Stars, and Rising Stars, Among the Candidates. See Page 3. • Contents
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Stars, and rising stars, among the candidates. See page 3. • Contents European elections 3 Stars, and rising stars, among the candidates Personalities 4 Jean Monnet, the Father of Europe, dies, aged 90 Reducing barriers 4 Putting your best metre forward Environment 5 All is not lost in the world of the wastemakers Consumers 6 Community-wide ban on killer lamps sought Taxation 6 Italian taxman sets a premium for drivers Social affairs 7 Unequal treatment of women may lead to legal showdown Helping the needy: a question of national priorities 8 Finding work for the handicapped Youth 8 Chance to find out how the other 8/9ths live and work Energy 9 Joint efforts can pave the way to high technology European gas production not so natural Uranium prospection beginning to yield encouraging results 10 New projects may point the way to economies Agriculture 11 Farmers are closing income gap with industrial workers New proposals to help Europe's poorer farmers For the delectation of our palates 12 Learning more about the CAP Money 12 More protection urged for the small saver Third world 13 Distribution poses problems for food aid programmes 'Catastrophic' lack of investment, says Cheysson 14 Solar power can it help bridge the energy gap? Terrorism 14 Action against hijackers urged Focus 15 Where there's smoke there's fire Euroforum is published by: The contents of Euroforum-which do not necessarily reflect the Directorate-General for Information, opinions of the European Commu Commission of the nity Institutions-may be quoted or European Communities, reproduced without further permis Rue de Ia Loi 200, sion. An indication of Euroforum B-1 049 Bruxelles, as the source would be appreciated, Belgium as would a copy of any article Tel. 735.0040/8040 published. Editor-in-chief: Peter Doyle m c EUROPEAN ELECTIONS :::0 .,0 0 c:::0 wide groupings, campaign programmes Heinz Oskar Vetter and Eugen 3:::: have been drawn up and the mass Loderer on the ballot, along with ~ media are devoting more and more Hanz Katzer, former Minister of ! !S attention to this unusual event. In Labour, and Martin Bangemann, who CD some countries, such as the United is already one of the most active mem Kingdom and France, the subject of bers of the present European Par the European Parliament elections has liament. already become a lively and spirited national issue. Other former Prime Ministers in the running include Emilio Colombo, in But it will be candidates as much as Italy; Leo Tindemans, in Belgium, anything that will provide the spark and the current Prime Minister and for the elections themselves as well Foreign Minister of Luxembourg as determining the nature of the new Gaston Thorn. Holland will have European Parliament. While the current members of the Parliament newly-elected Parliament will not have such as Cornelis Berkhouwer, one of any additional powers that the exist its former Presidents, and Piet Dan ing appointed Parliament lacks, many kert, and Ireland has former Ministers observers feel that this new breed of Richie Ryan and Mark Clinton on European political figure will at least the ballot. Denmark also has its plunge with enthusiasm into the task share of well-known personalities such Stars, and rising of exercising their role as the demo as Poul M!Z)ller and Niels Haagerup. cratic representatives of the public in stars, among the European Community machinery. While these familiar names may attract the candidates the most attention at this stage of the And with candidates of the calibre of campaign, there is also ample re former heads of government like presentation of new names and faces, Former Prime Ministers, fresh faces Willy Brandt, Jacques Chirac, Emilio either on the main party tickets or in politics, ecologists and a number Colombo and Leo Tindemans standing among the new parties. There are of other attractive candidates are now as candidates for the elections and also a number of civil servants from in the running for the 41 0 seats in the probably sitting in the ;parliament, the the Community institutions standing new European Parliament. institution should be blessed with as candidates. articulate, prestigious and powerful It won't be until after the votes are members. One of the most interesting political counted in June that the voters developments in recent years has been throughout Europe will know who In the coming final weeks of the cam the emergence of the so-called 'Green will represent them in the first directly paign efforts the electors will become Parties' whose members are devoted elected Parliament. But it is already increasingly familiar with the lists to the cause of preserving the environ clear that they will have a lot to their parties-and some new ones ment. After surprising successes in chose from when they cast their will be presenting. a number of local and national elec votes from June 7 to 10, in what is In virtually all cases there is a wel tions, a number of national ecological probably the first such international come blend of the well-known and parties have also indicated they will election in history. ilustrious, and the new blood that be fighting for seats in the European make politics such an exciting pastime. Parliament as well. This unique political campaign is now in full swingthroughout the Nine The big Community countries have All these men and women, once European Community countries. included some of both. Among the elected will then become the re Colourful posters have begun to draw candidates in Britain are Sir Henry presentatives of their constituencies, attention to the elections, major poli Plumb, who formerly was the head of just like members of any other Par tical parties have closed ranks with the farmers' organization; Basil de liament. How they perform will be their neighbours to form Community- Ferranti, the industrialist who is the watched not only by the press and the past President of the Community body politic in their home countries Economic and Social Committee, and and in Europe, but should also be a If you wish to receive additional former Labour Minister Barbara matter of direct concern to the voters cop:es (or fewer in the case of Castle. who elected them. duplication due to the amalgamation of different mailing lists), please In France, the party lists will be write to the following address, enc headed by some of most popular party losing the envelope in which you leaders, such as Jacques Chirac, have received the current issue. New former Prime Minister and now Mayor eaders are most welcome. of Paris; Socialist leader Fran<;ois IN BRIEF Mitterrand; Communist leader Georges Euroforum (Circulation), Marchais; current Health Minister Berl. 2/68, Simone Veil, and a number of other The European Parliament has Commission proven vote-getters. re-elected Emilio Colombo as its of the European Communities, president until the new elected mem Rue de Ia Loi 200, . Germans will find former Chancellor bership takes its seats after the June B-1 049 Brussels. Willy Brandt and trade union leaders elections. 3 · PERSONALITIES REDUCING BARRIERS ::E ::> a: 0 ~ Jean Monnet, the m Father of Europe, dies, aged 90 Jean Monnet, the man most often described as the 'father of the European Community' has died at the age of 90. Following the death of Mr Monnet, who made the construc tion of the Community virtually his life's work, Roy Jenkins, President of the European Commission, said that the Community was his greatest memorial. With the exception of a few years spent overseeing his family's renowned cognac business in France, Mr Monnet spent practically his entire life in the cause of international cooperation. In both world wars he served as an intermediary between France and its allies striving to organize supply and production efforts. Shortly after both wars he also helped nations in their rebuilding effort-firstly with Austria, Poland and Romania after the first war and in his native France after the second. At one point he held the post of Assistant Secretary General of the League of Nations. Putting your best However, during the transitional metre forward period the units to be phased out will It was in the 1940s and 1950s that he appear alongside the others, although set in motion some of his main ideas generally in smaller print. concerning international integration. What do the letters kg, mol, cd and After the war, he drafted and pro ft have in common? They are all Sadly, the curie and rontgen, tributes moted the concept of the creation of symbols for units of measurement, of to two famous scientists, will dis a European coal and steel pool, which course. Every schoolboy knows kg appear by 1985. But units dear to was subsequently proposed by French and ft. Mol (mole) and cd (candela) British hearts, such as the inch, Foreign Minister Robert Schuman measure the amount of substance and fathom and troy ounce, could be and which became the forerunner of luminous intensity respectively. around in the 1990's. the European Communities. But if the Community's Council of The Commission is not inventing its He eventually became the first head Ministers adopts a European Com own system of measurements, of of the European Coal and Steel mission proposal only the first three course. The units which it hopes to Community, a post he later resigned will continue to be legal; poor old ft make legal throughout the Community to return to private life in order to will have to give way eventually to are international, in fact, having been work on his ideas for closer European m (metres).