*** MICHEL DUMOULIN, GENEVIEVE DUCHENNE (Eds.): L'Europe inachevée. Actes de la Xe Chaire Glaverbel d'études européennes 2004-2005. Presses Interuniversitaires Européennes - Peter Lang (1 av. Maurice, B-1050 Brussels. e-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.net ). "Actes de la Chaire Glaverbel d'études européennes" series, No. 6. 2006, 414 pp. ISBN 90-5201-331-4.
As far as journalists are concerned, some books are pure torture. How are we supposed to describe them to readers in a few meagre lines without betraying the spirit and wealth of the contents? How on earth can we give some idea of a book without distorting the jewels of intelligence contained within its pages, without over-simplifying a picture painted in hues so nuanced and varied in order to convey unblinkered intelligence? Mission impossible! This is the danger we face, in any case, with this particular book, about the unfinished business of Europe, Europe inachevée. May the readers of these lines accept them for what they are - a warm, arbitrary and over-simplified invitation to take a dip into pages which will change one's way of thinking, if one is prepared to compare one's opinions with ideas which can change one's outlook and extend one's horizons. After all, whether one prefers white or brown bread, it's all grist from the mill of the intelligence …
The tone is set at the outset. In a wonderful introduction entitled "Europe une ou multiple", historian Michel Dumoulin writes about the European identity that has been at stake from 1900 to the present day. Noting that European identity cannot be seen as the same thing as national identity, Dumoulin quotes Jacques Delors, who wrote in 1990 that Europe was not a territory but rather a common consciousness whose gradual revelation, which started as implicit but is getting ever more explicit, is the identity of Europeans today. The former President of the Commission marks out the staging posts in its chronology: "European consciousness, preceded by the troubling myths of the Greeks and Phoenicians, was not born in one fell swoop. It was subject to other developments as human thought itself progressed and deepened." It could, however, be a long and winding road. Hence the invitation by Michel Dumoulin to consider, after François Perroux, Europe as not being restricted by any area and not contained by any area. Right from the start, this plunges us into the heart of the fundamental question of our time, namely the frontiers of Europe. In an enlightening essay on unfinished Europe, René Rémond notes that the construction of a united Europe is a permanent process and each step achieved makes it evident that from the beginning, incompletion is an ingredient of this great enterprise. This can be seen in terms of the powers that are constantly being increased in scope, and the institutions that have been created during this experience. It could also be seen in the territorial enlargement of the European Union in a series of stages whose chronology demonstrates the same lack of 'a priori' and a parallel dependence with regard to circumstances. However, notes the President of the French 'Fondation nationale des sciences politiques' and Member of the Académie française, "it is with regard to this third dimension of the process that the question of the completion of Europe is raised most pressingly and clearly". This is the underlying issue to the constitutional controversy, which can be considered from this viewpoint as a truth test which could characterise the end of a period of history of the European project.
