ENA : Strasbourg opens the Debate on Europe by President Chirac's message for its People and the World
while launching new ENA School to form High-level civil
servants for European and Global governance, "based on Cooperation and
Solidarity" :
- "When everything has to be reconstructed, .. even hope".
Is there
Light in looking towards Quebec, Latin America and elsewhere in the
World ? Strasbourg in search of a "new European model" going "Global".
- "Today, we, Europeans, are living a Paradox", said French President, Jacques Chirac :
"Europe seems hesitant to affirm its Project, to agree on its Future, even its Identity"."But, what's new, is that it became a real Power, that all countries and regions must take into account".
"At the same moment that Europe doubts, for a while, inside its borders,
it
represents, for the rest of the World, the renewal of a continent
united around shared values, inventing a desirable and unique model,
beyond national antagonism. Thus, Europe asserts itself as en essential
actor of Globalisation".
Saying "No" to a "blind" "competition between countries", and refusing for "some to be over the others",
the
French President expressed his "belief in "a singular approach", "based
on Cooperation and chosen, Global Governance". "Because, for an open
and competitif system to remain stable, this implies Social justice and
Solidarity".
In a parallel to 2005's European dillemas, the French President reminded that "in 1945" at the aftermath of WW2, " everything had to be reconstucted : not only towns, industries, roads, but also social concord and even Hope".
- "Train a Civil Service for European and Global new governance", founded on "cooperation" and free "choice", "is an essential task for ENA", the prestigious National School of Administration, after its recent relocation from Paris to European Capital Strasbourg, said Chirac, in a message to the celebration of ENA's 60th Anniversary (1945-2005), read by its Director, Antoine Durrleman, at the presence of political representatives and Heads of State or Government spreading from E.U. up to Bulgaria, Quebec, or even Brazil.
- "For Latin America, President Bush's father proposed a Free-Trade area, but we don't have yet a project for Political Integration. That's why we are now looking at the European model, its strong and weak points, (as "too much technocrats"), and we think about starting some big Infrastructures", said Mayor Marco Garcia Aurelio, representative of Brazil's President Luis Inacio Lulla.
- "If Oil prices raise too much, the U.S. might find interesting to propose to Canada and Latin America to forge a partership", joked Quebec's ex-Prime Minister, Bernard Landry. "Europe proves that Integration is possible while also respecting Cultural Diversity", and we share its "Humanist" tradition, Landry added.
All agreed, however, that the main point is not competition but cooperation with USA based on "Multilateralism".
Europe's reply to Globalisation is threefold : "At the political governance level, with UNO's reform, at the Marketplace, in the WTC, and at the Social field", said Chirac's message.
Inviting "all ENA's students" to "feel at Home everywhere in Europe, the French President called upon young students' "generation to give Life and develop a New European Model, able to become a promise for the World"
> Strasbourg turns France's classic "National School of Administration" into "International"...-
- "ENA has now more than 250 Foreign Students, from Europe and all-over the World", said to "SeNas" Mrs Henrik, who has the responsibility of providing such students with an opportunity to experience real-life governance at various high-level posts of every-day public administration "in France, Brussels, or elsewhere".
More than 30% of all ENA's students' curriculum is due to deal with International issues,
Germany and France also founded together a "European Magister" diploma for students from all over Europe, which has just started to be integrated into ENA from 2005.
ENA's Center for European Studies in Strasbourg (CEES), a "youngster" aged only "10 Years" on 2005, adds a purely E.U. flavour by systematically organising a growing series of conferences, meetings, debates, and other EU-related events.
- But, "we don't have yet a real Political Europe".
Mainly "because there isn't yet a feeling of common belonging, nor the
right institutions" to regulate a political power, observed EU
Convention's President, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.
Therefore, the main question, today, is "how to give Impetus" and "dynamism" to the Political construction of Europe, while also safeguarding its double nature as "Europe of nations", concluded VGE.
- We want to "open the Debate in Strasbourg" : Perhaps, "a New Foundation for Europe ?" "We must re-invent a project that makes People dream !", sparked Strasbourg's Mayor, Senator Fabienne Keller.
