European Movement's Head, MEP Cavada supports Alsace Referendum pointing at nearby Germany's example

 

*Strasbourg/ENA/Angelo Marcopolo/- The new President of the European Movement in France, famous long-time Journalist, deputy-Leader of "New Center" Party and Bureau Member of EPP, experienced former President of EU Parliament's Legal and Civil Rights Committee, Jean-Marie Cavada, who is also being consulted by the COE in Freedom of Expression/Press issues, launched a vibrant call in favor of voting to strengthen the Unity of Alsace area's district and regional representatives, by regrouping them all inside a Unified Body, at an imminent Referendum, scheduled for next Sunday, by citting as reference a similar move made in the Past at nearby Germany.                 

Cavada, (who saluted on this occasion "EuroFora" in public), is a fervent pro-European Federalist, and was widely applauded on this point, at the beginning of an exceptionally numerous gathering of Young European Federalists and ENA Students at the Headquarters of the prestigious High Administration School ENA, yesterday in Strasbourg, a birthplace of most Top Political and/or Executive Elite of France, which has been oriented during the last 10 Years, towards a European Governance School, where French and German Finance Ministers Jean-Pierre Moscovici and Wolfgang Schaüble, (both already experienced also in National and EU core Politics), had come to speak about EU and €uroZone's Future in relation with its Franco-German "motor".        

      - "I feel a deep emotion of Solidarity, with all my Heart,  for being here, in this Alsace Region, which is an exemplary pro-European area, where I have lived more than 7 Years now, including in the EU Parliament, because I see that a Wind of Modernization is currently flowing, in concrete terms, with the Popular Referendum of Next Sunday". Cavada stressed from the outset.

 - "This is a similar move, almost following the Example of that which has United, some 15 Years earlier, the nearby Baden-Baden's area (of Karlsruhe's district : formely an independent State in Medieval times) with that of Stuttgart, (of Wurttemberg's district, idem, which has become the Capital of the Baden-Wurttemberg Federated State of Germany), he reminded.

- "I naturally wish that this Modernizing move to Simplify the Administration of Alsace region Wins, contributing to an even better Efficiency, able to help dissipate the Euro-Scepticism which has recently spread in several areas accross Europe", Cavada concluded, speaking just a year before the forthcoming, crucial EU Parliament's Elections, due to take place on June 2014.

For the 1st time in History, the Republican Right and the Center political parties are practically allied wih the regional pro-European "Greens"/Environmentalists, and even a few individual "Socialists", Regionalist Rightists, etc., into supporting all Together the Popular Referendum mainly boosted by Alsace Region's President, former Minister, Philippe Richert, facing a rather Heteroclite, makeshift local Opposition made by "Socialists", most Leftists and some anti-EU Rightists.

The move is mainly intended both to Simplify and make much more Efficient the Practical Functioning of an entirely Re-Unified and Coherent Alsace Region, which will be no more Divided, at the level of Districts, into a "Lower" (sic !) and "Upper Rhine" Departments, as it was the case until now, but also to further Develop (by pooling all Material and Human Resources together)  the Strength, the Energy and the Feeling of Common-Belonging and Cultural Identity of all People of Alsace, in order to boost its Image and Role in Regional, National, European and International scene, (f.ex. in Economy, Science/Technology, attractiveness, etc), strategically located at the Core of EU's Franco-German "motor".

In this regard, Richert intends also to meet, shortly after the April 7 Referendum, with his German counterpart, the Minister-Président of Baden-Wurtemberg's laender, Winfried Kretschmann,  on April 19 at nearby Stuttgart.

A topically noteworthy move, given that Kretschmann, (a long-time Christian-Catholic, as Richert is an Ecumenical-minded Christian Protestant),  who currently Chairs also Germany's Bundesrat (Federal Council) in Berlin, is notoriously one among the Leading Historic "Green"/Environmpentalist Personalities, (together with several other German "Green" Leaders f.ex. from Bavaria, or even inside Berlin, at nearby Tübingen, etc., opposed particularly from Turkish origin former MEP Ozdemir, etc), Positively-minded towards the New Idea of a  Christian-Democrat and "Green" Coalition eventually before or right after the forthcoming September 2009,  National Elections in Germany, which are obviously of Crucial importance for all Europe.

Something which apparently goes also at the Direction of Pope Emeritus Benedict's (experienced former University Philosopher and German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger) suggestion, made at the Highest Political Level on September 2011 during a landmark speech at the German Bundestag in Berlin, in favor of the ReUnification of all real Ecological Movements and Sensibilities, around a Unified struggle for the protection of the entire spectrum of Environmental and Human Nature, which would include BioEthics (Comp. "EuroFora"s Original NewsReports already back from 2010 on the CDU and Green parties' National Conferences at nearby Karlsruhe and Freiburg, as well as our 9/2011 relevant NewsReport) i.e. also "Human Ecology", in the wider framework of a fight to saveguard all values of "Natural Creation" : An issue currently stimulating exceptionaly strong Popular Movements in France, as well as in the USA and other areas in the World, and enthousiastically endorsed, right from the outset, also by New Christian Catholic Pope Francis, (former Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio, of Italian origin, for the 1st time in History from a Latin-American area).

At any case, in the meantime, Philippe Richert, a former Professor of Natural Sciences and long-time pro-Climat activist, is also well known for another interesting "bridge" linking him also to real "Green"/Environmentalists, etc. : The current President of Alsace Region has, indeed, proposed the central idea of Modern, Environment-Friendly "Sustainable Development", to be placed, mutatis-mutandis, at the Heart of all joint Franco-German Scientific and Technological Research at EU's core area of "Superior Rhine" ("Ober-Rhein"), which includes all Universities of the French Alsace Region, of Baden-Wurttenberg's Länder and of Switzerland's Bale federated state, as the experienced and World-famous Professor of Seismology and Director of the Earth Globe Institute in Strasbourg, Michel Granet, recently told "EuroFora", on the occasion of his 2012 Report on the Future of Scientific/Technological Research in Alsace, (during the drafting of which he became, from former competitor back on 2009, a new Ally and supporter of the re-Elected President of Strasbourg's University professor Beretz).

This Richert's idea for the "Superior-Rhine" Euro-Region's further Development, (which was supported also by several other Participants during a Consultation of all Regional actors in Scientific and Technological Research, including from the Mulhouse/Upper Rhine area, etc), seems interestingly close to an even Wider Synthesis of more than 50% of all kinds of Scientific Research (f.ex. including even main parts of State/Public Administration Law, GeoPolitics, Air-Space technology, Economy, Geography, Energy, etc), under the heading of lato-sensu "Earth Science(s)", which had been initially presented and promoted by a landmark 2005 Report of the prestigious, Strasbourg-headquartered,  "European Foundation of Science", as "EuroFora" reminded on this occasion to Professor Granet, who expressed also his personal interest, "naturally as Director of an Earth Science Institute", as he noted smilling, in reply to a relevant "EuroFora"s question during a Recent Press Conference.

Meanwhile, the interest of the Region of Alsace (the most attractive Region of France in Foreign Investments, after Paris, which hosts also the PanEuropean CoE, EU Parliament's Plenary Sessions during a week each Month, ECHR, EU's Ombudsman, EuroCorps, Shengen system, ARTE TV, International Space University, etc) for Nature-Friendly High-Tech. and Social/Moral Norms at Human dimension, has been sumbolically promoted also Worldwide, including f.ex. with an independent Pavillon specialy conceived by an Environmental Architect, at the 2010 Shanghai International Exhibition, visited by ma,u Heads of State/Government, in addition to special EU Awards, relevant EU funding programs, etc., and has also been inserted, as early as already since January 2010, inside a Franco-German project to develop an International Show-case for modern, Ecologic Transport means' Innovations, throughout an axis due to link Strasbourg and Stuttgart, (particularly supported by German Chancellor Angie Merkel).

At any case, meanwhile, as a simple Citizen observed with a smile to "EuroFora", artfully playing with the Wording of the Question put at this Popular Referendum ( for which it's crucial to have a Participation of more than 25%, and therefore, to make it "Spicy" for the People), where Citizens are officially asked if they want "the Creation of One Alsacian territorial collectivity, by Fusion of the (pre-existing 3) Councils for the Region Alsace, the Lower Rhine and the Upper Rhine", ... after the georgeous "Miss Alsace 2011" was elected "Miss France 2012" and participated even in China for the title of "Miss World", now it's only natural that in 2013, "on April 7, we take off the "Upper" (Rhine) and the "Lower" (Rhine)" for a better Alsace's visibility...- (i.e. "le 7 avril on enlève le Haut[Rhin] et le Bas [Rhin]", pour une meilleure visibilité de toute l' Alsace", according to a well known Publicity trick in French)...

Thus, at any case, from these or even other criss-crossed points of view, the importance of this exceptional April 7 Popular Referendum for the creation of a unique, unified Territorial entity in Alsace, seems due to reveal manifold Crucial aspects of European interest, probably as strong in flavor as the original .. "Elsass-Café" registered marque, famous from Moscow up to Japan, the US or China, thanks to an active Strasbourg-based traditional Family-owned SME, often present in various European and International exhibitions, as well as at the Internet ("CafesHenri.com"), all that stuff being rather ...  "fort en café", as they say in French...