SHIFT mag [n°13] - European Idols by SHIFT mag

NÂ°13

Spring 2010

The Story

European Idols

A tribute to Europeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unsung heroes

Shifting with

Guy Verhofstadt

Interview with the politician which Belgium now envies Europe

Content European Idols

A tribute to Europe’s unsung heroes

Shifting with

Guy Verhofstadt

Interview with the politician which Belgium now envies Europe

European Idols A tribute to Europe’s unsung heroes Cover illustration by Frédéric Hayot Photo © Tiago Ribeiro

SHIFT Map – Where to find and read the SHIFT Mag in and around Brussels

06 07 08

Warm Up – Just couldn’t get enough

10 12 14

Carte Blanche – No right to fail The Bill – 21.12.2009 – 21.03.2010: remember, erase and rewind… or not. The Diary – Spring 2010 The Controversy – Copenhagen 2009: are we looking on the black side of things? Europe across the world – Haiti: a missed opportunity for European communication

Cover Story European Idols 17 Portraiture – A tribute to Europe’s unsung heroes 28 30 31 32 35

The Story

Spring 2010

Interview – Shifting with Guy Verhofstadt The Book – The Taste of Apple Seeds of Katharina Hagena Ultra violence and good manners – "Swifter, Higher, Stronger… and water-resistant" Sfar sublimates Gainsbourg Snapshots – Cities under bombings And now…?

N°13

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1000

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1030

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1040

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Photography: Entrance hall of the Hotel Metropole

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Hotel Metropole

31, place de Brouckère 1000 Brussels - Belgium Phone: +32-2-217 23 00 Fax: +32 2 218 02 20 www.metropolehotel.com

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1160

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1410

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WarmUp Just couldn’t get enough

DrawingBoard BY JOÃO SILVA

Gordon Brown’s bunch of bananas

Six months ago when we decided to dedicate our 13th issue to our “European Idols” we were far from expecting to enjoy it so much. At first we were afraid of not being able to fill the ten pages we had at our disposal. But finally we just couldn’t get enough. There is no doubt that these 36 personalities are only drop in the ocean of European creativity – a drop that whetted our appetite for European culture. “Tell me who is your national icon(s) I will tell you who you are”: when we brought out this issue we felt we knew a little bit more about our neighbours. Our goal was to look at those Europeans who were making headlines in their own country or at the other end of the world whether as saints or demons, it didn’t matter. We didn’t intend to write the full list of the unsung heroes of our time – does the list ever end? All, or at least most of these people were unknown to us, so we learned their story at the same time that we were telling it to you. In retrospect they all taught us something new. So this issue leaves us wanting more... Europe.

The British Prime Minister has apparently abandoned his three chocolate bars a day. According to the Daily Telegraph he is consuming up to nine bananas a day to get in shape before the general election in May. Banana skin in view...

OFF-THE-CUFF MR SHIFT:

“Is controversy the only way of existing when one is a member of a minority group within a big structure like the EP?”

NIGEL FARAGE, MEP AND COCHAIR OF THE EUROPE OF FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY GROUP:

SHIFTMAG EDITORS

“Ostensibly, all the fractions of the EU's consultative assembly are minorities; but the larger fractions are actually one, very large, unreservedly pro-EU fraction. Some smaller fractions are - or purport to be - "sceptical", about the EU, and assert that it should, and can be, reformed. These are tolerated by the larger fractions, because, on the whole, they too conform to the assumption that the EU is for ever. Only about half of the smallest fraction (and some of the unattached members) actively oppose the EU; but they stand out like rocks, amid that sea of conformists, creating a spray of controversy on every issue. In doing this, their aim is not only to stick to their principles, and to represent the people who elected them, but also to break the media-embargo, which has been imposed on them, in their own countries, by the very élites, which promote the assembly's other members.”

Carte Blanche

No right to fail

Four months before Belgium be in force in Brussels, Olivier le Bussy from La Libre Belgique has accepted to contribute to SHIFT Mag. He goes back over the beginning of this year of renewal for the European Union and its institutions. Does the last chance have already come for Europe? Here we are, at last. The top seats of the EU institutions have all been attributed. The Lisbon Treaty entered into force at the dawn of this new year. And on the 9th of February, the new European Commission was approved by the European Parliament, moreover by a comfortable majority. Nevertheless, President Barroso and his commissioners would be wise not to take this support with too much confidence. They'd better keep in mind that there is a lot at stake for the European executive in the next five years – nothing less than the credibility of the institution, whose role is essential to European affairs, and which has kept on losing influence over the last fifteen years. The former Commission can't escape reproach on that point.

