Articles Selected between May 18 and May 27

By Veronique Foulon

“Pour une relance démocratique de l’Europe, par José Bové et Daniel Cohn-Bendit”
For the relaunch of a democratic Europe

In Le Monde on the 29th of May 2009, José Bové and Daniel Cohn-Bendit, running for the Green party ‘Europe-Écologie’ at the European parliamentary elections are writing an opinion column.

They explain that before the European parliamentary elections they managed to prove it is possible to unite in the same dynamism and a shared project three historical families of the environmental movement: representatives of associations, social actors and political campaigners. They insist on the fact that only a real political legitimation of the European project will be able to tackle the persistent crisis of confidence towards the EU institutions. A relaunch of the constitutional process with a pan-European referendum of the States and the citizens is required to give Europe a text which is short, understandable and common to every European.

Two democratic practices would be the idea of ‘consultations of the citizens for the general interest’ by asking them simple and concrete questions about considered reforms on the same day every time that the future of the EU is at stake, and a gradual change in the election system of the European Parliament to be able to present transnational lists of which the heads would be the candidates of the European parties running for the presidency of the European Commission.

There is a historical opportunity to think of politics, at last, outside the narrow and short-sighted frame of the national interest and outside the sole financial and trading interests. That would be a democracy rooted in social and national diversity of the European citizens and peoples which would provide political action with a new standing.

José Bové is a candidate for Europe-Écologie at the European parliamentary elections,
Daniel Cohn-Bendit is a Green present incumbent at the European Parliamet

For Full Article (French) click here

‘Pour un protectionnisme européen’
For a protectionist Europe

On Wednesday the 27th of May 2009, Philippe de Villiers, one of the candidates running for MEPs under the umbrella of Libertas, says that he does not believe in the possibility of a supranational European Union. Such an evolution, he argues, would lead to an artificial federation because it would be denying history and modernity, which means denying freedom and singularity. That vision of Europe as a merging of nations has already been rejected in the past by people like Adenauer or de Gaulle who refused what he was calling a ‘chestnut mash.’ De Villiers believes that de Gaulle was right supporting his argument with the idea that those who attempted to realise it in the past did not survive. Here are the Soviet citizens! Artificial federations do not fit to last in the long run.

De Villiers says that he is for a protectionist intergovernmental Europe that he wants to change from the inside. He is against the Lisbon Treaty, which he considers as ‘antidemocratic’ and pretends to be “a dissident in the doctrinaire appraoch” of today.

Philippe de Villiers is the leader of the extreme right sovereignist party ‘Mouvement Pour la France’ (MPF).

For the full article (French) click here

‘L’émergence d’un nouveau sentiment européen’: On the rise of a new European sentiment

On the 18th of May, Dominique Reynié publishes a note in Le Figaro on the findings of a survey of 15130 Europeans. The findings stress that a majority of Europeans (56%) consider the European Union constitutes more of an opportunity for them.

Dominique Reynié is struck by the fact that, on the one hand, 56% of Europeans think that being part of the EU is more of an opportunity, while on the other hand, 53% admit no interest in the 7th-of-June European parliamentary elections.

The author insists on the fact that absence of salient issues likely to make Europeans involve themselves is the main explanation for European citizens’ lack of interest in the European parliamentary elections. All over Europe, he says, the elections have been diverted with national aims in view and voters who are against it are going to abstain.

Europeans, he argues, are looking for an additional public power able not only to protect them but to strengthen their nations, when these are unable to tackle the new global challenges. Citizens, he says, do not see the European Union as a substitute for their national public powers, but beside them, as a support.

Dominique Reynié is executive director of the centre-right think tank ‘Fondation pour l’Innovation Politique’ (www.fondapol.org) and professor at the Institute of Political Studies (Sciences Po, Paris).

For the full article (French) click here

‘L’UE a besoin de la Turquie pour peser dans le monde’: EU needs Turkey to have a weight in the world.

On the 25th of May, in an interview conducted by Le Figaro in Brussels, the Swedish minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Bildt, who will be assigned an important role during the Swedish presidency of the EU starting from the 1st of July 2009, reports his thoughts on European topical matters.

The experienced diplomat outlines the priorities of the Swedish presidency. He hopes that Sweden will be the last national presidency of the EU before the Treaty of Lisbon comes into force. Focus will be on the economic crisis, environmental matters before the December-2009 United Nations climate change conference in Copenhagen, and running the institutional transition period of the Commission and the European Parliament.

Carl Bildt is against protectionism stressing that prosperity in Europe has been the result of open markets and thinks that Europe, instead of being defensive, should be offensive and see the rest of the world as a source of opportunity. He believes that Sweden could resist better the crisis if the country was part of the Eurozone.

Amongst other matters, as the crisis bears the risk to relaunch nationalism, Carl Bildt asserts that stopping processes of enlargement should be avoided, even if the countries concerned are not fulfilling the criteria of accession and are not so close to joining the EU.

Europe has a first-rate strategical interest in Turkey to turn towards the EU and closing the door to Turkey would send a very negative message to the rest of the world.

Europe has shaped itself again after every enlargement and is more efficient today than ever on the whole. This, he thinks, has not come to an end. Finally, he points out that, in order to have a weight in the world, you would better be the European Union that the Union of a part of Europe. Moreover, Turkey would bring economic and demographic dynamism to the EU and the prospect of a reconciliation with the muslim world.

For the full article (French) click here

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