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Europe's Economy and Identity needs to be actively present on the rendez-vous of High Speed Digital Networks and Content, stressed French President Nicolas Sarkozy, in voluntarist statements , on the Priorities to invest some 35 Billion € at a Public Debate with Scientists, Businessmen and Politicians at a Symbolic Scientific and GeoPolitical area of Strasbourg :

Significantly, Sarkozy's voluntarist statements were made at Strasbourg-Geispolsheim's "André Malraux" area, named after the famous visionary writer, former De Gaule's Minister of Culture, who had struggled to support the republican democracy in the ante-war clashes in Spain, which takes over the rotating EU Presidency from January 2010.

Even more important, from EU point of  view, he stressed that in Strasbourg the same Day that German Chancellor Merkel was speaking at nearby Stuttgart, at an IT Summit, about the importance of Information and Internet Technologies, shortly before they meet both, with all other EU Heads of State and Government at an exceptionaly important forthcoming EU Summit in Brussels at the end of this week, focusing on how to lead Europe out of the Global Crisis and shape its Future.

The issue already started, meanwhile, to be debated among the largest political family in Europe  : the ChristianDemocrats of the European People's Party (EPP), which has just won the EU Parliament's Elections on June 2009, but also important National Votes mainly in Germany, as well as in several other  EU Member Countries as Bulgaria, Romania, etc, chose new leaders in Greece etc, and is holding its Parliamentarian and Heads of State/Government Statutory Congress at Bonn.

    - "We (France and all Europe) must also act on the Contents" of Digital Economy : We mustn't leave it to others (even if they are sympa) to digitalise our Cultural Heritage, and put into question what many Generations have build for Centuries", stressed Sarkozy. What is at stake with the Digital contentt s our History, our Culture  and  our Identiies" he added, speaking of France all Europe, particularly after American Google's recent initiative to start digitalizing also Europe's cultural assets.
    
    That's why, in this and other priority sectors, we aim to consecrate "Giant Investments", Sarkozy anounced. In such periods of Crisis, certainly expenses should be limited, but not against Productive Investment, because otherwise the whole Econom would suffer. It's Industry which funds most Research, and, in a country without Industry, even services will start to be  outsourced elsewhere, he added.

    Despite former Socialist Prime Minister Michel Rocard's reserves against extending Fiber Optic commuications throughout all the territory, including Rural; (a promisse made by the French President for Equaliy of Access, and warmly supported by representatives of Rural Populations), Sarkozy observed that thera will be 3 kinds of territories : Those who where High Speed Connections will be spontaneously funded by Private Business Operators, because they hope to gain money, others where operators will need some Public suport, and another part where noone would act by himself, unless "the State will be present for the Rendez-vous", as he stressed reiterating his promisse, in one way or another. (See .. )    

But, High Speed Communications are "a fantastic tool for Spatial Planning", Sarkozy passionately observed.

    He was replying to Businessman, CEO of KIMOCE, Patrick Hett's palidoyerie for Digital Economy, which is a "Strategic issue of Independence", as he stressed, citting various concrete examples, as the creation of "New Services", 'New Economic Systems", as "Cloud Computing", etc,  a "growing demand for more Broad-band", "E-Commerce, E-Education, E-Archives, Tele-Medicine", etc.

    Reacting to Hett's critical observation that French and all European SME's invest less than USA's (sometimes 2 times less) on modern Information Technologies, Sarkozy was applauded when he said that Europeans should do as the Americans did by defending their "Small Business Act" vis a vis the World Trade Organisation at nearby Geneva.

    Among the "5" Priority sectors, on which the Franch President intends to announce a series of Measures "Next Week", after the Brussels' EU Summit, are "BioTechnologies", "Vehicles of the Future", "Energy efficiency", and "Digital Economy", together with "University poles of excellence, revealed the former Prime Minister Alain Juppe.

On Energy, the French President made it clear that there is no intention to give away the advantage of "Excellence in Nuclear energy, thanks to De Gaulle", particularly since "alternative Renewable Energy Sources cannot replace and Oil/Gas and the Nuclear at the same moment", as he said.