THE LEGACY OF BARROSO I

Except from the elaboration of the energy-climate package, what is remembered of the ﬁrst Commission Barroso? Its chaotic management of the ﬁnancial and then economic crisis? Its legislative apathy? Its propensity to submit before the Member States, instead of playing the leading role? The problem is that whenever the Commission is weak, so is the whole Union. And whenever the Commission fails, the Union pays the price. During the last few weeks, Europe's decline has often been spoken of or written about a lot. The Prophets have presented their evidence: US president Obama thinks he has better and more interesting things to do than sitting at a table with (too many, in his opinion) European leaders; the outcome of the Copenhagen Climate Conference buried Europe’s dream of world leadership on that matter; the eurozone, one the most impressive successes of European construction is under unprecedented attack, there is even concern about its ability to resist the pressure...

In Partnership with

THE EU AS A GLOBAL PLAYER

There is some truth of course, in these observations. Though, one should not forget that despite it being far from perfect, the unique European model is still envied and even admired throughout the world. And here we go back to the Commission's main role. Its task is to keep the engine running at full throttle. More than a European Parliament divided into it’s political groups, more than Member States often driven by selfishness, the European Commission is the one institution always watchful of the common interest. It's the source of strength and coherence of the European project. If the new Barroso team was not to fulfil its mission, then Europe will for sure be doomed to slowly fade away and be confined to a marginal role on the world stage. Olivier le Bussy, Editor-in-Charge of European Affairs of La Libre Belgique

La Libre Belgique

Along with Le Soir, La Libre Belgique is the most read daily newspaper in French speaking Belgium. Perceived as pro-catholic, it is the only French speaking Belgium newspaper to have a Flemish audience. Its new format, launched in May 2009, offers solid European and international sections.

Olivier le Bussy

Born in Brussels in 1972, Olivier le Bussy graduated in journalism from the University of Liège, where he also obtained a degree in International Relationships and European politics. He joined “La Libre Belgique” in 1998. Initially working as a deputyeditor, he went on to join in 2007, the international department of the newspaper, where he is currently Editor-in-Charge of European Affairs.

TheBill

21.12.2009 – 21.03.2010: remember, erase and rewind…or not. Top of the Pope

L'Osservatore Romano – the “ofﬁcial” newspaper of Vatican – recently revealed the list of the ten favourite rock albums Pope Benedict XVI. In order of preference: 1. Revolver – The Beatles; 2. If I could only remember my name - David Crosby; 3. The dark side of the moon - Pink Floyd; 4. Rumours - Fleetwood Mac; 5. The nightﬂy - Donald Fagen; 6. Thriller - Michael Jackson; 7. Graceland - Paul Simon; 8. Achtung baby - U2; 9. (What's the story) Morning glory – Oasis; 10. Supernatural - Carlos Santana

47 % of Europeans

Mapping Discrimination

The European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) released the results of the ﬁrst ever EU-wide survey of minorities. Entitled “Mapping Discrimination across Europe”, this survey involved over 23 000 individuals from ethnic minority and immigrant groups about their experiences of discrimination, racist crime, and policing in the EU. The results reveal shocking evidence about the discrimination faced by minorities in everyday life; in the classroom, when looking for work, at the doctor's, or in shops. http://fra.europa.eu/fraWebsite/eu-midis/index_en.htm

447 000 fake euro banknotes

China excecutes Akmal Shaikh for drug smuggling. This 53 years old British has been the ﬁrst European citizen to be executed in China for 50 years according to the NGO Reprieve. The ‘Little Rabbit’ ﬁnally didn’t come…

The University of Cambridge (Fitzwilliam College) offers an undergraduate entry to read for the Mathematics Tripos to Arran Fernandez, a 14-years old young English boy. He is the younger undergraduate since William Pitt in 1773. The small Belgian city of Begijnendijk (Flemish Brabant) announces it is to give the name of Herman Van Rompuy to one of its streets.

06.02

One month after the “No Berlusconi Day” which brought together 350 000 in the streets of Rome, 24 French bloggers call for a “No Sarkozy Day” on 27 March 2010.

23.01

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is named the worst-dressed man of the year by the British edition of GQ magazine.

11.01

have been withdrawn from circulation during the second half of 2009. That is equivalent to an increase of 8 % in comparison with the ﬁrst half of the year. (European Central Bank)

05.01

04.01

Michaël Schumacher – 41 years old, retired since 2006 – comes back in Formula One for three seasons with Mercedes GP Petronas. And it is not to play second ﬁddle: “I want to become world champion again", Schumacher recently declared in Bild.

