*** THIJS F. M. ETTY, HAN SOMSEN (Eds.): The Yearbook of European Environmental Law. Volume 5. Oxford University Press (Saxon Way West Corby, Northants, NN 18 9ES, UK. Tel: (44-1536) 741017 - Fax: 741894 - Internet: http://www.oup.com ). September 2005, 576 pp, £125. ISBN 0-19-927878-4.
Environmental protection is one of the fields in which the European Union is the most active in terms of legislation, providing definite value-added for Member States. But the very scale of this legislation, the way it interacts with several other fields (like industry, competition and consumer protection), its dynamic nature and constant state of flux means that it can be difficult to monitor changes. This book aims to remedy this. As its name indicates, it is a yearbook of EU environmental law, but it is far more than a simple listing of environment law and commentary. As its chief editor, Thijs F.M. Etty, researcher at Amsterdam University's Centre for Environmental Law explains, the book mirrors some of the most important recent events in the European Union in general, and its environmental policy in particular during the past year. Selecting the most important events and environment policies is a relatively subjective act, of course, but this does not weaken the book's impact because the factors considered the most important are analysed in depth in the 'Articles' section, without ignoring others (found in the "Current Surveys" section). While the draft REACH legislation does not have its own chapter, for example, it can be found in the "Legislation in Progress" section under "Chemicals" in the "Current Surveys" section. Moreover, this section is not just a simple listing of legal texts and rulings, but a well-connected and analysed unit.
Volume 5 of The Yearbook of European Environmental Law was published in 2005, when the big event selected to kick off the "Articles" section was, of course, the 2004 enlargement of the European Union that brought together countries of Western Europe, many of which had been members of the EU for many a long year, and countries of central and Eastern Europe, many affected by decades of often very different practices and habits in terms of environmental legislation and other areas. Stephen Stec's article on environmental law in the new Member States reveals how and why the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe's Convention on accessing information, public participation in decision-making and access to the justice system on environmental issues (aka as the Aarhus Convention) has been so hugely successful in countries in the former Soviet bloc, for which the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station can be 'called the 'second shot heard round the world,' from the ship Aurora… that started the Russian Revolution'. The Chernobyl disaster revealed the failings of the system and encouraged people in Eastern Europe to call for accurate information about the environment. The following three chapters are connected with the Aarhus Convention, dealing respectively with public access to the EU's environment documentations, access to the legal system at national level for environmental issues, and the restrictive application of the Council of Europe's Human Rights Convention by the same courts in the UK which cover environmental cases (the authors slam the UK's conservative position and call for the establishment of a special court to hear such cases). The other articles in this section look at the ambitious EU carbon trading system, the directive banning the use of certain chemicals in electronic appliances (similar to REACH in some ways) and the Birds and Habitats Directives and the obligations they impose on Member States.
Along with all this, there is a section reviewing books and other documents (Commission reports, for example) on the same issue. An index, tables of various court rulings and legislative references held readers find their way round the book, the fruit of commendable work by the authors on an issue close to many Europeans' hearts.
Frederik Ronse
*** WALTER LEAL FILHO (Ed.): Handbook of Sustainability Research. Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Fax: (41-32) 3761727 - E-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.de ). "Environmental Education, Communication and Sustainability - Umweltbildung, Umweltkommunikation und Nachhaltigkeit". 2005, No. 20, 753 pp. ISBN 3-631-52606-7.
The concept of sustainability, in the sense of 'sustainable development', has itself become a field of scientific research at the crossroads of various disciplines, like ecology, economics and sociology. Like any new field of research, however, its borders are rather vague, as is the appropriate methodology. This book aims to help people working with the concept of sustainability to get a better idea of its characteristics and what is becoming current practice in its research. To this end, it looks at a wide range of research. Some studies could be described as work in the field, in the sense that they look at the current situation or concrete, tangible action (like research into the sustainable use of soil, more rational and environmentally friendly use of packaging and setting up 'sustainable' transport systems). Other articles focus more on the study of the concept of sustainability itself, like research into the importance of games and sport in nature as a form of environmental socialisation, the theoretical framework for measuring the sustainability capacity of modes of governance, and obstacles to integrating sustainability into the decision-making process. Alongside the intrinsic interest of each of the articles, taken as a whole, the whole range of varied subject matter provides useful indications about the form being taken by this new scientific discipline.
(FRo)
*** DANIEL GARRIGUE: Système Reach: contrôle des substances chimiques et compétitivité. Délégation pour l'Union européenne de l'Assemblée nationale (Boutique de l'Assemblée nationale, 4 rue Aristide Briand, F-75007 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 40636121 - Internet: http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr ). "Documents d'information", No. 2549. October 2005, 82 pp, €3-50. ISBN 2-11-119422-0.
