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AlmutMöller
TheGermanEUDebateAheadoftheEuropeanElections:
PlusÇaChange?..........................................31
IstheGermanpubliceventuallytowakeupto“debatingEurope”?What
impactwilltheEuropeancampaignhaveonthenewcoalitiongovernment?
HowcantheSocialDemocratsmatchtheirambitionofchangingthe
majoritiesintheEUwiththeirperformanceaspartofacoalitionathome?
AndhowdotheotherGermanpartiesplacethemselvesintherunforthe96
GermanseatsintheEuropeanParliament?Thispaperwillshowthat,actual
turnoutandresultsoftheEuropeanelectionsaside,thedriveoftheLisbon
TreatyhasstartedtoEuropeanisepoliticalpartiesintheGermannational
context.
RenaudThillaye
WilltheEuropeanParliamentaryElectionsGiveFrance
aNewMomentumfor“SocialEurope”?........................41
Clearly,pro-EUmainstreamFrenchpoliticalpartiesarebracedfor
adrubbing.Europeanelectionshavealwaysbeenconducivetoanti-
establishmentprotests,giventhecomplexityoftheissuesdealtwithbythe
EuropeanParliamentandtheirso-calledsecondaryimportance.Yetgiven
thehighlevelofunemploymentandFrance’sanaemiceconomicprospects,
thistimemightbedifferent.ThegovernmentisfacedwiththeSisyphustask
ofagainpersuadingvotersthatachangeforthebetterisstillwithinreach
atEUlevel.
Paradoxically,thismightnotnecessitatealeft-wingEuropeanParliament.As
thisarticleargues,thenotionof“SocialEurope”isstillrelevanttodescribe
theobjectivesthatParisseekstoachievebythemeansofEUintegration,
butmainlyinthecontextoftheeurozonecrisis.TheEuropeanParliament
isanaturalbutweakallyoftheFrenchgovernmentonsocio-economic
coordination,hencethesignificanceoftheupcomingEuropeanelections
needstobequalified.RestoringconfidencewithGermanyandFrance’s
partnersinthecountry’sabilitytoregaincompetitivenessandsustainits
welfaresystemisinfacttherealEUpriorityfortheFrenchpresident.
ValentinKreilinger
PossibilitiesforUpgradingInter-parliamentary
Cooperationafterthe2014EuropeanElections..................57
TheparliamentsintheEUarefacingachoice.Theymayexploittheexisting
possibilities,continuebusinessasusual(possiblywithdecliningparticipation
ininter-parliamentarycooperation,sonochange),orbypassexistinginter-
parliamentarystructures.Thelastandmostextremescenariowouldmean
thatsomenationalparliaments,forexamplethesixfoundingmembersorthe
MemberStatesthathaveadoptedtheeuro,createtheirownconference,with
seriousrepercussionsto“pre-in”countries,totheEUinstitutions,andto
theinclusivenessofeconomicandfinancialgovernance.Thesecondoption
(businessasusual)doesnothelpbuildingagenuineEconomicandMonetary
Unioneither.Onlythefirstscenariowouldhelpreducetheexistingweakness
indemocraticaccountabilityandlegitimacy,bothingeneral,andespecially
inconnectionwiththegenuineEMUinthemaking.Aninter-parliamentary