29.12

22.12

One season within one minute

are in favour of the principle of an accession of Turkey to the EU against 47 % who are against according to a study organized in ﬁve EU-countries (5000 people in Germany, Spain, France, Poland and UK) by the Autonomous University of Madrid (Spain), the University of Grenada (Spain) and Bogazici University of Istanbul (Turkey). But in case of referendum 52 % of them would vote “No” to an accession of Turkey against 41 % who would vote for it. (Belga)

Two burqa-clad robbers held up a post ofﬁce near Paris (Evry).

The most depressing day of the year – according to Dr. Cliff Arnalls, a British psychologist with Cardiff. The three factors are: weather, christmas bills that come due around this time and renunciation of New Year’s resolutions.

“No talks with terrorists until they become prime ministers.”

And the winners are…Belgian! These American prize – created in 1993 in honor of Charles Darwin – which commemorates “those who improve our gene pool by removing themselves from it” was awarded to two bankrobbers from Dinant (Walloon Region – Belgium) attempting to make a sizeable withdrawal from an ATM died having overestimated the quantity of dynamite needed for the explosion. The blast demolished the building the bank was housed in. Nobody else was in the building at the time of the attack. http://www.darwinawards.com

Margaret Thatcher banning her envoy in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) from meeting Robert Mugabe in 1979. This message comes from secret documents that were released on 30 December 2009 by the National Archives in London under the 30year rule. (Source: AFP)

A 47 years old Austrian millionaire

“If the question is, Could we host the World Cup tomorrow morning?, the answer is no.”

Jérôme Valke, general secretary of FIFA, on the difﬁculties that 2010 World Cup host South Africa has had in preparing for the tournament, which opens in June. (Source: Aljazeera)

“Those responsible should take the brave decision and sign a letter [of resignation]. If they can't, we will help them.” Dmitri Medvedev, Russian President, calling on his country's Olympic ofﬁcials to resign after a poor showing at the Vancouver Winter Games. (Source: Reuters)

“Any Muslim around the world who has dealings with Switzerland is an inﬁdel against Islam, against Muhammad, against God, against the Koran.”

Muammar Gaddaﬁ, Libyan leader, calling for a jihad against Switzerland because of its recent ban of the construction of mosque minarets. (Source: AOL)

[It's] an opportunity to demonstrate the love of God in a practical way.

Independence Day: Kosovo marks the second anniversary of its unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia.

The German luge slider David Moeller breaks a tooth while biting his silver medal for a photographer. You learn by your mistakes, champion!

The Scottish tennisman Andy Murray ﬁnally goes up 2-0 against Igor Kunitsyn after converting his ninth break point. The second game of the match lasted 24 minutes and went to 14 deuces. The longest game ever recorded by the ATP lasted 31 minutes.

Euro drops the lowest level in 10 months against dollar. The euro trades at 1,3436 dollar. We are far from last October when euro passed the 1,50 dollar for the ﬁrst time since August 2008.

Stockholm (Sweden) is elected ﬁrst Green Capital of the European Union (EU).

21.03

Rev. Richard Chartres, Bishop of London, encouraging Christians to limit their carbon consumption for Lent. (Source: Associated Press)

22.03

Viktor Yanukovych is elected President of Ukraine with 48,66 % of votes and strikes the hour of the “Orange twilight” according to the title of the Russian newspaper Izvestia .

Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the Eurogroup, speaking about the added pressure on Greece caused by ﬁnancial investors betting on a default. (Source: Handelsblatt)

18.02

European Parliament approves Barroso II European Commission: 488 MEPs voted for, 237 voted against and 72 abstained. "Barroso promises a Commission that will be more than the sum of its parts, but there are too many zeros to expect something truly positive”, comments Daniel CohnBendit after voting.

17.02

07.02

09.02

have been cut in the EU during the 3rd term of 2009 according to estimates of Eurostat, the Statistical Ofﬁce of the European Communities (released in December). With 712 000 more unemployed persons in the same period, the euro area pays a heavy price.

