2008, Volume 14, N°2 - Centre d'études et de recherches ...

186
Book reviews – Comptes rendus – Buchbesprechungen
d'ordre essentiellement stratégique: sa politique de coopération avec l'Afrique
sub-saharienne est tout à fait fonctionnelle et aspire à attribuer à la France un rôle de
médiateur entre le tiers-monde et les pays développés. D’ailleurs, au fil des
chapitres, on s'aperçoit des limites de la politique de Paris car privilégier l'aide aux
pays africains devient après tout incompatible avec une politique de plus grande
ouverture sur l'ensemble des pays du tiers-monde. Justement, l'auteur démontre
d'une manière convaincante le changement en train de s'opérer. En 1957, Paris faisait
encore de l'association des TOM un préalable à son adhésion à la CEE; à peine un
lustre plus tard, en 1961-1962, l'objectif n'est plus de garantir aux pays associés des
conditions privilégiées d'accès au marché commun des Six, mais de les mettre en
mesure d'affronter à terme la concurrence directe des autres pays exportateurs.
Lucia Bonfreschi
Chercheuse associée à l'Università Luiss, Rome
Giuliana LASCHI, Mario TELÒ (a cura di), Europa potenza civile o entità in
declino? Contributi ad una nuova stagione multidisciplinare degli studi europei,
Il Mulino, Bologna, 2007, p. 385 – ISBN 978-88-15-11987-2 – 27,00 €.
This volume collects the proceedings of an international conference organised by
the Punto Europa of Forlì in collaboration with the Institut d’Études Européennes
of the Université Libre de Bruxelles. The symposium was held at the Forlì
University where some twenty scholars from various disciplines and institutes
convened for two days (November 10-11, 2006), to discuss the theme of “Europe
as a civil power”.
Early in his introduction, Mario Telò sets out the two keynotes of this work. The
first is the multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary character of the research.
Following his words, it is the first time in Italy that historians, economists,
sociologists, jurists, political scientists and philosophers work together in
addressing the subject of the role of the European Union (EU) in the world.
According to the editor, this is the very added value of the book. The second
keynote is instead the application of the concept of civil power to the EU. In the
opinion of Telò, this notion is the best to describe the part played by the EU in the
current system of international relations. The EU is to be regarded as a power
because it is able to influence and even shape the attitudes taken by the
international actors and the international framework per se. At the same time, the
EU should be considered as a new type of power because it does not think and act
in terms of traditional power politics, but rather in function of a
“distinctive set of principles […] emphasizing diplomatic rather than coercive
instruments, the centrality of mediation in conflict resolution, the importance of
long-term economic solutions to political problems”. 7
7. C. HILL, W. WALLACE, Introduction: Actors and Actions, in: C. HILL (ed.), The Actors in European
Foreign Policy, Routledge, London, 1996, pp.1-16.