    Therefore, he announced the principle of "1 € for Alternative Energy Sources, and 1 € for Nuclear Energy", advancing fex. in the research and development of the "4rth Generation" nuclear reactor's" technology.
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    - On the non-polluting "Car of the Future" (mainly Electric, strongly supported by Pegeot-Citroyen's Director of Research, Marc Duval-Destin, who spoke optuimistically about "a modern technologic challenge that I'am sure that we can win"), Sarkozy was positive, but on condition that the Industrial Production of vehicles due to be sold in France and Europe,  is not outsourced into some Third Countries, if it wants to be funded by French/European Taxpayer's money".. i

    USA supports today its Car Industry, China its Iron production, he observed. Thus, Europe also should not repeat the mistakes of a Past where important (iron and other) Industries disappeared, but, on the contrary, boost its Chemical, Aeronautc or Car productiion.

    But he mainly re-focused on the well-known Franco-German proposal to "struggle for Europe to start using "Carbon Tax", (or a "financial adjustment",  as it was sometimes named), at its External Borders" , when other, Third Countries, abuse of Unfair Competition based on Environmental Dumping, if their businessmen don't have to respect similar Rules for the protection of Environment'e
    A theme strongly highlighted by  the French President since his landmark May 2009 speech at neartby Urmatt village (See :   ) and implying joint Franco-German moves, together with Chancellor Merkel, at EU and  Global levels
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    On Universities, lato sensu, the French President pleaded in favoir of big, "Autonomous"  Education-Research conglomerates with "Contractual" relations with the State, having their own caipital, (mixed; Public and Privatte), enough means to foresee the future and planify a Strategy, attract the best Professors and/or Researchers, with a result-oriented culture, benefitting from "massive investments" for the "battle of knowledge".

    In particular, Strasbourg University, the 1st to become Autonomous and to unite all Education/Research assets together, in a bbig conglomerate, aims to develop a European Pole of International Reputation, stressed Sarkozy.
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On Bio-technologies, after a visit to an Institute of Genetics, he heard Thomas Ebbesen, Director oof ISISM, explain the need for a policy which gives the means to attract the best researchers and have performant infrrastructures, and Genetician Valerie Lamour, IGBMC researcher recently repatriated from the USA, ask to "bring Science and Tehnology closer to the Patient", i.e. into Hospitals, and to boost a "Trans-Notional Structure for Research, going from the study of Molecules, up to the Patients' Treatmenrt".

    "EuroFora" was already informed, earlier, fex. on controversial plans to associate "Proton Accelerators" with some Hospitals full of patients, to the point that some feared a risk for abuses, if some started to take humans as cobayes for Labo research "experiments"...
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    One among the Original aspects of the ''Grand Emprunt" demarche, is that Sarkozy, a Center-Right politician, preferred from the start to use 2 experienced former Prime Ministers, both Alain Juppe, of his own political side, and Socialist Michel Rocard, a son of a Scientist, who said that he "remains in opposition", but without being "sectarist", when "the Future of all" the Country and of the EU is at stake, as Sarkozy stressed.

    Funds are due to be provided by French Society's large Savings, which will be invested by the State to innovative production sectors, able to generate growth, and therefore, new fiscal a.o. public resources, from which it would be paid back, while having, meanwhile, helped to boost the Economy. Thus, the original move will not involve neither the State's Budget, nor its Foreign Debt, while  becoming a useful part of Europe's overall Economic Stimulus activities.

 

  * Bonn/Angelo Marcopolo/- New EU Commissioner on Energy nominate for 2009-2014, Günther Oettinger, Prime Minister of the federated State of Baden-Württemberg (11 Million inhabitants), speaking to "EuroFora" at Bonn, during the debates of the largest group of MEPs in EU Parliament : ChristianDemocrats of the European People's Party (EPP), gathered here for the Statutory Congress of EPP Heads of State and Government after winning the 2009 EU Elections, stressed that EU should carefully examine all allternative possibilities among various routes and means of Energy Transports :

- "In connection to Near Asia, Caucasus, Azerbaidjan and other Countries, South Stream and Nabucco are some of the biggest issues in my EU Commission's dossier", ( i.e. Energy), "in its entirety", he observed

- But, "we have to see and decide on all the Possibilities", Oettinger carefully added, replying positively with a crystal-clear "Yes" to "EuroFora"s question if he found interesting the Rhine-Danube River corridor No 18, that EU earmarked as a TransEuropean Network (TENS), and could play an important role in Energy Transport from Central Asia (via Russia or Georgia, Ukraine, etc) via EU's recent extension up to the Black Sea, after Bulgaria and Roimania's 2007 accession, and thanks to New Technologies of Liquefied Gas, which allow to transport it in containers.