“We have torture instruments in the cellar and will use them if necessary…”

03.03

More than one million of jobs

The German manufacturer responding to comments of the French Secretary of State for Urban Policies Fadela Amara who quoted Nicolas Sarkozy calling to “clean up some inner cities with a Kärcher”. (Source: Kärcher)

02.03

Karl Radeber has decided to give away his 3 million euro fortune to poor people... He will now live in a two-room ﬂat with 888 euro per month. But why? Because “they never made me happy”, he declared. “The worst that can happen to me is that I have to take a small job to get by”, he concluded. (Daily Mail)

“The Kärcher company breaks away from words and confusions our name is regularly associated with.”

The 13th issue of SHIFT Mag is released. Here comes Spring…

2009 Darwin Awards

The Controversy

Copenhagen 2009 Are we looking on the black side of things? Three months ago the “failure of Copenhagen” was on everyone’s lips. Hopers and dreamers were few. In retrospect who was right? Did we expect too much from Obama – him again – China and developing countries? Between utopia and scepticism time has come to give a chance to a happy medium.

Hervé LE TREUT

Climatologist Member of the Academy of sciences of the Institute of France Director of the Pierre-Simon Laplace Institute

Throughout 2009, the perspective of the Copenhagen summit generated a huge expectation and hope, which was echoed with a growing by the media of all countries. The depth of the disappointment is certainly a measure of the exceptional mobilization, but can we really consider that the results of the summit were such a surprise, that it would call everything into question? Looking back at the past decades shows how difficult each previous step has been: the Kyoto Protocol, signed in 1997, 5 years after the Earth Summit in Rio, was finally ratified in 2005, but its scope remained limited. It was not ratified by North American countries, and did not require any reduction in greenhouse gases emissions from emerging countries. In addition, we know that about half the countries that had to respect specific reduction targets will be not able to fulfil their commitments by the end of 2012. Making significant progress in Copenhagen was therefore bound to be difficult, and it was hard to believe that the divergent interests of the different nations would suddenly be abolished. This was especially so because the situation has become much more complex during the last decade, as the emerging countries are now responsible for roughly one half of the yearly greenhouse gases emissions.

But while China and the United States share the lead in terms of aggregated emissions, their per capita emissions and their historical responsibilities are extremely contrasted. The scientific diagnosis has also evolved. Not going beyond a 2°C warming (compared with the preindustrial temperatures), was first a political objective, set up by the European Commission. But it was progressively backed up by a growing number of scientific studies investigating the vulnerability of a whole range of physical, ecological, and social systems under climate change conditions. Recognizing the reality of this danger level, which should be attained by 2050 roughly in the absence of any emission reduction, has created a new sense of urgency. To meet this target, it is necessary to act strongly during the very next decades, a significantly tighter time table than anticipated only of a few years ago. But these scientific requirements create a difficult political situation which cannot be ignored. With a fossil fuel consumption over 5 tons of carbon per year per and capita, Americans are far ahead of Europe (just over 2 tons) and China (about 1 ton). This easily explains the US government reluctance to commit itself too strongly, even with a new administration stepping up. China and all the emerging countries, which have developed

UN Climate Change Conference 2009 (COP15)

Last chance summit… until next time.

their own very strong scientiﬁc expertise on environmental issues, are fully aware of the risks they may suffer due to climate change, but do not want to curve down their development process. In view of those difﬁculties, the announcement of reduction commitments by U.S. and Chinese governments, during the weeks prior to Copenhagen, had raised even further the level of expectations - even if the announced reductions were far from meeting the expectations of the scientists. The Copenhagen summit has not added much to these announcements made beforehand, a situation, which, together with the partly chaotic development of the conference, has created a strong feeling of disappointment. But the many headlines on the “Copenhagen failure” may have adverse effects, because they are not accompanied by proposals for a new approach of the negotiation process. They are also unfair: the progress in Copenhagen has been limited but not negligible. Real advances have been made, for example, in establishing a fund for countries which are going to suffer from the component of the upcoming climate change which is now unavoidable, or in dealing with forest management. Not recognizing those results create a strong risk: that of a loss of perspective and momentum.

This risk is strengthened by the sudden rise of “scepticism” around the globe. Within a few weeks, citizens of most countries have been exposed to a media coverage of the climate issue that has undergone very strong shifts: two months ago we were exposed to a climate “ultimatum” (with a few days left to save the world), we have then read that Copenhagen was a complete failure, a situation which might not be a problem, in view of the many papers instilling now a doubt on the sheer relevance of these efforts. This fluctuating presentation of the problem is completely at odds with the message of the scientific community, whose diagnostic concerning future climate change has undergone minor evolutions over the last decades. And while the progress made in Copenhagen are certainly insufficient, one should therefore be conscious that, to maintain the support of all citizens, it is above all necessary to maintain scientific rigor, continuity, perseverance, and the full consideration of the difficulties ahead.

