My vision of Europe and globalization

Book abstract:

This book actually contains two separate sections. The first is Lionel Jospin's work, 'My Vision of Europe and Globalization', and the second an article by Pascal Lamy, European Commissioner for Trade, and Jean Pisani-Ferry, Chief Economic Adviser to the French Prime Minister, called 'The Europe We Want'.

Mr. Jospin, a former French Prime Minister, confronts the major problems facing the Left and the anti-globalization movement, seeking to address the upheavals created in the development of new markets, the movement of capital, and the dangers and opportunities established in the continuing rise of technological expertise and mass communication. Other issues tackled include the question of enlargement, the prospects for reform in terms of the role of the state, the viability of a 'Federation of Nation States', and the general modernisation of institutions within the European Union (EU). Jospin's work is a reproduction of two speeches he gave in Rio de Janeiro and Paris in the spring of 2001, and is followed by the address he gave in Rennes on the future of Europe in 2000.

Mr. Lamy and Mr. Pisani-Ferry's piece, the work of two major French left-wingers, sets out their ideas for what the reform of the European Union might look like. By way of introduction to the work, Peter Mandelson, a UK Labour MP, points out how aware the writers are that the future of Europe is not fixed in stone and that their emphasis is on setting out a 'clear vision'. Areas explored include governance, integration, and the facilitation of greater understanding and clarity between partners. The writers also outline their ideas for the democratisation of the EU, a policy of sustainable development, reforms in the always-problematic area of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), as well as the establishment of a shared judicial space.

The book is intended for those with a broad interest in the future of the European Union.

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