*** GERARD BOSSUAT: Faire l'Europe sans défaire la France. 60 ans de politique d'unité européenne des gouvernements et des présidents de la République française (1943-2003). Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. e-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.net ). "Euroclio" series, No. 30. 2005, 630 pp. ISBN 90-5201-249-0.
The title of this book is the slogan used by French prime minister Pierre Bérégovoy in April 1992 ahead of the French referendum on the Maastricht Treaty. Did the French prime minister under President François Mitterrand realise that the slogan had been invented in March 1953 (under the 'Fifth Republic') by Christian Democrat Georges Bidault? This little anecdote illustrates the meticulous approach taken by the author of this remarkable book, putting the existing tensions in France (that will always exist) between motherland, nation and European government, into perspective, and explaining why they persist. The story of this tension can be read in six hundred pages providing, for the first time, a summary of French policy with regard to the European project, piecing together changes in the European project in the light of French ambition, hesitation and rejection.
Professor of modern history at the University of Cergy-Pontoise in France, Gérard Bossuat starts the book in the French colony of Algeria in 1942-43, with the French National Liberation Committee and inthe presence of de Gaulle and Monnet, describing it as a time of tangible anticipation, leaving behind the epoch of impossible dreams. A few months later, in September 1945, Jean Monnet appointed a 'Coal Dictator' to draw up a coordinated plan to increase coal production in Germany. Surely this idea was the forerunner of the 9 May 1950 Schuman Plan? The Schuman Plan became a reality, but was the work of a sharpshooter and didn't even express the dominant European ideas of French politicians. The failure of the European Defence Community at the French national assembly would soon demonstrate this in no uncertain fashion. Gérard Bossuat goes on to explain the commitment of the 'Fourth Republic' (1955-1958) to the Rome Treaties, through prime minister Guy Mollet, for example, whose head of cabinet was… Emile Noël. But in a way, this is failing to see the wood for the trees, since the idea of a Common Market came in for sharp criticism in France, including from Monnet himself. It was the Suez Canal debacle that changed things. It is actually public opinion that has rallied to the Common Market as a way of giving France some independence from the United States, commented Christian Pineau (not the government). Then followed the time of General de Gaulle's European Europe. De Gaulle is described as a man who carried political will for Europe, wanting it to be independent of the United States, also revealing long-standing suspicions going as far back as the French Revolution and Napoleon. Jean Monnet bitterly remarked that General de Gaulle would not suggest learning the lessons of the past, suggesting instead that it be relived. It was, however, de Gaulle who, at a 1967 press conference, made a speech that strangely still resonates forty years on, describing the UK joining the EU as meaning the six Member States of the time would have to sign up in advance to tricks, stratagems, delays and deceptions to try to conceal the destruction of a project that has been constructed with such hard work amidst so much hope…. But then Georges Pompidou hailed in an epoch of pragmatic Europe, opening up to the UK. The new President, however, got his partners to agree that before opening accession negotiations, they would agree on a common position whereby candidate countries had to accept EU legislation when treaties come into force, along with plans for the future decided at The Hague Summit of December 1969, namely to conclude the European project and extend it. The author then explains the 'confederal' Europe of Valery Giscard d'Estaing (whom he describes as a functionalist and pseudo-federalist), the 'model' Europe of François Mitterrand (the only French head of state to have agreed to construct the European myth by having Jean Monnet admitted to the Pantheon of notable French men) and the European Federation of Nation States described as being desired by Jacques Chirac (really?).
These sixty pages, according to Prof. Gérard Bossuat, reveal that the French government's policies on the European project are characterised to some extent by three factors, namely security, status and an ideal, with the factor that is flavour of the month depending on the era and the politicians in power. The author writes that it is clear that the ideal of European unity such as motivates various individuals supporting Community or federalist ideology is not at the centre of French political leaders' preoccupations. This is not a revelation, but rather a confirmation that is given full weight because formulated by a scientist who, in his concluding remarks, comments that the French have no choice but to become European if they are to inherit their grand past. Gérard Bossuat's strong point is that he brings these contradictions to life, these spurts of European enthusiasm and French resistance to it through the words of stakeholders and witnesses, in no less than one hundred archive documents, eye-witness accounts, speeches, personal letters and press articles. Last but not least, there is an interview with André Chandernagor, former European Minister under President François Mitterrand:
'The day before my first European Council of Ministers meeting, France's Permanent Representative, Mr de la Barre de Nanteuil, brought me the files and said: "This is how we vote on this issue.' It was the delegation that prepared everything. I heard him out and then said: "That's very interesting, but you will see tomorrow how I will actually vote, and from now on, things are going to be different round here. I will be telling you what position we'll be taking on each of the dossiers. It that clear?" de la Barre de Nanteuil was astonished the next day when the European passport was discussed in an umpteenth round the table discussion. I gave France's agreement (France had opposed the issue until then). Then attention turned to the United Kingdom: "You had reservations too…" The Englishman stuttered: "I'm not sure why exactly, but if France agrees, I don't see why I should disagree"…
Michel Theys
*** MICHEL DUMOULIN, IDESBALD GODDEERIS (Eds.): Intégration ou représentation? - Integration or representation ? Les exilés polonais en Belgique et la construction européenne - Polish Exiles in Belgium and the European Construction. Bruylant-Academia (29 Grand-Place, B-1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium). 2005, 240 pp. ISBN 2-87209-754-6.