Europe across the world

Haiti: a missed opportunity for European communication European aid arrived for Haiti. Although it was not as massive and striking as the American aid, it was accurate, quick, and it gained power and influence little by little. But the problem is nobody knew about it... BY NICOLAS GROSVERHEYDE OUESTFRANCE If there is a real failure in this “Haiti” operation, it is the EU’s communication. A resounding flop that went on for days, until things got more organised – as the kind souls would say. Or until some Member States decided to tackle the problem, as others would say. A European vision only really began to appear once a number of countries decided to send a security force in the form of military police, under the EU flag. But it was already too late. In the response to any disaster, everyone knows there has to be a presence (media wise) in the first 24-48 hours. After that, the initial crucial impetus is lost...!

HOW TO FAIL ONE’S COMMUNICATION IN 7 POINTS

The European reaction in this area can be summarised in four words: slow, late, discreet, and scattered. At least seven examples can be highlighted. Status press releases were updated but published as discreetly as possible, without any media warning – at least at the beginning. You had to delve into the European Commission’s (EC) website to ﬁnd them. Crisis meetings took place everyday without any report or updated information, and even less photo coverage.

There were not even any regular evaluations made of the situation. They were slow to disseminate additional information on the European ability to act. Figures were incomplete, often underestimating the EU’s true efforts. Each European body such as the EC’s Monitoring and Intervention Centre (MIC) and the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) compiled its figures of relief staff, without having a global view, or taking into account all that was being sent by the Member States (humanitarian aid, urgent help, civil security, soldiers, etc.). Therefore humanitarian aid did not take into account civil protection, civil protection did not take into account the soldiers, etc. As a result, during several days, you had to take your calculator and call each Member State, or even each Directorate-General of the European Commission (EC), to have a clearer idea of the global effort. Moreover, during the first days of the disaster, the few figures that were revealed, relating to the European effort were actually wrong – some websites and blogs identified more than 1 200 European employees engaged in the field, while the EC only listed 700! And several weeks after the disaster, it is still difficult to have a concrete answer to a simple question: how many workers have the EU and the 27 Member States sent to Haiti, altogether?

Little usage was made of the instruments of rapid information dissemination such as Twitter, or social networks (except by ECHO which has a Facebook page, on which there is a bit more information than can be found in the “official communications”). The information was available above all in English. This is a double mistake according to us. A political mistake of course, as Haiti is a French speaking country, and because the efforts of the Latin or French speaking countries (Belgium, France, Spain, Italy) were significant during this crisis. In Haiti, even the US Marines tried to speak French to the media! Communication mistakes compounded, even during a Google search (a primary tool of journalism today), the figures and information from the EC (when they existed) did not appear, therefore they did not exist. Two Council of Ministers meetings were necessary to reintroduce a bit of realism and efficiency. At the Council of Ministers of 25 January, several European ministers criticised, sometimes sharply, the lack of visibility for European efforts and the importance on public opinion. The only hitch: the handling of the disaster continues as it has, and in accordance with the ‘wave’ theory the media’s enthusiasm for Haiti dies down...the topic loses its interest.

As a result, to ﬁnd information you had to look for it elsewhere in the capital cities, or even get it from the US Army (very well organised, with daily brieﬁngs, photographs, available videos, etc.). This type mechanism seems to be beyond the grasp and understanding of the European institutions, there appears to have been a lack of recognition for the basics of crisis management of information. Any established and professional NGO seems to have done better in this matter.

and the crisis response capability, visibility is essential. To be there at the correct moment and in a substantial way is also a political requirement. It is therefore not surprising that it was difﬁcult for the EU to join the USA-CanadaBrazil triangle for the reconstruction phase, although it is itself one of the major contributors of aid to Haiti. It should therefore come as no surprise if the press and public opinion had the impression that the EU’s efforts were poor, underestimated, badly coordinated...

A LOST BATTLE AT POLITICAL LEVEL

In conclusion, information and communication have failed, and Europe has lost the battle for “visibility”. This may seem but a detail when put against the scope of the disaster, but in reference to the EU’s political ambition regarding its position in the world

A MISSED OPPORTUNITY FOR CATHERINE ASHTON

The situation is all the more paradoxical as the objective of the Lisbon Treaty is precisely to remedy the scattering of efforts which

seemed to be, until now, a characteristic of the EU. All the possible tools for intervention were available to Catherine Ashton, the newly appointed High Representative and to the EC: humanitarian, development, civil protection, military, police, etc. It was no more efﬁcient (not to say less) than when these tools were scattered. An opportunity was missed, in particular by Catherine Ashton, who could have set her mark straight away. An opportunity that was all the more easy to seize as few people could have disagreed about the EU taking the lead for this “mission”.

