languages and the logistical problems and costs that entails; the possibility that several Member States may think the integration process has gone far enough for now; and the fact the European Constitution may not be ratified. They conclude, however, that 'whatever happens next in this unique adventure, there is no doubt that the Parliament will play a significant role in it'.
Marina Gazzo
*** UTE SEIBOLD: Die Kontrolle der Europäischen Kommission durch das Europäische Parlament. Inhalt und Umfang. 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 ). "Europäische Hoschschulschriften - Publications Universitaires Européennes - European University Studies", No. 4020. 2004, 270 pp. ISBN 3-631-52818-3.
This doctoral thesis by a young German law graduate from Bonn University looks at the European Parliament's control of the European Commission. Ute Seibold first describes in detail all the political and legal ramifications of the European Parliament's control, including the inter-institutional agreements and their legal significance. Using the example of the budget discharge procedure for 1996 that led to the whole Santer Commission having to resign in 1999, the author looks at the practical politics of the European Parliament's control. Ute Seibold concludes that introducing a group of independent experts to settle inter-institutional conflicts infringed basic EU law since the European Parliament did not use the other parliamentary control instruments like a motion of non-confidence or a committee of enquiry. A detailed and well-documented analysis, if a little rigid and legalistic.
(PB)
*** 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 ). 2005, No. 2, 80 pp, €11. Annual subscription: €30.
Once again, this issue of the review founded by Alexandre Marc is studded with pearls of wisdom to stimulate the grey matter of people concerned at the very extensive and frequent ebbs and flows in the European project in recent times. Naturally enough, the quarterly dossier looks at the two failed referendums on the Constitutional Treaty. Director General of the International European Training Centre, Hartmut Marhold starts the dossier by identifying some of the underlying causes f or the 'No' votes. Making an analysis at the first degree, he pinpoints 'insufficiencies' in the Constitution itself for failing to act as a bridge between citizens and the European political system. In a similar vein, he takes a jab at 'Europe's current communications policy since the referendum campaigns showed that it was not enough to simply make publicity about Europe (a devastating statement that Ms Wallström would do well to mull over). At the second degree, the author expresses concern at failures by the politicians (are French politicians the only ones to blame?) and, importantly, suggests they must have the courage to smash the myth of 'citizen wisdom'. Finally, at the third level of analysis, he looks at other deep problems in the general evolution of society, noting how wanting to get richer and richer does not give meaning to life - especially in an economic context where politicians can no longer even provide the stop-gap measure of a meaning to life. President of the Ligue européenne de coopération économique's currency panel, Jean-Jacques Rey looks at the possible impact of the Constitutional crisis on the euro, making a strong argument in favour of the European Central Bank, describing it not an outpost of technocrats working behind closed doors, but rather as an arena for responsibly fulfilling the mandate democratically assigned to it, thereby protecting the single currency from generally immature European governance. More pragmatically, Richard Corbett suggests that to re-launch the Constitution, one should first address the political context in the EU (budget, enlargement, reform of the Common Agricultural Policy, draft services directive…) and then turn to the text. The dossier is dotted with comments from a 'disappointed federalist', Andrea Chiti-Batelli, who says it is an illusion to think one can change the EU from within since it is no more than a collection of states, almost 'based almost without exception on narrow self-interest and petty national egotism, with ever more vague supra-national characteristics'. There are also two interesting academic essays on "the legal status of Islam in the EU" and asymmetrical federalism.
(MT)
*** OLIVIER DUHAMEL: La Constitution européenne. Editions Armand Colin/Dalloz (Paris). 2005, 98 pp, €1-50. ISBN 2-2470-5845-0.
This tiny book, with its very unusual format, has been designed in such a way as to ensure everyone in France can put it in their pocket and use it to learn about the foundations of the European Union. The venture did not pay off, if one considers the outcome of the French referendum, but all the same, the novel presentation and explanation of the most innovative and important parts of the Constitution (Part III is not covered in the book for lack of space and because it simply includes and fine-tunes parts of existing treaties) by Olivier Duhamel, one of the most enlightened Members of the Convention, remains fully relevant in this period where everything is still possible.
(MT)
*** PIERRE LASCOUMES, PATRICK LE GALES (Eds.): Gouverner par les instruments. Presses de Sciences Po (44 rue du Four, F-75006 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 44393960 - Fax: 45480441 - e-mail: info@presses.sciences-po.fr - Internet: http: //http://www.sciences-po.fr/edition/ ). "Gouvernances" series. 2004, 370 pp, €29. ISBN 2-7246-0949-2.
This book is the fruit of work by researchers at the French 'Centre de recherches politiques de Sciences Po (Cevipof)' and a conference organised in common with a similar department at Oxford University, looking at "instrumentation", in other words the characteristics of public policy instruments, criteria for their selection and the effect they cause. The first part of the book contains case studies where various authors look more closely at the characteristics of various instruments and the background to their operation. The second part is made up of essays describing instruments as revealing evolutionary change. Renaud Dehousse looks at the 'Open Coordination Method', an instrument created at European level which, he explains, acts as a policy. Dehousse (who is Jean Monnet Professor at the 'Centre d'études européennes de Sciences Po') shows how this European policy meta-instrument hides technology acting as a smokescreen for political opposition by creating a semblance of consensus in areas where there is huge disagreement between nation states. The strength of the instrument, comment Pierre Lascoumes and Patrick Le Galès, "lies in its capacity to harmonise on the surface and get round opposition among nation states, both in terms of defining priorities and in terms of the objectives to be achieved". Three broad strands of conclusion arise from the book. Firstly, following through a public policy via these instruments is an effective way of identifying and understanding the dynamic of change active in it. Next, the decision of which instrument to use is never neutral since whichever technique is selected, it will create its own outcome (often going beyond expectations). Finally, analysing this kind of policy helps take a new look at relations between governments and those they govern and the question of state recomposition.