- This was at the focus of another, general message to all European countries that French President Jacques Chirac published the same day :
We must be "Faithful to the Humanist Heritage at the Heart of European Identity", he said. "Human Dignity is at the Heart of Europe's social project". "Betray this ideal would be betray the European heritage".
"Europe's genes embody the History of our Wars and Reconciliations, the Memory of our struggles for Liberty and Social progres". "Its model is social market economy", with "the alliance of liberty and solidarity", where "public power safeguards the General Interest" of society as a whole.
We "shall never acccept for Europe to be reduced into
a mere "free-Trade" area". "That's why we must revigorate the project
for a Political and social Europe, based on Solidarity".
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NEW INSTITUTIONAL ROADMAP ?
-----------------
The Institutional roadmap to attain this aim was highlighted by
Chirac, observing that the Time has come now to develop "proposals
presented since 2000" (when EU's Helsinki Summit accepted Turkey as a
candidate).
- "We must allow for States who want to act together, ..to be able to do so. These pioneer groups, .. would be forged by all countries who want and can do so, while remaining open to all those ready to join". "That's what we have done with the common currency, the free movement of persons in Shengen's area, or some defence initiatives."
"In this perspective, Eurozone's members (i.e. : 12 countries participating in the common currency) are due to deepen their political, economic and social integration", indicated Chirac shortly after meeting with Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of nearby Luxembourg and EuroGroup's President for 2005 - 2007.
"History of Europe is marked by crises that we have overcome in
order to move ahead". "Europe will prove it anew, faithful to its
values". "By gathering its forces, respectful of the diversity of its
nations, peoples and cultures", Chirac concluded.
------------------
- "Turkey ? What ?"
-------------------
- "Many People raise questions about Turkey", was obliged to
acknowledge Jacques Fortier, Strasbourg's correspondent of "Le Monde"
Newspaper, inundated, as moderator of the debate, by small pieces of
paper bringing-in the participants' concerns. .. But he found it hard
to obtain any clear reply from the speakers :
- "I have many friends in France, that's why I prefer not to speak about the Turkish issue", cautiously replied Quebec's Landry. Bulgaria's Simeon de Gotha prefered to focus on the importance of "Europe's Values", while reminding that it was Cold War that had pushed Europe to need a Turkish Army close to its South-Eastern borders to ex-USSR, before the fall of Berlin's wall and the present movement towards reUnification and peace in the Europe of 21st century.
But, crystal-clear, EU Convention President, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing's intervention, filmed specially for Strasbourg's debate, was adamant : - "We are speaking about Europe, that is to say the continent, and mainly EU's 25 Member-States, added to a few countries still remaining to join the rest of the continent, and, therefore, not for Turkey, which is in Asia", VGE simplified.
VGE
Somebody went on to joke by asking why integrate Turkey and not Quebec to Europe..
And others observed what each country may offer to Europe :
- "Quebec's Economy is strong in Air-Space, Bio-Technology and Informatics' sectors", highlighted a sparkling Landry to "SeNas".
Ex-King and ex-Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Simeon de Saxe-Cobourg Gotha, whose party participates in the Governing coalition at Sofia, due to join the EU at 2007, speaking to "SeNas", found an artful way to link "Human Rights" and ambitious Infrastructure projects : As f.ex. fresh thoughts to link Greece, Bulgaria and Romania with Western Europe also through rail and river Danube and Rhine transports, going from South Eastern Europe, crossing Strasbourg, "up to Rotterdam", at the Northern Sea.
From South East Europe, through Strasbourg, up to the Northern Sea :
Rail + River links could boost European Integration, said Bulgaria's
ex-Prime Minister, Simeon de Saxe - Gotha, to "SeNas", at
rivers-flanked ENA's Headquarters.
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Strasbourg's first stage of Debates on "What Governance, for
what Project in Europe ?", spreading for 2 months, will conclude
in the middle of November, when is due to be formed a new coalition
Government in Germany.
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