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ASSOCIATION EUROPA TRIBUNE

Reminiscences on the EUROPA 2014
symposium: A new idea for Europe

Michel SENIMON
General Delegate of EUROPA

The topic of the 18th symposium of the

EUROPAAssociation was controversy ... and

debates were heated, indeed! With

representatives of ten European countries:

Germany, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark,

Spain, France, Greece, Lithuania,

Luxembourg, Netherlands, Poland,

Romania, two MEPs: Jean-Paul DENANOT

(PES) and Françoise Castex, a member of Experts of EUROPA Network surrounded european Deputy Jean Paul DENANOT and Christine
the European Commission, Séverin JOSSET VILLANOVA Administrator at the National Territorial Public Service Centre (1st row right)

GRANDCOLAS of DG Competition, the

symposium was an opportunity to affirm

the need to re-legitimise the European The notion of regulation is also very Affirming clear shared values for a European

idea. important, but it raises questions because social project .....the EUROPA symposium

of the heterogeneity of the status of has posed a challenge for all!

While competition is a means to achieve regulatory bodies, the extent of their scope

the internal market objective, to do this, of intervention (general or sectoral, The EUROPA symposium was also the

such competition is to be extended national or European ... ). Europe has occasion to sign two important partnership

progressively to new areas, it should not identified - especially in the Lisbon Treaty, agreements for this NGO:

become a value in its own right. One may but since the Treaty of Amsterdam, too -

2 well regret that the factsheets on the shared values, such as transparency, quality • the first - with the National Centre of the
opening to competition of a number of of activities of general interest, universality Territorial Civil Service (CNFPT) -

activities of general interest (public ... these are the values that must restore strengthens 10-year collaboration with

services) are often scarce, although the the meaning in Europe, to ensure that our this national training institution and

European Commission has worked hard to citizens reinvest public space of discussion allows EUROPA to pursue its editorial

produce statistics. But the general opinion and the project. adventure through the publication of the

is that often, Europe would question the Revue Européenne de l’Action Publique

missions of general interest ... And one can Now, they are at a loss, when they hear of ( E u r o p e a n R e v i e w o n P u b l i c

wonder about the logic behind the Europe which focuses on 'austerity packages' Administration);

disappearance of state monopolies only to to respect 'fiscal orthodoxy', the

be replaced by private oligopolies, not requirements in terms of deficit that result • the second - with the international

necessarily more open to the logic of in bankruptcies of companies and organisation NISPAcee (Network of

competition. unemployment ... Institutes and Schools of Public

Administration in Central and Eastern

Policy must not be subordinate to the Europe), which includes all Public

economy, it must rather manage it, organise Administration Schools in Eastern

it, via, among other things, regulatory European countries - strengthens the

mechanisms. capacity of EUROPA to build and facilitate

research projects at European level..

Europe must be based on values which can

integrate competition but fair, shared and

constructive competition, and not

competition which is imposed statistically.

Fair for population, fair for regions, fair in ba
terms of fundamental rights of individuals.
Assembly Hall of the Regional Council of Limousin: It cannot develop to the detriment of
over 150 participants followed the debates of 2014 freedoms; the concept must be perceived
EUROPA Symposium in the context of a project of society that
is not economic or financial.

EUROPEAN REVIEW ON PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION