L'état de l'Union européenne 2007

The debate about the European Constitution demonstrated that the French want to understand and to love Europe. This edition of The State of the European Union wagers that the year 2007 will be for the Union one of renewal, and of beginning afresh with a new foundation.

The context of 2007 is historic : Germany takes office from January to July, the fiftieth anniversary of the treaty of Rome (March 25, 1957) is celebrated, and France redefines its European focus after the elections.

This book means to contribute to the European reconstruction for which our country has hoped. This is why the book opens with a "Manifesto for the Public Good of Europe." In effect, the definition and the supply of the "European public good” (available work, development, progress in knowledge and of its transmission, public services, protection of the environment, energy independence) are otherwise more essential to the well-being of populations and to the future of the European vision than the scrupulous respect of doctrinal criteria of monetary and budgetary stability.

The several following chapters support, elaborate, and extend the analyses of the Manifesto. They set the scene for the European revival, while showing the limits and reconsidering the results of the referendums on the European Constitution in order to extract the collective preferences of Europeans on economic matters. Finally, these chapters propose a panorama of European structural politics, starting with the budget of the Union, which must be reformed in order to become an instrument for a new European progress.

This book is derived from efforts lead by a think tank directed by Jean-Paul Fitoussi and Jacques le Cacheux, at the heart of the OFCE. The participants were Jérôme Creel, David Laborde, Éloi Laurent and Georges Pujals.