The word REACH is now on everyone's lips, the acronym for the EU's recently adopted "Registration, Evaluation, and Authorisation of Chemicals" directive. It has been the subject of gallons of ink and been the subject of many battles between defenders of the environment and human health on the one hand, and industry representatives on the other. The stakes are high - testing, registering and authorising the 30,000 chemicals produced in volumes of more than one tonne each year will enable many dangers to be avoided, but at a cost. What balance should be struck? What are the ins and outs of the issue? This newsletter by a French parliamentarian provides enough information to allow readers to get a fair idea of the substance of the directive, the views of the main stakeholders in the debate, and how the latter influenced the legislation. This information will help readers gauge the end result.
(FRo)
*** URSULA TRIEBSWETTER: The Impact of Environmental Regulation on Competitiveness in the German Manufacturing Industry. A Comparison with Other Countries of the European Union. Peter Lang (see above). "European University Studies - Europäische Hochschulschriften - Publications Universitaires Européennes", No. 3090. 2004, 433 pp. ISBN 3-631-52962-7.
This book is the extension of a thesis by a young German economics student at Queen's University in Belfast, looking at whether Germany's environment legislation (more restrictive than the average legislation in other EU Member States) has had a negative impact on the competitiveness of German manufacturing industry. To this end, the author compares the different segments of German manufacturing industry, from food to cement, with the same industries in Ireland, the UK and Spain, three countries with some of the least restrictive environmental protection laws. Rather unexpectedly, her research shows that German companies are not handicapped by the stricter legislation but on the contrary are strengthened through, for example, greater innovation.
(NDu)
*** HARTMUT HIRSCH-KREINSEN, DAVID JACOBSON, STAFFAN LAESTADIUS (Eds.): Low-tech Innovation in the Knowledge Economy. Peter Lang (see above). 2005, 332 pp. ISBN 0-8204-7700-1.
This book is a collection of academic articles and research on traditional industries against the backdrop of the changing socio-economic climate and the knowledge economy. The authors take a detailed look at the advantages and disadvantages of traditional industry and high technology, going on to assess the current trend to encourage high tech solutions both for society in general and in terms of aid and investment for research and development. The first chapter highlights the lack of relevance of policies dedicated to boost innovation not based on R&D. The book also highlights unfair treatment with regard to R&D funding of companies in the same industrial area and the same country, according to whether they are part of traditional, semi-traditional or high tech industry. On the other hand, the authors point out that policies to support innovation in traditional industry, at the local, regional, national and European level, provide genuinely positive aid that is often of great importance. The book points out that the fundamental issue of recruitment poses serious challenges to traditional industry in terms of lack of systematic training and image problems. The authors conclude by noting a combination of shortcomings and lack of understanding of current policy. In order to improve the situation, they therefore suggest beefing up publicity and the circulation of information within companies, particularly in the new Member States.
(JPe)
*** MATTIA MELLONI: The principle of national treatment in the GATT. A survey of the jurisprudence, practice and policy. Etablissements Bruylant (67 rue de la Régence, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5129842 - Fax: 5119477 - Internet: http: //http://www.bruylant.be ). 2005, 253 pp, €60. ISBN 2-8027-2103-8.
Written by a lawyer specialising in international trade law and European law, who lectures at Bocconi University in Milan, this book takes an in-depth look at how the principle of national treatment has been used by GATT and is being used today by the relevant bodies of the World Trade Organisation. In his well marshalled and laid out legal analysis, Mattia Melloni sheds light on the gap that still often prevails between how the principle is interpreted and economic reality on the ground. Based on the experience of the relevant US and EU authorities, he defends the thesis that combining law and economic principles would help the WTO encourage greater transparency among its members by providing them with legal guarantees.
(LD)
*** BOBJOSEPH MATHEW: The WTO Agreements on Telecommunications. Peter Lang (see above). "Studies in Global Economic Law - Studien zum globalen Wirtschaftsrecht - Etudes en droit économique mondial", No. 6. 2003, 262 pp. ISBN 3-03910-033-5.
Under the aegis of the World Trade Organisation, seventy-two countries have made multilateral commitments, against the backdrop of growing international competition in the telecoms field, to regulate telecommunications. A lawyer specialising in IT issues, the author provides a very comprehensive analysis of this regulatory framework, measuring the mushrooming of the telecoms industry in terms of technology. He also studies the impact of WTO agreements on relevant services and the competition problems raised by the WTO agreements.