After Krzysztov Pomian knowledgably demonstrates that the history of the European project can be measured in centuries or even in millennia, based on the structuring of wide cultural areas still active today, the book is divided into two sections "geographically", the Balkans and Turkey. Once again, my selection cannot claim to be exhaustive and I will limit myself to the three articles on the subject that raises so much passion right now - the case of Turkey. First of all, Liberal Democrat MEP Gérard Deprez y defends what seems to be the majority view, noting that the idea of Turkey joining the European Union raises the question, in reality, of the very existence of the European project, and this danger can be put down, he says, to the glacial universe of abstract values proclaimed in official EU. A totally different view is expressed by Prof. Robert Anciaux who in a hard-hitting assessment of the situation in Turkey, systematically refutes the arguments (geography, history, economics and culture) usually raised to oppose the idea of Turkey joining the EU, describing anti-Muslim prejudice in these terms: "A deterministic, essentialist, culturalist and, to be frank, racist vision denying by definition any possibility of a positive evolution by Muslim people because of their very nature". Anciaux, emeritus professor at the 'Université libre de Bruxelles' in Belgium, includes this sentence: "In fact, the problem is not knowing what Turkey can bring to Europe, but rather what Europe can do with what Turkey can bring it. The answer to this question lies in the capacity Europe manifests to develop a coherent political project destined to make it a major controller of the World Order and assume the responsibilities and dangers this role implies"… Which leads us, in fine, to a penetrating analysis of the relationship between the European Union and Turkey against the backdrop of the 'clash of civilisations', a Huntington concept that Thierry Van Hentenryk scientifically demolishes with gusto before making this comment in the form of an appeal: "by reversing the Huntington argument, including Turkey in the EU would make it possible to prove in practice that cultures can co-exist, that Islam is compatible with Western culture. We should therefore move in this direction, opposing the instinct to turn in ona oneself due to the fear of 'other people' that is jeopardising our values". What more can one say? Well, the fourth part of this book perhaps, looking at the 'future of the continent in terms of re-invention', which is just as rich in terms of food for thought and even food for meditation as the other parts of this considerable book. Most urgent reading matter!
Michel Theys
*** ERWAN LANNON, JOEL LEBULLENGER (Eds.): Les défis d'une adhésion de la Turquie à l'Union européenne. Etablissements Bruylant (67 rue de la Régence, B-1000 Brussels. Tel: (32-2) 5129842 - Fax: 5119477 - Internet: http://www.bruylant.be ). "Rencontres européennes" series. 2006, 349 pp. ISBN 2-8027-2171-2.
The result of long collaboration between the 'Centre de recherches européennes' at Rennes University in France and Ghent University's European Institute in Belgium, this multi-disciplinary tome looks at law, economics and political science in order to dissect academically (meaning in manner some may judge to be highly austere but always with a keen concern for precision and maximum reliability) the issues raised by Turkey's request to join the European Union and the potential impact of whichever way it goes, whether Turkey is allowed to join or not. The first part of this book looks at the geopolitical, political and institutional challenges of Turkey joining the EU. Catherine Flaesch-Mougin tries to measure the institutional impact of Turkey joining the EU, along with the impact of a 'proximity partnership', while Erwan Lannon looks at the impact that Turkey's accession (or another type of partnership) would have on the relations the EU maintains with its neighbours, given the special geopolitical nature of Turkey. In this connection, this professor at Ghent University and the College of Europe at Natolin argues that there are good reasons, likely energy, to answer people raising the spectre of an EU bordering on unstable zones, that it would be just as dangerous to let a third country control the transit of a big proportion of the EU's energy supplies. Erwan Lannon goes on to stress that the main problem today is without doubt the lack of vision of European leaders, whom he invites to return to the EU's founding documents, like the Schuman Declaration, and recall that "the European project was built in an inclusive manner and its raison d'etre is the preserve peace in Europe”. The first part of the book is studded with essays on Turkey's alignment with EU law in terms of controlling immigration and combatting drugs. The second part of the book looks at 'human and social challenges' and opens with a very instructive explanation by Claire Visier of 'Turkish points of view about the EU', while Deniz Akagül provides answers to the question of whether the ingredients of Turkey and European citizenship are compatible with each other. The last essay looks at the huge question of economic and trade challenges, and is not the least interesting essay in this very comprehensive book, with conclusions by Prof. Constantin Stefanou, former Member of the Convention on the Future of Europe.
(MT)
*** Politica Exterior. Estudios de Politica Exterior SA (49 Núñez de Balboa, E-28001 Madrid. Tel: (34-91) 4312711 - Fax: 4354027 - E-mail: suscriptiones@politicaexterior.com - Internet: http//http://www.politicaexterior.com ). 2006, No. 112, 192 pp, €11-50. Annual subscription: €97.
The articles in this issue include a two-dozen page study of various scenarios of how the business and political world might react to the coming lack of oil in the world, considering the European Union's vulnerability. Other articles look at immigration and the relations between China and India.
