More than a confederation of states, yet less than a federal state, the European Union is a novel construct that does not fit into any classic legal category. It is based on an original political system that has been continuously evolving for over fifty years.
To better understand its nature and evolution, the European Movement of the Alpes-Maritimes is pleased to invite you to a lecture by Jean-Pierre DERISBOURG, former Ambassador of the European Commission on the topic “Is a Europe à la carte possible?”, which will take place in Nice on Thursday, January 29th, at the amphitheater of the Espace Associations, Place Garibaldi, starting at 6:30 PM.
Jean-Pierre DERISBOURG will attempt to demonstrate that since its inception, the European Union has been built in stages, levels, and repeated expansions to reach 27 member states, and this could only have been possible at the cost of numerous arrangements, which have given it the various configurations it embodies today. He questions whether to overcome current obstacles to advances in European construction, it might be necessary to systematize this practice, in other words, to openly accept what he calls “a Europe à la carte”?
JEAN-PIERRE DERISBOURG, Doctor in Political Science, is a Former Ambassador of the European Commission. He has held numerous positions for fifteen years, initially in Geneva as Deputy Ambassador, then as Ambassador to New York, Lebanon, and then Cyprus. Recalled to Brussels, he served as a political advisor to the Director-General of External Relations and was involved in peace negotiations in the Middle East, as well as in the Barcelona process. He later went on to teach in the US, particularly at the famous University of North Carolina (UNC). Upon returning to France, he is a member of the French Institute of International Relations, the International Realities Association in Paris, and Vice-President of the European Movement of the Alpes-Maritimes, which he represents at the National Council of the ME. He has authored numerous articles on the evolution of the European Union.
– “Where is Europe heading?”, Medi@venir, 2006, p. 14.
– “The enlargement of the European Union after the Helsinki summit.”
– “Borders for Europe?”, L’Europe en Formation, 2006, No. 2.
– “Turkey’s chances in three directions”, L’Europe en Formation, 2007, Nos. 3/4.
– “Fifteen proposals to relaunch Europe”, L’Europe en Formation, 2006, No. 1.
– “Which president for the European Union?”, L’Europe en Formation, 2008, pp. 89-91.
– “The Treaty of Lisbon enshrines a multi-speed Europe”, L’Europe en Formation, 2007, Nos. 3/4.