(LD)
*** HADJ SAADI: L'économie des matières premières. 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 ). "L'esprit économique" series. 2005, 362 pp, €30. ISBN 2-7475-8174-8.
International raw materials markets are often subject to price hikes of great concern to governments and consumers since they have a considerable impact on the economy in general. Unlike the majority of observers (who focus on short-term market phenomena), the author of this book, an economics lecturer and researcher at Pierre Mendès France University in Grenoble (France), demonstrates that the history of international commodity markets has been clearly marked for decades by simultaneous periods rises and falls in prices, corresponding to periods of shortage alternating with periods of over-production. The whole book studies these phenomena and looks at market regulation against the backdrop of globalisation of mechanisms and competition rules.
(LD)
*** Rapport annuel 2005. La politique de développement de la Communauté européenne et la mise en œuvre de l'aide extérieure en 2004. EuropeAide Office de coopération (41 rue de la Loi, B-1049. Fax: (32-2) 2996407 - E-mail: europeaid-info@cec.eu.int). May 2005, 159 pp. ISBN 92-894-9878-1.
The European Union is one of the biggest providers of development aid round the world. It provides 55% of public development aid in the world, providing two-thirds of non-refundable aid, to the tune of EUR 34.3 bn in 2004, explains this report. A fifth of this total, EUR 6.9 bn, was managed by the European Commission in 2004. This 2004 Annual Report (a special year for aid given the fact that the EU gained 10 new Member States) aims to provide the general public with information about the broad thrust and major EU development cooperation programmes, and how they fit into the Millennium Development Goals. The report starts by providing general information, going on to look in detail at particular regions of the world and general aid areas (like human rights, sexual equality and the like), explaining that the EU centres its policy around democracy and human security.
*** Politica Exterior. Estudios de Politica Exterior SA (6 Padilla. E-28006 Madrid. Tel: (34-91) 4312628 - Fax: 5777252 - E-mail: revista@politicaexterior.com). November - December 2005, No. 108, 172 pp, €11. Annual subscription: €93.
The main article in this issue of Politica Exterior looks at the Barcelona Process, launched ten years ago. This is particularly understandable because Spain is a lynchpin in EU relations with its Mediterranean neighbours to the south. The review looks at the 'new centrality' of the Mediterranean, with a study of Spain's role in the Barcelona Process and research into the thorny issue of immigration. Other articles look, for example, at whether nuclear cooperation between the United States and India is an obstacle to non-proliferation, and the extent to which East Asian countries could be integrated.
***Economia Exterior. Estudios de Politica Exterior SA (49 Nuñez de Balboa, E-28001 Madrid. Tel: (34-91) 4312711 - Fax: 4354027 - E-mail: suscripciones@politicaexterior.com - Internet: http//http://www.politicaexterior.com ). Autumn 2005, No. 34, 162 pp, €13. Annual subscription: €93.
Like its sister publication Politica Exterior, the main article in this issue of Economia Exterior looks at relations between the European Union and other countries bordering on the Mediterranean and Spain's role in this connection. All the other articles in this issue also cover this issue, from the economic point of view of course. Although the Barcelona Process is one of the main elements of the EU's Neighbourhood Policy, it is experiencing some problems and Arab countries tend to be suspicious of it. Despite being an element of stability, the Barcelona Strategy has not had all the expected trade repercussions in countries on the southern Mediterranean where free trade is only expanding at a slow pace, there is not enough investment and the economy tends to be rather sluggish.
*** Afkar / Ideas. Estudios de Politica Exterior SA (49 Nuñez de Balboa, E-28001 Madrid. Tel: (34-91) 4312711 - Fax: 4354027 - E-mail: suscripciones@politicaexterior.com). Summer 2005, No. 7, 120 pp. Annual subscription: €26.
The Barcelona Strategy is also considered in this issue of the Afkar/Ideas quarterly review on dialogue between Northern Africa (the 'Maghreb'), Spain and Europe, but other matters are also covered. There is an article, for example, by Nawal al Saadawi, an Egyptian writer and candidate in the recent Egyptians, on the political situation, religion and women in Egypt. This issue's dossier looks at the role and status of women in the region, and how they are represented in society.
*** Newsletter. King Baudouin Foundation (21 rue Bréderode, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5111840 - Fax: 5115221 - E-mail: info@kbs-frb.be). Summer 2005, No. 7, 120 pp. Annual subscription: €26.
This newsletter of the King Baudouin Foundation charity focuses on immigration and multicultural society in a series of short articles on, for example, how imams (Muslim priests) are trained in Europe, human trafficking, public information about immigration and tackling AIDS in Africa.