(FRo)
*** HELENE RUIZ FABRI, JEAN-MARC SOREL (Eds.): La saisine des juridictions internationales. Editions A. Pedone (13 rue Soufflot, F-75005 Paris). "Contentieux international" series. 2006, 319 pp, €24. ISBN 2-233-00489-2.
The result of a study day on international disputes organised in Paris, this book allows eminent lawyers to get their teeth into what looks like a technical subject, namely how cases are sent to international courts. Various courts are reviewed in turn, namely the International Court of Justice, the International Sea Law Tribunal, the World Trade Organisation's dispute settlement body, the European Court of Justice and the European Court of First Instance, the European Court of Human Rights and international criminal courts. The comparison reveals that the apparently technical process of sending a case to court is genuinely indicative of the actual design of legal systems and their degree of transparency. (MT)
*** Les compétences de l'Etat en droit international. Editions A. Pedone (see above). "Société française pour le droit international" series. 2006, 320 pp, €45. ISBN 2-233-00493-0.
This book publishes the proceedings of the 39th conference of the French International Law Society, organised in June last year at the Law and Political Science Faculty of Rennes University, focussing on states' powers in international law. The book starts by examining the variety of meanings of the term 'powers' or 'competences' throughout the history of international law, from the angle of legal theory, private international law, EU law and international law. The participants go on to study the foundations of power, whose nature is as hotly disputed in terms of doctrine as its legitimacy, scope and effectiveness are in practice. Finally, the participants study international rules on the exercise of power by states. In conclusion, Prof. Combacau sketches out a general theory of powers based on the ideas outlined. (PBo)
*** SWIAD NIKOLEISCHWILI: Die Transformation der Außenhandelspolitik in den postsozialistischen Staaten Osteuropas am Beispiel Georgiens. Peter Lang (1 Moosstrasse, Postfach 350, CH-2542 Pieterlen. Tel: (41-32) 3761717 - Fax: 3761727 - E-mail: info@peterlang.com - Internet: http://www.peterlang.de ). "Europäische Hochschulschriften - Publications Universitaires Européennes - European University Studies", No. 3145. 2005, 276 pp. ISBN 3-631-54173-2.
At the end of the 1980s, transformation policy became the thread that ran throughout all research in economic science and since then, the countries of Eastern Europe have tried with greater or lesser ease to implement transition and move from a state-run to market economy system. The in-depth transformation of the foreign trade system played an important role in this remodelling process. In this context, particular importance was attached to the concepts of timing and sequencing of the different stages of reform, and the relationship between foreign trade policy and policy to boost economic growth. This study introduces the theoretical approaches that have emerged from the process, comparing and contrasting them and outlining their pros and cons, using the example of the transformation of the Georgian economy from 1990 to 2001. (CDi)
*** HOCINE KHELFAOUI (Ed.): L'intégration de la science au développement. Expériences maghrébines. Publisud (15 rue des Cinq-Diamants, F-75013 Paris. Tel: (33-1) 45807850 - Fax: 45899415 - E-mail: publisud.editions@cegetel.net). 2006, 246 p., 34 €. ISBN 2-86600-902-9.
The Maghreb region of North Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia) has become aware that like the rest of the planet, it is more than ever part of a world where innovation is the new key word. But how should these countries adapt to this new world? What measures have been taken or will be taken by Maghreb countries to move from an economy based on the exploitation of natural resources and tourism to a 'knowledge-based economy'? How should the education system and universities be adapted? How can new bridges be built between education and the business world? How should these countries move from the power of the spoken word to the power of action? Given the dearth of information in this domain, the authors of this book, researchers from France and the Maghreb, have made a study of the situation in the science of development (or lack of development). The first part looks at innovative practices and dynamics and highlights various measures to boost the value of science, whether by public authorities (who have developed technology poles, for example) or private companies. The second part takes a closer look at higher education's role in research and development and changes in this connection. (FRo)