Ukraine, European Elections and Conflict Resolution
Peter Knoope, Director ICCT.
Over the last weeks close to a hundred –mostly young– men have lost their lives in a political conflict in Ukraine. The narrative of the opposition related to Europe. Europe, a geographic entity. Europe, an economic union. Europe a project of political cooperation. But Europe is much more, and to the opposition in Ukraine, “Europe” stood and stands for something else.
I received a message, an open letter, from some youth representatives in Ukraine in which they clarified their position and their ambitions. Their message was strongly stated. They want to belong to a Europe that represents a value system. A Europe that represents democratic values and a space where freedom of speech and other fundamental values are respected and guaranteed. When I read the open letter it reminded me of the early days of the Arab Spring. The civil uprising, the aspirations of the youth, the adherence to fundamental basic human rights, the hope to be able to join the European space. Not the economic space, not the “geographic or political cooperation” space but something more, more fundamental and more important.
The open letter went on to explain that the youth in Europe, in the UK, Belgium, France and Holland seem to be critical of the Europe that has been built by their parents. Europe criticized by the youth, for the bureaucracy, the economic crisis, the reduction of national space and many others. But, the letter says, if you criticize Europe for all of that, you are missing the point! The opposition in Ukraine does not want to be part of the European space for any of those aspects. Neither the economy, nor the governance, is the issue. From their perspective Europe is something else. The essence of Europe is the very fact that the youth in the UK, Belgium, France and Holland can openly be critical of it and therefore have a say in its future and the way they can contribute to further improvements.
The letter even goes even beyond this and claims that the youth in Europe is spoiled. They, the youngsters in Europe, have not had the struggle, to fight and potentially die, for freedom and democracy. They got it on a silver platter and all they can do is criticize it, and what is more, criticize it for the wrong reasons.
I’m not sure. The reasons for criticism may be genuine and authentic. The fear of losing identity and national authority may be a tangible issue. The economic climate is also certainly less advantageous for this generation than ten years ago. But then again the authors of the letter may have also touched upon the real point: Have we lost sight of the real value of Europe? Have the leaders failed to communicate the real accomplishments in the European space? Do some of us take the peace and human rights we enjoy for granted? Do we talk “money” to much? Do we chase after progress in monetary terms instead of immaterial terms to often? Is that the price we pay, now that the peace dividend is in our basket?
If that is the case than we should let the Ukraine case serve as an inspiration to recalibrate our positions. We should (re)learn to value the progress we have made, from a conflict-ridden European space to a peaceful environment. We should restart to see Europe as a conflict resolution system. A system that requires conference rooms, debates, European council meetings, lots of meetings and a good level of bureaucracy, to make it work. We should start to see that young people from all our neighboring countries wish to be part of the European space. And we should recognize the fact that they have a reason for that wish, beyond economy, beyond money and material wishes.
In other words: I can’t help but feel for those who lost their lives in Kiev because they fought to be part of the European space, while some of our own youth seem to forget the achievements and the progress we made within that space.
Because let’s face it. Europe was, and still is, a peace dividend. It is, in its very essence, a conflict resolution project. A creation of a never-again-generation. If we want to hold on to those accomplishments we should not be forget about them but care for what we managed to create. A peaceful environment where conflicts are dealt with in a peaceful and democratic manner. For those who doubt it: that has not always been easy. Political extremists and terrorist groups have tried to derail and destroy it. We defended it and now that young people from the neighboring world wish to join, we should be proud and careful about it.
When I vote for the EU Parliament in May this year, the young victims of Kiev, will be in my mind. Perhaps take a moment out of your day today to think of those in Kiev that gave their lives because they want to join us in Europe.
“Dynamic Dutch politics”
By C.J. (Niels) Marselis, Political Analyst & Multilateral Assistant, Embassy of Hungary.
Many might not realise it, but politics in the Netherlands are a fascinating affair. Currently, the Dutch Lower House is comprised of 11 (!) parties and one independent Member. Given this large number of parties and given that the Lower House counts 150 seats, it is not surprising that power is scattered. The governing parties PvdA and VVD together have 79 seats, while CDA, D66, SP and PVV each have 12-15 seats. The remaining 16 seats are taken by no fewer than five parties and one independent Member, namely Mr Bontes (formerly PVV).
As a result of this “fragmentation”, parties choose to, or have to, cooperate with one another on issues that would otherwise clearly divide them. The VVD-PvdA is the most obvious example of a somewhat dichotomous partnership, and there are others, such as the recent “Constructive-3” (D66 and the Christian parties CU and SGP), and the contentious VVD-CDA government that was tacitly supported by PVV.
Furthermore, parties need to re-think their policies and strategies to win (back) voters that have voted or could possibly vote for another party in the future. Voter volatility is a rather modern phenomenon in Dutch politics, which have traditionally been dominated by VVD, PvdA and CDA. The financial and economic crises and the support for controversial notions might provide some explanation as to the rise of PVV and the fall of CDA and GroenLinks. Additionally, these days, the enduring economic downturn and the perceived incompetence of the EU institutions in this regard as well as the lack of a clear identity and policy direction of some parties, sustain the current state of play, in which PVV has the edge. While the VVD-PvdA government is committed to devise and implement reforms, opposition parties clearly dominate Dutch politics, as the above developments have strengthened the role of the Upper House, which, until lately, was an institution that operated in the background.
At the time of the current government’s formation, the negotiators thought that it would not be necessary to include more parties in the coalition so that support in the Upper House would be guaranteed. Doing so would in any event have necessarily led to the inclusion of at least one more party, which would complicate the negotiation process. Without Upper House support as a given, the government has revitalised a core element of Dutch politics: the “polder model”. This term refers to the practice of agreement-brokering with employers’ and employees’ associations and other major stakeholders, the so-called social partners. The cabinet employs this method also in its dealings with political parties, by negotiating agreements with parties in the Lower House, who, in return for concessions, pledge their support for legislative bills once they are put before the Upper House. Consequently, the Upper House is now highly politicised. Moreover, the “Constructive-3” carry little political accountability for the agreements, whereas the social partners carry none. Dynamic, indeed.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin, visited the ICC.
On 13 February 2014, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin, H.E. Prof. Nassirou Bako-Arifari, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC). Pictured here: (from left): ICC Registrar, Herman von Hebel; Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin, H.E. Prof. Nassirou Bako-Arifari; ICC President, Judge Sang-Hyun Song and ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda. © ICC-CPI
Today, 13 February 2014, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Benin, H.E. Prof. Nassirou Bako-Arifari, visited the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he met with the ICC President, Judge Sang-Hyun Song; ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda and ICC Registrar, Herman von Hebel.
ICC President, Judge Sang-Hyun Song thanked Minister Nassirou Bako-Arifari for Benin’s continuing support for the ICC: “We are honored to receive such an eminent delegation from one of the ICC’s founding members. In another increasingly busy year for the Court, I believe that Benin can play a very important role in promoting a constructive dialogue about ICC’s crucially important mandate,” President Song said. “To guarantee justice for victims everywhere, and to prevent future atrocities, we must further enhance the effectiveness of the Rome Statute system, and we can only do this through cooperation, dialogue and commitment”, he added.
Minister Nassirou Bako-Arifari expressed Benin’s full support and commitment to the ICC: “Benin has supported the ICC since its creation and is committed to maintain such support. We will continue to stress the importance of justice and the fight against impunity worldwide”.
Benin signed the Rome Statute – the Court’s founding treaty – on 24 September 1999 and ratified the Statute on 22 January 2002. Minister Nassirou Bako-Arifari’s visit to the ICC highlights Benin’s ongoing support to the Court and the joint efforts deployed in the fight against impunity for the perpetrators of the most serious crimes that affect the international community as a whole as listed in the Rome Statute
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Corruption in the EU? Affirmative !
Direct from European Commission Representation in the Netherlands.
EU ANTI-CORRUPTION REPORT FIRST. Corruption affects all Member States. Corruption remains a problem for Europe. States have taken many initiatives in recent years, but the results vary, and more needs to be done to prevent and punish corruption. These are some of the conclusions of the first EU Anti-Corruption Report, the European Commission published today. The EU Anti-Corruption Report explains the situation in each Member State, including measures to fight corruption have already been taken, which of them function well, what can be improved and how.
NETHERLANDS: Model approach, but …more attention to conflicts of interest (former) politicians and foreign bribery.
The integrated approach of the Netherlands to prevent and detect corruption, can serve as a model for other EU countries. However, political parties have only recently agreed new rules on transparency of party funding, and there is insufficient evidence that foreign bribery is adequately addressed. In today’s report, the European Commission proposes an extension to the category of power that elected officials should indicate. The Commission also proposes that the Netherlands concentrates its efforts on the prosecution of corruption in international business transactions, to increase capacity. For proactive detection of foreign bribery
In addition to an analysis of the situation in each MemberState of the EU, the European Commission will also present two extensive polls. More than three-quarters of Europeans and 61% of Dutch agrees that corruption is widespread in their country. 4% and 2% of Europeans say that the Dutch were asked to pay bribes or that it was expected of them. Them in the past year 4 in 10 European companies find that corruption impedes doing business.
Bridges between Kosovo and the Netherlands
By Dr.Vjosa Dobruna, Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The new King and Queen, tulips, ICJ and ICTY or football – when it became public that I was nominated as Ambassador of the Republic of Kosovo to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, I was amazed how much people in Kosovo knew about my potential duty station. The well-developed internet, media and the diaspora had obviously provided a plethora of information to the patients in my pediatric praxis, the women shelter I worked with, to friends and acquaintances.
They talked of the new Queen Maxima, the interests and accomplishments of the Royal Family as such, the beautiful Dutch flowers available in Kosovo’s capital Pristina and elsewhere. All Kosovars appreciate Queen Beatrix’s support of the people of Kosovo during the NATO intervention and afterwards.
The Netherlands, known for its strong agriculture industry far beyond tulips, has also especially contributed to Kosovo’s agricultural development. A sector that is key to the Embassy of Kosovo’s efforts to increase the economic cooperation between the two countries. The Embassy in partnership with Dutch and Kosovar institutions organized for example a conference on promoting investment in Kosovo, which resulted in pledges of multi-million Euro investments by a consortium of companies from the Netherlands, Kosovo, the Republic of Korea and Japan. Over 37 million Euros alone were allotted to the production of exquisite mushrooms in Kosovo intended for export to European countries.
Aside from Royal Family and tulips, particularly The Hague is discussed for one more reason: as the seat of the two United Nation courts ICJ and ICTY. Whereas the ICJ is praised for its ruling that Kosovo did not violate international law when declaring independence from Serbia six years ago, the opinion on the ICTY is far less positive. Kosovars and other citizens of former Yugoslavia who had suffered under extensive violence and ethnic cleansing incited by the Serbian regime were enthusiastic that this court will bring justice and reconciliation. The result was less than what was expected.
Far more positive were conversations I had on the most popular sport in Kosovo: football. Every sport fan knows of Ajax Amsterdam. Recent icing on the cake for our football enthusiasts was Ajax’ generous invitation for eight professional trainers from Kosovo to attend the training in the ‘Amsterdam Arena’.
The areas to build bridges between Kosovo and the Netherlands are numerous and go far beyond economic development and sports. The Embassy uses every opportunity to foster the bilateral relations with the Netherlands, promote Kosovo, its rich heritage and culture, and the further integration of Kosovo into the European framework where Kosovo belongs.
E-mail: embassy.netherlands@rks-gov.net
The Dutch and their Bikes
Fast, cheap, good for the environment and good for health. Add to this the excellent cycling infrastructure, and it is only logical that there are more bicycles than people in the Netherlands. More than 10 years photographing the American photographer and writer Shirley Agudo incomparable Dutch bicycle culture in all its facets. For Dutch is the everyday workhorse also become a way of life: the cockroaches
with his tricycle full of children, the hipster with his colorful bike without brakes, the TH-student with his recumbent and school youth with the grandmother or the baker bike. The Dutch & their bikes not only gives an overall view of city and country, it is also about how Dutch bike designers internationally with trendy models break (VanMoof, Spiked, Bough Bikes) and how the Dutch cycling culture an export product has become more than hearing takes place at city drivers of large cities such as Paris, London and New York. Because they want to time with more bicycles than cars.
A Very Special Gold
By Richard Griffiths.
It is often said that the best way to gauge the nature of a country is through its sports. If there was ever any doubt , the Winter Olympics should have removed it altogether. The nation was glued to television sets to enjoy the unbelievable succession of triumphs in speed skating. But in the midst of the shower of gold, silver and bronze there is one very special gold that promises to be the start of a revolution.
On February 16th Jorien ter Mors entered the 1500 meters women’s speed-skating and laid down a new Olympic record and the second fastest time ever skated at sea level. It blew the opposition away and secured for her the gold medal. Two of her Dutch team-mates also reached the podium.
Why was this particular gold so revolutionary? First I have to explain that there are two varieties of skating. Short-track is skated on a ‘short-track’ that fits into the perimeter of a hockey-pitch and which seems to consist mainly of left-turns. Four or five competitors start together and, in what is a physical contact sport, often seem to crash into opponents, usually eliminating all concerned. Speed-skating is on the equivalent of a running track and it consists of a series of time-trials with one direct ‘opponent’. Jorien’s achievement was revolutionary for two reasons.
The first is that speed-skating was not Jorien’s main event. She had come for the short-track skating. To specialize in the one, and to be so successful in the other is unheard of. The second reason is that while speed-skaters manage one event every three or four days, and stick to their training schedules for the rest of the time, Jorien had spent the 15th February skating no less than three 1500 meter races, emerging a disappointing fourth place in the finals. Two days before that she had managed two 500 meter races. Following one day’s rest she was off to try for the 1000 meter short-track final before returning for the speed-skating relay.
There are two lessons waiting to be absorbed from this experience. The first is the value of an interdisciplinary approach to sports and that there evidently are cross-over skills for such combinations. The second is that speed-skating might benefit from a more intense match regime that today is more closely associated with, of course, short-track, but also with swimming, where individuals compete in heats and finals over different distances and sometime with different styles within a relatively compact period. It posts a question whether lay-offs between events are necessary or beneficial. But the revolution will not come easily. Thomas Kuhn in his Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) described how paradigm shifts build slowly behind the resistance of the establishment. As Jorien expressed her own amazement at getting gold ‘on the wrong track’ and her coach joked light-heartedly about the strangeness of speed-skating conventions, the speed-skating legend Rintje Ritsma, in the television commentator team, dismissed their statements as ‘disrespectful’.
Worldhotel Bel Air The Hague
By Bonnie Klap.
Mr. Stephan Van der Meulen, General Manager of the Worldhotel Bel Air The Hague, receives us in the newly refurbished Penthouse Suite on the ninth floor, which has a magnificent panoramic view of The Hague, its seaside, harbor, light tower and down town buildings. The Hague has several top-level hotels. What, in his opinion, sets Worldhotel Bel Air apart from the others, I ask Mr.van der Meulen.
“Our focus is very much on personal attention. The guest comes first, so our employees strive to make the stay of every guest warm and welcome. Basically every hotel offers the same things: a bed, meals etc., but ultimately it is the personal touch that makes the difference and given the references and recommendations about our hotel, which can be read on, for example, Tripadvisor, we are fortunately succesfull in our approach.”
The Worldhotel Bel Air has 300 rooms and suites and is located very close to a number of well-known international organizations, such as the OPCW, the ICC, ICJ and others. Does the Worldhotel Bel Air get many guests connected to these organizations?
“Yes, we welcome a great number of guests connected to the international organizations in The Hague and due to our unique location we will be playing a pivotal role during the NSS – the Nuclear Security Summit – which will be held in The Hague on March 24 and 25. As a matter of fact our hotel is right in the middle of the so-called ‘red zone,’ which means that our premises will be totally fenced off. Nobody can come in or out. The people who will be working here are all accredited press-people and will be wearing special press-passes. I myself will be staying in the hotel for three days and nights, so I will be available immediately should an unexpected problem arise. For our hotel it is a huge honor and a huge challenge to be part of this event.
Our Food and Beverage Department will be dealing with 11.000 meals during those three days and two tents will be set up on the parking lot, which will be converted into a press conference hall. A total of 2000 people of the writing Press will be working in our hotel, but an additional 1000 people of the Television and Radio will also be present. Our hotel is ideally suited for high security events, as we were audited by a Security Company and declared a safe location. We regularly have guests from International Trade Missions who stay here. At other times we have a very top-level guest who prefers to enter the hotel unseen, which we are able to provide. Another big, international event that is coming up is the World Championship Field hockey, which starts in May. Our hotel has been chosen to be the Tournament-hotel for the players. We are very used to catering our services to an international clientèle. For example, if we have a Chinese guest we arrange for a Chinese Chef to prepare his meals and also provide a Chinese interpreter. We do the same for a guest from India for example. We will make sure the guest is served Indian food and we strive to solve any language problems. As I said, it is about the ‘Personal Touch’ and we, at the Worldhotel Bel Air, try to go the extra mile.
Fine art and public diplomacy
By Keith Dinnie, Founder, Brand Horizons.
Fine art can play an important role in a country’s public diplomacy strategy. Fine art represents a wonderful opportunity to build bridges between countries, transcending political differences through the celebration of art that crosses borders and enthuses audiences regardless of nationality. The promotion of fine art by individual countries constitutes one element in the broad concept of cultural diplomacy, which also encompasses literature, music, sport, and other cultural expressions.
Some diplomats are highly attuned to the importance of fine art. For example, former US Ambassador to the Netherlands, Professor Cynthia P. Schneider, served as an exhibition curator at Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts before her diplomatic career brought her to The Hague in 1998.
The Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition is a high profile fine arts event that attracted over 475,000 visitors in 2013, its most recent incarnation. Possibly realizing the public diplomacy opportunity to engage with such a large, receptive audience, ten countries participated for the first time in the 2013 Biennale, joining the seventy-eight countries already participating. Countries participating for the first time included Angola, Bahamas, Côte d’Ivoire, Kuwait, Maldives, and Paraguay. In her book ‘Seven Days in the Art World’ (published by Granta Books, 2008), Sarah Thornton devotes an entire chapter to the Venice Biennale, and features a brief interview with the head of visual arts at the British Council, who comments on how important it is to use art to promote Britain’s foreign policy objectives.
Here in the Netherlands, a key player in the interface between fine art and public diplomacy is Drs. Eva Maria Elisabeth Mennes Wuesten, Director of the Eva Art Production Foundation. Drs. Eva Maria Elisabeth Mennes Wuesten is an expat herself and knows the impact of promotion by art. Through organising and promoting artist visits and exhibitions in collaboration with the embassies of various countries in the Netherlands, Drs. Mennes has a deep understanding of the power of fine art in enhancing the reputation of countries.
In March this year, for example, Drs. Mennes’ organisation will be involved in bringing Guatemalan artist José Toledo to the park in front of Wassenaar’s townhall De Paauw at the start of a two-month exhibition of the artist’s work. Ambassadors from various countries will attend the opening ceremony. During the summer months Jose Toledo’s sculptures will be seen in the annual Sculpture Park at Duin & Kruidberg Estate at Santpoort Noord, just an hour’s drive from The Hague. In autumn the artist Juan Carlos Reyes from the Dominican Republic will have an exposition at the prestigious Kasteel de Wittenburg at Wassenaar, another Public Diplomacy project from the Dominican Embassy in The Hague.
keithdinnie@brandhorizons.com
CLEER Presidency Lecture series – Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council
By Dr. Aaron Matta, Senior Researcher in EU Law.
Academic Programme Coordinator of CLEER, T.M.C. Asser Instituut
CLEER special lecture on ”The experiences of the Lithuanian Presidency of the EU Council in the field of external relations”, 20 February 2014, T.M.C. Asser Instituut, The Hague.
The lecture was chaired by Dr. Aaron Matta, Senior Researcher in EU Law and Academic Programme Coordinator of CLEER and took place in the context of the CLEER special lecture series examining the Presidencies retrospectively with the aim of assessing the extent to which each country has fulfilled its aspirations and what its actions have meant for the European Union’s international relations more broadly. Dr. Matta made a few preliminary remarks before introducing the speakers, discussing in brief the three main priorities for the Union agreed upon at the beginning of the Lithuanian Presidency in July 2013, namely, restoring financial stability and growth, guaranteeing energy security and promoting openness, particularly through closer cooperation with Eastern Partners.
His Excellency, Mr Darius Jonas Semaška, Ambassador of Lithuania to the Kingdom of the Netherlands gave a highly reflective presentation on the key challenges, aims and achievements of the Presidency, with particular reference to the unique Lithuanian perspective in policy-making and the advantages this offered. The Ambassador underlined the fact that although the Lithuanian Presidency began in a difficult political climate, at a time when the EU was facing criticism regarding its capacity to respond to the economic crisis and a great deal needed to be done to restore credibility, many achievements were nevertheless accomplished. He referred to the significant steps made towards the establishment of the Banking Union, the restoration of trust in the Eurozone, evidenced by Latvia’s recent accession, and the advancements made in trade cooperation. The Ambassador underlined that energy infrastructure was further developed and that Union-wide projects were successfully implemented which created a more favourable business environment, thereby strengthening the EU’s stand in external relations. He also referred to the advancements made in the field of enlargement, emphasising that the prospect of EU accession remains a great driving force for a country to implement the necessary reforms, pointing to the agreement on the resumption of negotiations with Turkey by way of example. The Ambassador also discussed the successes of the Vilnius Summit of November 2013 with regards to the development of the Eastern Partnership, referring in particular to the Association Agreements with Georgia and Moldova, along with the visa facilitation agreement with Azerbaijan.
Prof. Dr. Peter van Elsuwege, Professor of European Union law at Ghent University and Academic Coordinator of a Jean Monnet Module on “The Legal Dimension of EU External Relations” continued by providing an insightful, critical analysis of the success of the Lithuanian Presidency in the light of the challenging political and economic climate. Prof. Elsuwege examined in particular the priority of the development of the Eastern Partnership in the Presidency’s external policy, concluding that its visibility has increased and that important steps were taken at the Vilnius Summit, in spite of the fact they were tainted by the disappointment over the U-turns in policy witnessed in the cases of Armenia and the Ukraine. He referred to the rather hesitant response of the EU regarding the Russian ban on diary exports from Lithuania and following the first protests in Kiev. He questioned whether things could have been done differently in retrospect and whether it was foreseeable that the development of the Eastern Partnership would encounter these hurdles, rendering the decision to prioritise it rather naïve. Prof. Elsuwege nevertheless concluded that the Lithuanian Presidency did what was expected of it and successfully managed the economic and social agenda of the EU, making significant advancements towards the achievement of its overriding objectives in external relations.
A highly engaging discussion followed the presentations, with both speakers responding to comments and questions from the audience, particularly on the issue of the EU’s response to the situation in the Ukraine. The lecture concluded with a reception.