Was he right, the child in Andersen’s tale? Was he right, Emmanuel Macron, to reveal that the emperor was naked, declaring, in the columns of the Economist, the “brain death” of NATO, before adding that the rule of putting a ceiling on public deficit of 3 percent of the GDP also belonged to another century?
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France is causing a scandal. Its partners are pointing it out. They have accused France of irresponsibility, ignorance and Gallo-centrism since its president opposed the opening of accession negotiations with Northern Macedonia and Albania.
How can we not see, they say, that Emmanuel Macron has obliged the Union to break its word, and it can no longer be believed? How can we fail to understand that he has weakened the pro-European democrats in the whole Balkans, that he has opened up the doors to Russian, Turkish and Chinese powers, whose only dream is to weaken the Union, that he was more worried to bring grist to Mrs Le Pen’s mills instead of putting the higher ideals of European unity first?
Because those accusations are serious, they deserve answers.
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Parliament organises a debate twice a year on the progress achieved in the Common Foreign and Security Policy (PESC) and the Common Securty and Defence Policy (PSDC). It adopts two annual reports: one on the PESC, compiled by the Committee of Foreign Affairs (AFET) which can contain elements relating to the PSDC; and another one on the PSDC, elaborated by the "Security and Defense" subcommitte (SEDE). Debate with rapporteur Arnaud Danjean, at the joint meeting of the two committees.
The 23rd of October is the day of commemoration of the revolution in 1956 against the Soviet occupation and the communist dictatorship in Hungary. Members of European Parliament from four nations share their thoughts on the importance of this historic event for the whole of Europe.
She was taken aback by my interest for her country. She could not imagine that a Frenchman could be curious to know more about Austria, and as I told her that I had lived in Vienna, known Kreisky and just written a book which delved into the question of the coalition between the political right and the extreme right Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), Claudia Gamon’s eyes widened with surprise.
Finally, I had the right to do it. I could not when I had been only a journalist, but as elected representative and politician, I finally had the right to give the advice to these militants that they asked for. “Could we, they asked, do as the Iranians did when they were shouting out their thirst for freedom into the night, standing in their windows and on the rooftops of their buildings?”
by YASCHA MOUNK - Harvard University Press 2018
Yascha Mounk’s book published last year conquers both university reading rooms, but also many other agoras of intellectuals. Only last month, I participated in two panel discussions inspired by the book - in such different places as Istanbul and Łódź. Here the reader can find a summary of the book - which I truly recommend.