Following on from a scientific conference organised by Belgian universities 'Université catholique de Louvain' and 'Université catholique de Leuven' when Poland joined the EU (May 2004), this book looks at Polish exiles in Belgium and their support for the European project during the Cold War. Following an overview of research into Belgo-Polish relations in the twentieth century, the authors (mainly historians) explain the work of four leading figures: firstly, Stefan Glaser, the last Polish ambassador to Belgium under the Second Polish Republic in exile (who went on to represent Poland in private international bodies like the New International Teams and the European Movement); secondly, Jan Kulakowski, who worked for the International Christian Trade Union Confederation, where he was responsible for European affairs for decades; thirdly, Jerzy Lukaszewski, Rector of the College of Europe in Bruges (Belgium) for twenty years; fourthly, Leopold Unger, a journalist writing on European Union affairs in the most influential Polish émigré publication, Kultura. The theory that the strategy of Polish exiles in their country of adoption was more successful than that of exiles who remained mentally attached to the homeland and Poland's old (pre-Communist) political structures is then examined in detail by several renowned Polish historians.
(MT)
*** GYULA CSURGAI: La nation et ses territoires en Europe centrale. Une approche géopolitique. Peter Lang (32 Hochfeldstrasse, Postfach 746, CH-3000 Bern 9. E-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.net ). "Histoire et sciences auxiliaires" series, No. 965. 2005, 272 pp. ISBN 3-03910-086-6.
Western Europeans tend to know very little about central Europe, whether in terms of its history, geography or culture. Gyula Csurgai, who has dual Hungarian and Canadian citizenship (and lives in Switzerland), has written a book providing readers with plenty of information about central Europe and tools to understand the universal reality of the connection between the concept of nation and territory. Studying the notions of nation and territory (taking each separately) is interesting in its own right. The author looks at central Europe moving from a feudal idea of nation inherited from the Hapsburg and Ottoman Empires to the smaller nationalism of Western Europe. He explains the mechanisms that bring groups to feel they mentally represent areas of geographical space, and that these are their territory. But the utility of the book is more the way the two themes mesh. The countries and ethnicities of central Europe, often very isolated from other groups, are scattered across states which do not match their geographical location, providing excellent illustrations of the domestic and foreign geopolitical impact of friction and mismatch among territory and nation. Several chapters cover a case study of the Hungarian minority in Vojvodina in Northern Serbia, and the book also looks at issues like ethnic minorities, the right of self-determination and the survival of the idea of nation states. The author does not simply analyse cause and effect, but also outlines potential solutions to the question of ethnic minorities in central Europe, although he admits himself that the solutions he puts forward may seem unrealistic or even utopian on first sight. The book helps readers understand why Yugoslavia fell apart, but also raises the question of rising regional power and the weakening of nation states within the European Union.
(FRo)
*** PEDRO ÁLVARES: Uma Sebenta Europeia. Roteiro da Europa do Futuro. Editions INA (Instituto Nacional de Administração, Palácio dos Marqueses de Pombal, 2784-540 Oeiras, Portugal. Tel: (351-21) 4465339 - Fax: 4465368 - E-mail: edicoes@ina.pt - Internet: http://www.ina.pt ). "INA Instituto Nacional de Administração" series. 2005, 504 pp. ISBN 972-9222-35-5.
As information about EU policies in Portugal is not centralised, the author of this book decided to create a 'textbook' of EU information. Divided into five parts, the book explains and analyses articles of the various Treaties and changes from one Treaty to the next. Targetted at people studying the European Union, the book outlines the history of EU policies, explaining why they were set up, how they work and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Issues like farming, economic and monetary policy, citizenship in the EU, enlargement and the draft Constitutional Treaty are considered in an interesting book for European Affairs students looking for a compendium of EU treaties.
(NDu)
*** PIERRE PIGNOT: Europe, utopie ou réalite? L'Harmattan (5-7 rue de l'Ecole-Polytechnique, F-75005 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40467920 - Fax: 43258203 - E-mail: diffusion.harmattan@wanadoo.fr - Internet: http: //http://www.editions-harmattan.fr ). "Biologie, Ecologie, Agronomie" series. 2005, 164 pp, €15. ISBN 2-7475-8699-5.