Timely, he said that shortly after Romanian President Traian Basescu, a strong supporter of EU - Central Asia Energy transport links via the "Cheap, Safe and Ecologic" Sea and River Ship links, and mainly the Strategic Danube - Rhine corridor, has just succeeded a tight but solid win at the National Elections last Sunday.

 

Oettinger spoke to "EuroFora" after a Debate organized by  EPP's MEPs on how to "ensure a Successsful Recovery from the (Global Ecnomic) Crisis : Building Ethical, Responsible and Robust Financial Systems for the Future, and enhancing the Social Market Economy".  

Prime Minister of Latvia, Valdis Dombrovskis, Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg, and Kurt Lauk, President of the Economic Council of the Governing EPP Party CDU/CSU, as well as ECB's Members, etc. were among the Key Speakers, together with EPP MEPs' vice-Presidents Oskar Karas from Austria and Vito Bonsignore of Italy, who concluded the debates calling, inter alia, also for action on Natural Environment, Energy, Research, New Information Technologies, etc, but also on Social Values in a free market economy.

EPP MEPs were welcomed in Bonn for Study Days on "the the Future of Europe", by Germany's Parliamentary Secretary of State Peter Hintze, and Governing CDU/CSU's Chairman and co-chair at EU Parliament, Werner Lange and Markus Ferber, respectively, after an inaugural speech by the President of the largest Group of MEPs in EU Parliament : ChristianDemocrats/EPP, Joseph Daul of France, steming from nearby Strasbourg's area.

Meanwhile, a "hot" Competition is going on, during various parallel and successive meetings organized in Bonn between "17 Candidates for 10 posts of EPP Party's vice-Presidents", who will be selected by EPP's 2009 Statutory Congress the 2 following days, as the experienced Head of EPP Parliamenary Group's Press and Communication service, Robert Fintzhenry, said to "EuroFora".

Given the current importance of EPP in both EU Parliament and EU Council, after a series of successful European and National Elections in several key EU Member Countries recently, such a Political Competition is normal, particularly when what is at stake is how to shape Europe's Future.

Innovation, with strong Political Will, productive Investment roots, "Green Growth" and Internationalisation, were at the focus in Strasbourg's "European Business Area", already looking on how to shape the after-Crisis new era, during French Prime Minister Francois Fillon's visit to a High-Tech big Industry's landmark, at Alstom's Transport factory, famous for its High-Speed and Eco-Trains spreading from Regional areas up to Russia and other Countries, at nearby Reichshoffen, as well as to the larger Chamber of Craftsmen in EU's History, which celebrated 110 Years of Constant presence in Rural space despite all Global Crisis and still absorbed 1/3 of new SMEs created recently, ready to renovate 50% of its craftsmen by Young people in the next few years.

    France and Europe are now "in the Middle of a New Stage of Transition" between an old and a new Economy, before and after the Global Crisis, Fillon stressed.

    - "At the Heart of Industrial Innovation", the "New Challenge of Environment protection", brings "a large part of our Growth Potential in the "Green Growth". And "the Winners, in this New Deal, will be those who will anticipate, by finding how to transform the Environmental constraints into Opportunities for New Markets and in Competitivity stimulus", he explained.

    Initialy highlighted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy's declarations, earlier this year, on Environment-friendly Innovative Industrial Investments, as f.ex. in modern automatic computerized production systems renovating Historic Forestry Wood Sewmill at nearby Urmatt (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/sarkozyforests.html ), this is also  a model strongly supported by OECD's Secretary General, Angel Guria, in statements to "EuroFora" after his annual speech at CoE's Assembly this Autumn in Strasbourg, who announced that the International Economic Organisation has just received a new mandate to systematically work on "Green Growth" during the next 3 to 5 Years.
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    France and all the EU have a very strong Research and Education level, in many areas among the best in the World, but their links to Industry need to be boosted, Fillon observed, agreeing with EU Commission's recent conclusion, (Comp. : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/researchorturkey.html )  

 - That's why we must, "now, give an International Dimension to the Poles of Competitivity, which are at the foundations of our Industrial policy, by aiming to strengthen cooperation between Research, Business  and Industry", the French Prime Minister anounced.

