October 28, 2007
Wise man? Veuillez signer ici, s’il vous plaît!
Congratulations to Nicolas Sarkozy! Although nothing’s official yet, it looks pretty certain that the French president’s fellow European leaders have signed up for his pet project of a "wise men’s committee" to make proposals about what the European Union should look like, and what it should be doing, 20 to 30 years from now. Formal approval for the project is expected at an EU summit in December.
It would be easy to deride the committee, assuming it gets the green light, as yet another case of a dozen European paperclips in search of a document. But the mood in Brussels is rather upbeat at the moment, following the deal on the EU’s institutional reform treaty in Lisbon. So let’s ask ourselves the most fascinating question of all. Who will serve on Sarkozy’s committee?
I’m hearing four names so far. Jacques Delors, the former European Commission president, is one. Another is Jean Pisani-Ferry, a prominent French economist with some interesting ideas about how to reform the European Central Bank. Then there’s Sir Nicholas Stern, the British professor whose report on climate change won global attention last year. Finally, there’s Jorma Ollila of Finland, the chairman of Nokia.
As wise men go, that’s not a bad start. But of course, everything depends on the definition of the committee’s mandate. Precisely what will they be asked to do? That is yet to be sorted out. And for how long will they be applying their collective wisdom? Until well after the June 2009 European Parliament elections, it seems.
The final question is how to strike the right balance on the committee between politicians and non-political experts, northern Europeans and southerners, people from "old" EU member-states and new ones, and - last but not least - men and women.
Sarkozy says the committee should have 10 to 12 members. Anyone care to propose some names?
A few suggestions…
Jose Maria Aznar, former Spanish PM
Helmut Kohl, former German Chancellor and European par excellance
Lech Walesa
Vaclav Havel
Britons:
Tony Blair
Lord Patten
Sir Francis Jacobs KCMG QC, former AG at the ECJ
They might all be too distinguished - I don’t think Sarkozy wants a group of people who ideas actually carry any weight. After all the purpose of a group like this is to let them speak, politely disregard them and then do what you want anyway.
God help us all if Jacques Chirac would be allowed to take part. I can’t see how he fits within any interpretation of the concept of a “wise man”.
Posted by: Jacob | October 28th, 2007 at 5:37 pm | Report this comment“The final question is how to strike the right balance on the committee between politicians and non-political experts, northern Europeans and southerners, people from “old” EU member-states and new ones, and - last but not least - men and women.”
This will be truly the key to this body being meaningful, and you might now start referencing it as something other than “wise men committee”…it’s odd that Sarkozy would come up with this name as he has appointed so many women to his government…I hope his spats with Merkel and his divorce from Cecilia has not biased him against women! In any event, normally, I am not into political correctness but “wise men committee” is really rather ridiculous sounding…
Posted by: Lisa-Helene Lawson | October 28th, 2007 at 9:33 pm | Report this commentWhat the European Union should look like, and what it should be doing, 20 to 30 years from now?
The EU would do well to pay more attention to the real risks. Both the EU and the US are not taking them seriously. Veteran foreign affairs journalist Steve Levine calls it “Unnoticed War”: “the U.S. seems barely to have noticed that it has a new war front in addition to terror. The stakes are high — influence in Europe, on whom the U.S. relies for support on political and economic issues around the world.” Full text of Mr. Levine’s analysis: http://oilandglory.com/2007/10/americas-unnoticed-new-war.html
Posted by: Eric | October 29th, 2007 at 1:29 pm | Report this comment“‘EU Wise Men’s Committee’ needs to work from a heavily and widely promoted, succinctly articulated terms of reference… which includes the committee- as part of its mandate- having to obtain EU member nations’ citizens’ opinions re their preferences for how a ‘future EU’ ought to look, & its possible role(s) in the world”
How?? With the facilitation of multi-question EU plebiscites- in ALL EU member nations!!!!”
The future EU, IE the scope & powers of its internal structures; the independence of its member nations; & its role-in-the-world, are far more complex & profoundly more important issues than ought to be allowed to be determined by a ‘closed membership’ committee.
The almost impossible to-over-state severe likelihood of the pretentiously named ‘wise men’s committee’s’ findings and recommendations being skewed, could be minimized by the committee having to obtain member nations’ citizens’ views and preferences regarding
possible ‘future EU models’ & ‘potential future EU roles in the world’.
To this end, basic democratic principles warrant the facilitation by ALL EU member nations- if possible working with Mr Sarkozy’s proposed committee- of non-binding, ‘multi-question, ‘EU-issues plebiscites’.
The plebiscite process would need to mandate the enabling of beforehand dissemination of succinct, easy to understand ‘alternative future EU models’, facilitated by the respective nation’s govt, political-parties & interest-groups.
The plebiscite itself could ask- specifically- for opinions on the future powers, roles & limitations of existing and possible new, basic-EU-structures such as its Parliament, Commission, Council of Ministers, Court of Justice, etc.
Alternative future EU models could, & arguably ought to include:
1) an EU without its own Parliament- or at least WITHOUT AN ELECTED ONE.
This could be easily accomplished by reverting the present EU Parliament back to its 1960’s-type structure in which MP’s were appointed by EU member nations.
Under this model- to preserve the principle of EU member nation equality- all member nations could be allocated equal numbers of MP’s, perhaps 7 or 8 or less.
This would shrink the absurdly large present EU Parliament- nearly 1000 MP’s- down to a size which would allow legitimate discourse and debate.
It would also force the EU Parliament- & its committees- to become sizes which would be discernible & understandable to ‘the average EU member nation citizen’.
2) an EU in which member nations’ are guaranteed- in an explicitly delineated treaty- their integrity & basic nation-state decision making apparatus, & not to be penalized for opting out of things such as the Euro, foreign policy positions, using vetoes, etc.