On the back cover, Pierre Pignot is described as an enlightened observer of European politics. Starting on the thirty-fourth page, he reveals that he set up 35 advisory committees under the Delors Commission representing all stakeholders in the agri-food industry concerned by European legislation. Readers could be forgiven therefore for considering the author an expert when it comes to the development of the European project, the impact of the Constitution and Europe's place in tomorrow's world. Enlightened readers will already be aware that the series of enlargements whereby the European Community grew from six to nine, then ten and … thirteen countries (what phantom country joined at the same time as Spain and Portugal?) and the Convention was set up by the heads of state at their European Council at Laeken (Brussels), 'under the French Presidency'! Such information hardly inspires one to read much further except that later on, Ferdinando Riccardi, columnist at Agence Europe, is described as writing about an article in The Times about Peter Hain, demonstrating at least that the author has an excellent reading list, but unfortunately he also cultivates a rather vague attitude to basic facts and format, to the extent of putting off any unenlightened readers!
(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 ). 2005, No. 3, 78 pp, €11. Annual subscription: €30.
This issue of a magazine established by Alexandre Marc opens with an editorial stating that supporters of a yes vote in the recent referendums must now manage the victory of the no vote, but this should not remain work in progress for much time to come. Academic Catherine Guisan writes on democracy in Europe and the United States, while Stéphan Lipiansky summarises current thinking on the socially guaranteed minimum income mooted by Alexandre Marc. There are reviews of two important books - "Faire l'Europe sans défaire la France" (see first book in this review) and "Le rêve européen" by US author Jeremy Rifkin.
(PBo)
*** The EUROPEAN COMMISSION (Official Publications Office of the European Communities, L-2985 Luxembourg. Internet: http: //publications.eu.int) has published the following document:
*** Inforegio Panorama. DG Regional Policy, Unit 01- "Information and Communications" (41 av. de Tervuren, B-1040 Brussels. Fax: (32-2) 2966003 - E-mail: regio-info@cec.eu.int - Internet: http: //europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/regional_policy/index_fr.htm). September 2005, No. 17, 28 pp.
Most of this issue is given over to cooperation, and more specifically regional cooperation. There is a special section on the Interreg programme to boost cross-border, trans-national and inter-regional cooperation. Articles explain how cooperation programmes like Interreg and Phare-CBC have provided huge help to regions in terms of developing and adapting to change, although there is room for improvement in terms of the choice of projects, reducing red tape and the use of funding over time. Moreover, many regions of Europe benefit from these programmes, although attention focusses on the new Member States and border regions. All the same, all the EU benefits from the impact and experience of these projects. The dossier includes eye witness accounts from various countries and brief case studies.
*** 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 ). September 2005, No. 491, 66 pp. Annual subscription: €202.
One of the articles in this issue is connected with the publication described above because it deals with the mushrooming of inter-regional cooperation in order to achieve territorial cohesion. The review opens with an article by Anne Montagnon from Directorate General for the Budget at the European Commission, arguing the case for rapid agreement on the Financial Perspectives for 2007-2013, to avoid the EU grinding to a halt in several areas. Another article looks at the battle in business and court between the two airline giants Airbus and Boeing on EU loans to Airbus. Other areas covered include how the European Court of Auditors works (often accused of lack of transparency and legitimacy, with different Member States being treated unfairly) and reform of social security in the EU under the Lisbon Strategy.
*** Biblioteca della libertà. Centro di Ricerca e Documentazione "Luigi Einaudi" (Edizioni Angelo Guerini e Associati, 28 viale Filippetti. I-20122 Milan. Tel: (39-2) 582980 - Fax: 58298030 - E-mail: info@guerini.it - Internet: http://www.guerini.it ). July-September 2005, No. 180, 138 pp. Annual subscription: €56.
Much of this issue is given over to ethics in trade and business, whether in terms of company behaviour, legislation, finance or the global system. The Luigi Einaudi Centre's review has commissioned various Italian figureheads, like former European Commissioner Mario Monti, to talk of ethics in an area he knows so well - competition. Other authors look at European affairs, the free market ideal where the UK opposes the rest of Europe, and the cultural, sociological and geopolitical differences between the United States and France, the latter described as championing the common Latin legal system.
*** Benelux Newsletter. Union économique Benelux - Secrétariat général (39 rue de la Régence, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5193811 - Fax: 5134206 - E-mail: info@benelux.be - Internet: http://www.benelux.be ). 3rd quarter 2005, No. 3, 32 pp.
Secretary General Hennekam opens this newsletter with discussion of the breakdown of negotiations on the EU's budget, pointing out that when things are going well with the EU, things go well for Benelux too. There is then an interview of Ivan Vergoustraete, President of the Benelux Court of Justice, a largely unknown body added almost as an afterthought to ensure, in collaboration with national judges, that common legal rules are applied to the three Benelux countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands). Other articles look at current events in Benelux, like the first seminar of liaison officers (police officers working in another Benelux country to ensure cooperation between the different police forces) and a seminar to share experience among the three Benelux countries in terms of managing the environment and reporting on plenary sessions.