Book Reviews Xuereb, Peter G. and Roderick Pace (eds). The European Union, the IGC and the Mediterranean. Malta: European Documentation and Research Centre, University of Malta, 1996. Pp. 318. The reviewer of a book with this very wide-reaching title knows in advance that this must be a collection of papers prepared for a catch-all conference. What the reader cannot imagine in advance is that some contributions to this lengthy volume do not even fall under the broad title given to it. For instance, one may ask what papers on ‘Telecommunications and EC Law’ or ‘Public Procurement in Europe’ have to do with the most recent IGC. Neither should the word ‘Malta’ or ‘Maltese’ in the title of a paper allow for automatic inclusion in a book focusing on the Mediterranean and the most recent IGC. Such is unfortunately the case of two very tedious pieces crammed at the end of the volume dealing with, of all things, Maltese central and private banking practices and their possible revision in the event that Malta should accede to the EMU. Notwithstanding, one can only commend the work of the editors in their interesting and informative introduction, which neatly sums up the book’s contents. The papers derive from a conference held well before the conclusion of the last change of government in Malta (which may explain the editors’ selection of papers) and, more importantly, prior to the Treaty of Amsterdam. As always in this kind of ex-ante exercise, some authors try their hand at predicting the outcome of the IGC leading to the Treaty and are completely off target (e.g., at 50). Of course, as we know now, what came out in the end of the last IGC did not bear much resemblance to what was initially scheduled. Readers therefore need to show understanding for these authors. This being said, the level of most of the contributions veers to the high side and the editors and organizers of the conference should also be commended on this score. Two articles by John Redmond, University of Birmingham, are particularly noteworthy. The first article, on the problems and prospects of CFSP, is very incisive, inquisitive and caustic at places, all based on the observation of some empirical regularities, something quite typical of British scholars. The second one focuses on the Mediterranean aspects of the next Enlargement, setting it in a broader context, thereby introducing the reader to the virtues, but also the negative implications, of ‘variable geometry’. Simon Busuttil’s contribution on Malta (‘Small States in the European Union’) is quite refreshing and surprisingly unpatriotic (‘Malta should not ask whether it shall have the right to hold the rotating presidency of the Union, but it should also seriously address the issue of whether it is able to do so’, at 70). Alberto Bin’s chapter on the ‘New Dimensions of Security in the Euro-Mediterranean Area’ sums up quite well the reasons behind the new European obsession (fascination for some, paranoia for others) with the subject. When trying to explain the new wave of migration from South to North, Bin stresses, alas, only the ‘push’ factors, missing entirely all the ‘pull’ factors operating on the potential migrant. Finally, mention should be made of the very thorough article prepared by Marise Cremona on ‘The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership: A Regional Strategy for the EU’, which deals with the subject from a legal, and therefore quite original, perspective. Alfred Tovias The Hebrew University
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