During their vacation week, the Nice Premium team is pleased to offer you a compilation of their best articles. For this penultimate day, you will find the 5 most viewed interviews of the year on Nice Premium.
Nice-Premium: What do you think of the “Europamel@” initiative?
Nicole Fontaine: It is a very positive achievement that I strongly encourage, that is in fact why I came to Nice this afternoon, because it beautifully and very concretely illustrates Europe’s success. I believe, despite what some may say, that Europe is a success when it manages to involve its citizens, as is the case with Pamela.
NP: And of the Euro-Mediterranean initiative desired by Nicolas Sarkozy…?
Nicole Fontaine: I have always wished for close cooperation between the European Union and the Mediterranean countries, I have often expressed this wish.
This project launched by Nicolas Sarkozy is facing difficulties; I believe there is no point in denying it or being naive. The political project is substantial because our partners were hesitant, fearing it would divide the European Union. Finally, it was agreed that all 27 countries would fully participate in the project, but I fear, unfortunately, that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will continue to weigh on it, as it did on the Barcelona process. Until we achieve peace, it is obviously a sad reality that will always weigh on this project, but what is interesting is that today there is a willingness to overcome this and, in fact, very concretely give more visibility to the Barcelona process with projects like: cleaning up the Mediterranean, a broad approach to the environment, a nuclear program that could interest the 18 partner regions of Pamel@, transportation, maritime security, fighting against oil spills, sea highways… There is indeed a wide field to explore and to achieve concrete actions between Pamel@ and the Mediterranean project.
NP: Speaking of projects, what are the matters you are currently working on?
Nicole Fontaine: At the moment, as a member of the industry commission, I am handling very substantial matters, like the energy package, meaning the liberalization of gas, electricity…
With the commission, we will, in a few days, tackle the energy climate plan that has very ambitious aims, like reducing our greenhouse gas emissions by 20% by 2020; increasing renewable energy sources to 20% of our energy resources. It is a priority area in which France hopes to find a political agreement under its presidency.
NP: Europe has often been criticized for being economically focused; do you think that with an initiative like Europamel@, there is finally a collaboration that is not solely economic?
Nicole Fontaine: Yes, because without social cohesion, there is no economic progress, and a project like this one, which can only exist because of its grassroots actors, will automatically encompass social aspects in the initiated projects. I also think about the education of young people, a subject of great interest to us in the European Parliament, where we have enthusiastically supported the Erasmus program, which I dare say is a success even if it does not reach all the students as we would like. But what is very interesting is when we mentioned earlier the creation of a great European university that would associate the universities of Nice, Toulon, Spanish, and Italian universities; it is a wonderful project that I truly wish the best success for.
NP: A final word for Nice Premium’s readers?
Nicole Fontaine: I want to tell them that unfortunately, we do not see enough of what Europe has brought us, we tend to take it for granted, and saying that, I think about the values of peace, freedom, democracy, the rule of law. We have a societal value that is quite unique, and it deserves to be remembered and reflected upon when we tend to criticize Europe. I believe we also need to see the positives.