After over 1/2 a century of development, isn’t it about time that the citizenry of EU member nations were asked for ‘their opinions’ regarding re potential future EU models, IE its structures, their powers & limitations & the EU’s role(s) in the world???
The world as a whole needs an EU of ‘independent’, but willingly-aligned-for-good-purposes nations, but not an ego-motivated
‘Super-State’, in which many of the EU’s member nations are effectively rendered to fodder for the international ego-driven agenda’s of a minority, & forced to participate in & contribute to purposes/projects/actions that their peoples may be adverse to…. purposes/projects/actions that- using the Continent’s consistent conflict-filled 1000-year history as a template- would be driven more by imperialistic or power motives than by altruism and world responsibility.
If constituted without an unequivocal mandate to consult with EU member nations’ citizenry, the proposed ‘EU wise men’s committee’ will be another undemocratic, unrepresentative body that functions to repeat all-too-common EU history & deny member nations’ citizens a legitimate productive say in deciding the future of the EU & their country’s role within it.
In other words, it will function- predictably- as another sordid propagator of false-
justifications for the EU becoming a super state.
________________
Posted by: Roderick V. Louis | October 29th, 2007 at 1:36 pm | Report this commentRoderick V. Louis,
(near) Vancouver,
Canada,
rvlouis@patientempowermentsociety.com
As the saying goes “Traduttore, tradittore”
Posted by: john somer | October 29th, 2007 at 9:59 pm | Report this commentSarkozy did not speak of”wise men” but of “wise people” (”des sages, not “des hommes sages”)
Second, “anybody but Blair !”, he would spin us back into a super-EFTA attached by a leash to the US and going down the drain with it
Europe’s first goal should be to get out of the total dependency on Middle East Oil/Gas that right now controls its economy and which is the root and funding of the religious wars and most terrorist acts against it, 2) and since 85 % of the taxpayers in Europe are christian, these so-called “wise-men committee” should have the same proportion of christians, to which i know the neocons and Sarkozy will object: their goal and his is to implement a total neocon “super-government” over Europe, and they will succeed most likely since my own christian/agnostic/atheist community is too ignorant ,arrogant and naive to see it coming,in Europe taxpayers cannot even ask if a politician is christian or not, that’s how well the neocons have obscured the issue to put their own people in power, 3) Europe should demand a full choice of organic-natural foods paralell to the regular commercial offers which mostly feed the Pharmaceutical/Insurance/Hospital Industry through massive anti-allergies/anti-diarrhea/anti-acne/etc. medication sales and by paying “some” doctors and hospitals huge amounts of money to prescribe them and keep silent about the causes of sickness, 4) Europe must start building the new Solar Home/Office/Factory Society,with hydrogen fuelcells/fusion/geothermal/turbines/evacuated tubes/etc. energy,training all its workforce in the “New Energy ” , 5) Europe must move its communications to the Internet, IPv6 , with complete Open Source and Open Standards, with options for Linux,Mac,Windows and your own solutions,mobile and fixed, really launch the digital 3d-hologram-cognitive radios-etc. revolution that will empower the taxpayers, and that’s also something that Sarkozy and his neocons will resist, their plan requires for the neocons to control the Internet, control Content and Free Speech, censorship and strict orthodox rules will be the order of the day with the neocons of Sarkozy,so we need the kids in Europe to START RUNNING FOR OFFICE ,to show them that : or they take charge and with a passion defending our Rights or we will end up with a European Community as a colony of the Neocon International Lobby, which moves with military precision to achieve total control,kids in Europe must be alerted to the fact that Brussels and EU ” bourocrats ” are just humans and potentially corrupt and ignorant,and that’s also why there are 2.400 lobby’s in Brussels alone,so they must do it themselves,every kid learning to run a small business and able to defend our Free Speech and all our European Citizens Rights.
Posted by: blogger | October 30th, 2007 at 4:56 pm | Report this commentThe New Treaty must be ratified by a Pan European Referendum (PEUR). If you want to support my idea visit my personal blog.
Posted by: Sotiris Koukios | October 30th, 2007 at 7:38 pm | Report this commentThe group of wise men is yet another idea to think and act behind closed doors. On the other hand, since the group would work largely in parallel with the ratification processes, the loss of time would be realtively small.
Trying to place instituional questions outside its terms of reference would be self-defeating, since all efforts to beef up the European Union as a global actor have to take into account the institutional imbalances and the Union’s lack of coherence.
Before appointing wise men, the leaders should act on their promises on openness, transparency and accountability:
Instant publication of the consolidated Reform Treaty (Lisbon Treaty) on the web, in all the official languages of the EU, is a must.
Posted by: Ralf Grahn | November 2nd, 2007 at 2:53 am | Report this commentRalph Gran,right on !
The “Wise People Committee” must be elected by all and not “finger” appointed by a few well connected advisers, let’s make sure of that.
Europe’s leaders have a test right now in the Pakistan case, will Europe side with Democrats and help the Judges,lawyers,Bhuto and other political leaders as well as honest military leaders? or will Europe go totally to the support of Mushareff and abandon the rest of the pakistani society? according to local polls ,AlQaeda has 50% of the support,the Mushareff Regime about 10% and the Bush Administration not even 9%( the USA as a whole still is widely liked) , so what will the EU do? will it be able to reach out to the mayority of Pakistan? , including moderate generals with access to the dismantle non-active 30 nuclear weapons? ,while Europe waits to vote for the “Wise People Committee”, can Europe play smart, active, on the ground and democratically to calm the waters and help Pakistan reach national elections in peace?
Posted by: blogger | November 6th, 2007 at 4:23 pm | Report this comment