(PBo)
*** LAURIE BOUSSAGUET, SOPHIE JACQUOT, PAULINE RAVINET (Eds.): Dictionnaire des politiques publiques. Presses de Sciences Po (see above). "Références" series. 2004, 518 pp, €20. ISBN 2-7246-0948-4.
Dreamed up and edited by three young researchers at the French 'Centre de recherches politiques de Sciences Po (Cevipof)', this dictionary of public policies (the first of its type, in the French language at least) covers all key concepts, explaining their origin, development and utility, and the debate surrounding them, thereby facilitating access to public policy jargon. There are some five dozen entries with great attention paid to the description of approaches and currents in this area. A genuine user-friendly 'tool box' starts off with a general, systematic and historical presentation of concepts, analysing usage and scope, setting this against an international and theoretical backdrop and providing many concrete examples. Next there are links to other articles in the dictionary, similar and opposing concepts, simplifying surfing within the book itself. There are basic bibliographical references for those wishing to look more deeply into the subject, suggesting areas of further research and references to work published abroad, both within the articles and in the 600-item bibliography. The value of the book lies in the fact it has been written by great experts, often the very people who penned the concepts, but also by young researchers, in other words, the very people who use and expand these ideas today. The choice of the fifty authors and the fact they sign their articles themselves makes it possible for the book to integrate the most recent work and shed light on current debates in public policy.
(PBo)
*** CARSTEN GOEHRKE, SERAINA GILLY (Eds.): Transformation und historisches Erbe in den Staaten des europäischen Ostens. Peter Lang (see above). "Geist und Werk der Zeiten - Arbeiten aus dem Historischen Seminar der Universität Zürich", No. 93. 2000, 741 pp. ISBN 3-906764-34-6.
The social and political transformation of central and east European countries in the 1990s is described in this collection of academic essays. The authors of the fifteen essays are all researchers connected with Zurich University. Theoretical introductions, specialist articles on each country looked at and thematic final conclusions provide a good overview of this part of Europe and the problems it has faced in abandoning its Communist past. Unfortunately the weighty tome does not cover some events post-1998/1999, and neither does it cover certain countries (Bosnia, Croatia, Estonia, Moldova and Lithuania). It is nevertheless a useful source of information about the Soviet bloc's final years and the first years of democratic change.
(PB)
*** 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 2005, Special Issue, 44 pp.
This Special Issue looks at polar research. Because of their isolation and geophysical characteristics, both the Arctic and the Antarctic are unique research environments for disciplines like climatology, biology, meteorology and astronomy. The poles are the subject of manifold international protection treaties. The magazine paints a general picture of polar exploration, explains the importance of the polar regions for European research and describes areas of current research, like the study of global warming, and European and international missions (the North and South Pole are areas of cooperation par excellence).
*** HESA Newsletter. ETUI - REHS, Health and Safety Department (5 bd du Roi Albert II, Box 5, B-1210 Brussels. e-mail: dgregoire@etui-rehs.org - Internet: http://www.etui-rehs.org/hesa ). June 2005, No. 27, 32 pp.
Published three times a year, HESA Newsletter is the European Trade Union Institute's publication on research, education and health and safety (ETUI - REHS). This body aims to promote high health and safety standards in European workplaces, taking over from the European Trade Union Technical Bureau for Health and Safety (ETUB). This issue of the newsletter includes a special dossier on asbestos, which can have a devastating impact on health. The dangers of asbestos have been known for a long time, but it continues to kill, with much of the risk now being spread elsewhere on the planet. Other articles look at REACH, the European Commission's draft directive on control and classification of chemicals, still a battleground between lobby groups and the chemical industry and concerned consumers, workers, environmental activists.
*** European View. VZW Europese Volkspartij (67 rue d'Arlon, B-1040 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 2854140 - Fax: 2854141 - E-mail: thuhtanen@epp-eu.org - Internet: http://www.epp-eu.org/europeanview ). Spring 2005, No. 1, 115 pp.
European View is published by the European People's Party's Forum of European Studies which aims to be a platform of dialogue for decision-makers and academia on current political, economic, social and cultural issues in Europe. The articles in this issue have been written by leading lights in the EPP and heavyweights at the European College, like Messrs. Martens, Aznar, Barroso, Barrot, Borg, Dimas, Figel, Pielbags, Mmes Merkel and Reding. Pride of place in this issue goes to the Lisbon Strategy.
*** Belgique. Les éditions de l'OCDE (2 rue André-Pascal, F-75775 Paris cedex 16. E-mail: SourceOECD@oecd.org - Internet: http://www.oecd.org ). "Études économiques de l'OCDE". May 2005, No. 5, 217 pp. ISBN 92-64-00865-9.
Each volume in the "Études économiques de l'OCDE" series looks at a different country, analysing its economy in detail, detecting and pointing out shortcomings and suggesting measures the OECD believes would correct the situation. This issue looks at Belgium and provides a series of assessments, recommendations and tables of statistics. It argues that the main challenge facing Belgium is demographic ageing, which is jeopardising economic growth prospects and the public purse. The report suggests various ways of increasing employment and productivity rates.
Reviews in Brief
*** Louvain. Université catholique de Louvain Alumni et Amis de l'UCL. May 2005, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium. The UCL alumni newsletter focusses on medical research. ***The Japan Journal. The Japan Journal Ltd. May 2005, Tokyo. This issue looks at the Japanese high speed train, 'Shinkansen'. ***Focus sur la Flandre. Editions Lannoo sa. July 2005, Tielt, Belgium. Most of this issue is taken up with business matters, particularly mergers and acquisitions and town and country planning.