    "F.ex. in the area of Eco-Technologies", where we shall soon create "New Poles of Competitivity", Fillon anounced near Strasbourg, Headquarters of Alsace Region, in which, Senate's vice-President, Philippe Richert, recently proposed to precisely establish an "Eco-Tech" pole, concentrating New Technologies which protect Natural Environment.

    Alstom's Giant Factory, amidst Reichshoffen village's splendid Green Nature, was chosen by Fillon as a concrete example :

    By giving a great importance to Research, developing attractive and efficient Public Transport systems, and innovative ways for Energy efficiency, as well as cooperating in the production of Renewable Energy Sources, "Astom has all the cards to win the game of Green Growth", he observed.

    Fillon said that  shortly after important meetings with Russian Prime Minister Poutine, and while Alstom's CEO, Patrick Kron, recently anounced a "Strategic Partnership" of the leading French mega-company with Russia's biggest Industrialist in Rail, TMH, to modernize production methods and create New Models of Rail Transport, adapted to Russia's railroad business, according to New Technologies developped jointly by Alstom and TMH (Trans-Mash-Holding).

    - "Our structural Partnership with the leading Russian company aims at the long-run : It's doesn't have to be limited from the start by determining only certain concrete projects, because it has ambitious Strategic aims for the Future, as Mr. Kron made it clear", significantly said to "EuroFora" Alstom-Transport's Director of Communication, Christine Rahard.
    
    This might include, sooner of later, also what "EuroFora"'s founder has been supporting at least as early as from the beginning of 2005, at the eve of an exceptional Spain - France - Germany - Russia Quadripatrite Summit at Elysee palace in Paris,  i.e. the idea to create a PanEuropean Fast Railroad Axis linking Madrid to Paris, Berlin and Moscow, all the way through the main body of the European Continent, and progressively extended to other European Capitals as well as to the huge Trans-Siberian, up to Vladivostok, at the Pacific Ocean, facing Japan, China, Canada and the US.  
    
    This obviously fits well the much larger and Geo-Politically ambitious New Plan initially proposed by French President Sarkozy on early 2009 to "create a Common Space between the EU and Russia", as well as other Neighbouring Countries, that was warmly welcomed by the new Russian Ambassador to France, Alexander Orlov, (an experienced former CoE Chairman-in-office during the Russian Presidency in Strasbourg on 2007), in statements to "EuroFora" in Paris on September 2009 (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/orlov.html ), and started fast to be effectively realized in successful Top Political meetings between the French and Russian Prime Ministers, Fillon and Poutine, in Moscow and Paris, September and November 2009.

    Moreover, Alstom recently added an important new domain of activities in Europe, by taking over, together with Schneider Company, the Energy Transport and Distribution sector from Areva, becoming the "No 1 leader in the World" in the transport of medium voltage Electricity,  as Fillon underlined.

     - "At present, France (as well as Germany) came out of Recession, after Investing in some 1.000 Projects, with some 27 Billion € injected in the Economy, and already 80% of our targets for 2009-2010", Fillon observed, speaking side by side with the Minister in charge of the Stimulus Plan, Patrick Devedjian.

    - "1 Year after the Global Crisis", facts prove that "those who have chosen to stimulate productive Investment, instead of Consumption", have already started to see the end of the tunnel : F. ex. Recent estimations are that France will end 2009 with less Recession than -2,2%, Spain and the UK at - 4,6 and -4,7%, Germany with -5%, etc, while in 2010 predictions indicate a + 1% Growth, i.e. the double of EuroZone's average : +0,5%.
    
     But, at the same time, while Europe and the World are progressively recovering from the Global Crisis, some other, emerging Economies, as f.ex. China, are marking Double-digit numbers of Growth, showing that resources are moving towards that direction, he warned.   

 - "Facing the Global Competition", France and all EU's Industry "must innovate", and focus a large part of its resources in our Industrial Investments for the Future", Fillon concluded, pointint at a forthcoming visit by French President Sarkozy next week in Strasbourg, at the eve of EU's Heads of State and Government Brussels' Summit.

    Significantly, Fillon's statements in Strasbourg were made between two important meetings he had with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Poutine and EU's President Herman Van Rompuy, in the preparation of French President Sarkozy's venue here, next week, to speak about main Investments' Strategy, at the eve of EU's Summit, which is due to discuss also Europe's plans on how to drive the Economy out of the Global Crisis and how to shape the after-Crisis' era.  

    Adding even an Artistic Symbol, Fillon inaugurated at Strasbourg's European Business Area, an original Sculpture focusing on "Innovation", based on "Anamorphosis" (re-shape) technique : It presents a differend image according to the point of view, and/or of the spectators' movements, as the sculptor said.

    Joining Big Industry and High-Tech with Craftmanship, Fillon also visited the biggest Chamber of Craftsmen in France, that of Alsace Region, ("Chambre des Metiers d'Alsace"), which represents some 17% of jobs, 1 out of 3 new business created, based on quality of service, but without out-sourcing, anchored mainly at Rural areas where it celebrated ist 110th Anniversary.   

    - "Thanks to the Digital Economy and modern Telecommunications", it's not only Big Industry, but also Craftsmen who can cultivate a conquering spirit at foreign markets, observed the French Prime Minister, (a strong supporter of Internet and President Sarkozy's promise to find ways to progressively spread Access to High Speed Networks accross the country, as he recently showed in a Paris' Conference on the "New Digital Economy" : See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/digitalsociety.html )    

Even when Internet was initially used only by a few pioneers in Europe and elsewhere, "EuroFora" remembers well that the daughter of American Journalist Bob Sablatura, a Texas News Reporter, founder of the "Reporters.Net" e-mail Worldwide network, (where you needed to prove, by several published Articles, Newspaper's coordinates, etc., your Journalist status, in addition to paying a fee before getting a precious "reporters.net" pioneer e-mail address...), had created an innovative then Flower trade with fresh Roses offered and delivered on demand, through regional network links : Beautiful Flowers could be shown, chosen and delivered on the spot, thanks to an efficient Website and e-mail system, which has became a "routine" now, many years later, but was an innovative breakthrough back in the Past before 1995, not only for beginners in Journalism, but also for Craftsmen..   

 An area obviously useful for resisting and resorbing the Global Crisis' aftershocks, adding on the spot a Human and social presence of proximity business, as it was shown, inter alia, also with 3 concrete examples of young ladies creating a new Flower trade or Jewelry at Alsace region's villages, in parallel with a young man taking over and renovating a traditional Woodcurve cabinet-maker business existing since the 1800ies and founded by his grand-father, (etc).

    It all gave an opportunity for the French Prime Minister, side by side with the well known in Strasbourg former EuroMP, Herve Novelli, Minister for Trade and Enterprise, to anounce measures to boost in France big SME's, as in Germany, as well as the creation of a new legal status for individual business.

They both stressed in Strasbourg, headquarters of the European Court of Human Rights and of EUROCORPS, that, now, with Lisbon Treaty, new horizons on Human Rights and EU's Security and Defence have become possible and could evolve fast, mainly via the new method of "reinforced cooperations", but effective developments, and their timing, depend on political will....

In addition to EU's new Charter on Fundamental Freedoms, which entered into force today, Lisbon Treaty makes it possible and incites the EU to also become a member of the older and larger panEuropean Convention on Human Rights :

 A "useful" move both in order to ensure a "coherence" on EU Citizens' rights' case-law between the EU Court of Justice at Luxembourg and the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, and because "they don't cover exactly the same areas", Brun observed to "EuroFora".

Significantly, he spoke on the sidelines of a joint EU - CoE Conference on Childrens' Rights, fex. vis a vis Adoptions, trafficking, etc, where participants (EU/CoE Officials, politicians, experts, NGOs, journalists, and even individuals whose life had been seriously affected by various related issues) held "hot" discussions highlighting various problems still in need of the right answers, well beyond an International Hague's Treaty and a specific CoE's Convention, which still left several unanswered questions open

For the Legal, technical matters, "we have been prepared since a long time ago, so that we can move quite fast" for EU's accession to the ECHR, the experienced EU's Head of JHA's services told us.

According to CoE's sources, this might, eventually, include, fex. also a guarantee that EU institution's acts would be monitored by a special EuroCourt's Chamber composed by EuroJudges coming only from EU Member States, and not from other, Third Countries, among PanEuropean CoE's 47 Member States.

- "But the ratification process might take longer than scheduled", Brun warned. Eventual delays might come "not so much from EU Member States, since they have all, already accepted Lisbon Treaty which provides for EU's accession to the ECHR, but from others" : The PanEuropean "CoE (under whose auspices works EuroCourt) has 47 Member States, i.e. 20 Countries more than the EU (fex., since the end of the "Cold War" and Germany's and Europe's ReUnification : Russia, Ukraine, and other former "Eastern European" Countries, but also Turkey, etc., since the particular era when the "Cold War" had started in the Past : 1950).

So, "we don't know, in advance, whether there might be any objection or delay from anyone among these 20 more Third Countries, which are now members of the CoE, but not of the EU", he observed.

That's one of the reasons for which "the ratification (of EU's entry into the ECHR, which will open the possibility for EU Citizens to challenge EU Institutions' acts if they affect their Human Rights) might take as long as about 3 or 5 Years more", the EU Top Official carefully estimated.

 - "In fact, it all depends on Political factors", Alain Brun concluded, pointing at the incoming EU Commissioner on Justice and Home affairs, Mrs Viviane Reding from Luxembourg, who has been appointed in order to succeed to Jacques Barrot from France in the framework of the New EU Commission from January 2010.
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    But developments might be faster on another, partly complementary, issue of particular importance to Strasbourg-headquartered European bodies : EU Defence and Security capabilities, mainly with EUROCORPS, the multi-modal and multi-national European Army's "Etat Major" :

    - After Strasbourg Treaty entered into force, at the beginning of 2009, ratified by all 5 "Framework Nations" (France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg, Spain), to which are added other 5 "Sending" Nations represented by Liaison Officers, while EU Parliament was voting a landmark Resolution calling for the creation of a European Defence and Security policy based on the use of EUROCORPS' tool,  it has a Legal frame and Democratic support for further developments of a European Defence, observed his New Chief :

    - "What is needed now is that somewhere among the framework nations, emerges a "Driving Force" to boost the European Defence and Security policy", stressed from the outset EUROCORPS' new Commander for 2009-2010, Lieutenant General Hans-Lothar Domroese from Germany, speaking to "EuroFora".

 

Perhaps significantly of EUROCORPS' Enlargement possibilities, his new Commander took over his duties by succeeding to a Spanish General, just before Spain chairs the EU in the 1st semester of 2010, and was present at a CoE event on the "double Anniversary of Romania's National Day and of EU Lisbon Treaty, on December 1st 2009", as CoE's Deputy Secretary General, Mrs Maud de Boer-Bucquichio observed

    Domroese, speaking the day Lisbon Treaty entered into force, akcnowledged that the possibility it provides for "Reinforced Cooperations" speaheaded by initiatives undertaken by some pioneer EU Member States and open to all other willing EU Member Countries is an adequate and efficient tool in that direction.

    - "But, in fact, it all depends on Political WIll", EUROCORPS' new Commander warned.

    Domroese, who has already served even at Afghanistan for a few months at the beginning of 2009, aqreed however with "EuroFora" that, at least at the start, EU's Defence capabilities' development can become soon Popular among EU Citizens, fex. by protecting EU's external borders, intervening in Peace-keeping operations in preference around Europe's Neighbouring Countries, (fex. in Cyprus, if a Peace deal for its ReUnification is made with a European/International Guarantee), helping to face "Natural Desasters", etc

    The new EUROCORPS' Commander, who took over his duties on September 2009 for 2 crucial years, speaking at the CoE to "EuroFora" appeared optimistic but also careful to further enhance both EUROCORPS' capabilities and political support in 2010.

    ESDP was the only one among France's 2008 EU Presidency's priorities who did not had enough time to be fulfilled then, particularly after it had to struggle (successfully) both against the unforeseen Global Economic Crisis and to stop an unprecedented Russia - Georgia War.

    Significantly, EU Parliament has recently decided to create, for the 1st time, a specific "Security and Defence Committee", which had been initially entrusted to the experienced German f. MEP Carl Von Wogau, from nearby Fribourg, (the "father" of EU's Monetary Union among MEPs, since he had worked for 10 Years as former President of EU Parliament's Economic Committee for the creation of EuroZone, before starting to help build EU's Defence).  After June 2009 EU Elections, EU Parliament elected as new President of its Security and Defence Committee the mainstream new MEP Arnould Danjean, from the Governing French Party UMP, a specialist of ESDP and GeoPolitical issues with personal experience even on the spot (Balkans, etc), who is well known among French President Nicolas Sarkozy's close councilors, as well informed sources from the Presidential Elysee palace said to "EuroFora".