This article was originally published on Bruxelles 2 blog: http://bruxelles2.over-blog.com/

U.S. Marine marking the fingernail of a small girl to indicate she has gone through the distribution line in Port-au-Prince © The U.S. Army

In Brief

Haiti Earthquake in figures* •Deaths: 222 517 (this figure could reach 300 000 according to the Haitian president René Preval). •Injured people: 300 000. •Homelesses: 1 200 0000. •Cost of damage: € 7.2 billion; “60% of Haiti GDP destroyed within 35 seconds”, illustrated Prime Minister of Haiti. •Emergency help: € 576 million. •Total cost of rebuilding: € 10.7 billion. •NGOs: 900 NGOs have been listed on the island since the earthquake. •World Food Programme: 2 million people have already received food aid from the WFP. •Traffic: on average 74 planes still land every day in Haiti. In the first days after the disaster this figure stood at 160. About 300 tanks are also unloaded every day. •Cost for insurance companies: about € 148 million; only 0,28% of Haitians were insured. * Official figures published 45 days after the earthquake / Source: Haïti Press Network A poor neighbourhood shows the damage after an earthquake measuring 7 plus on the Richter scale rocked Port au Prince (Haiti) © United Nations Development Programme

Natural disasters 2000-2009 The worst decade since 1950 According to ﬁgures recently released by the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) in terms of natural disasters in Europe, the past decade has been the worst since 1950. The average number of natural, hazardous events per year has been on the rise for the last 30 years. There were 165 incidents between1980-1989, 258 in 1990-1999 and 385 in 2000-2009. “In contrast, the number of affected people has increased at a slower rate. This may be due to better community preparedness and prevention,” said Professor Guha-Sapir, Director of CRED. The annual average death toll for the decade beginning 2000 was 78 000, which is considerably higher than the 43 000 of the previous decade (1990s). However, the ﬁgure is close to the annual average in the 1980s, at 75 000.

Netherlands – Working with water With 26% of its territory under sea level, 2/3 of its area which is likely to get soaked and 65% of its GDP produced in high-risk zones, the Netherlands has not waited for storms like the recent ‘Xynthia’ to make management of their coast a key issue. The country is now sheltered from freaks of nature by 17 500 kilometers of sea walls. “The Netherlands is the safest delta in the world”, said Charlotte Menten, spokeswoman for the Dutch minister of Transports and Water, to Agence France-Presse (AFP). But this assurance doesn’t doesn’t seem to satisfy the authorities. Following the conclusions of the Delta committee’s report “Working together with water”, released in 2008,a “National Water Management Plan” , allowing 100 billion euro to be invested by 2100, must be voted for by summer.

3 852 disasters have killed more than 780 000 people over the past 10 years, affecting more than 2 billion others and costing at least 710 billion euros. The most deadly disaster of the decade in Europe remains the heat waves witnessed in the summer of 2003. These killed 72 100 people. Between 2000 and 2009 earthquakes accounted for 60 per cent of deaths. After earthquakes, the most deadly, natural phenomena were storms which accounted for 22% of deaths and extreme temperatures, accounting for 11%.

Cover Story

European Idols

A tribute to Europe’s unsung heroes BY FRIEDERIKE ENDRESS, JULIANE GAU, FRÉDÉRIC DARMUZEY, CHRISTIAAN VINKENBORG, YURI MALU, MARK HUMPHREYS AND LAURENT VAN BRUSSEL

The European hall of fame is too often reduced to its most visible stars. Sometimes Europe’s audiences tend to look to America. But Europe’s internal borders hide many artists, sportsmen and women, intellectuals, entrepreneurs and opinion leaders that really deserve to make the international headlines. They are “big names” in their own countries but elsewhere are totally unheard-of, or they are “super stars” abroad but unknown at home. Are they famous for their records or for their escapades; are they loved or hated; are they stars of the future or legends from the past? They all have something in common – Europe doesn’t really know them. So we have decided to make them our “European Idols”, now let us tell you their “unsuccessful” stories...

Cover Story

European Idols

Alain Coumont

Father of the daily bread Initially a cook, Alain Coumont went on to become a true entrepreneur. This Belgian Chef, author of several cookbooks, founded the restaurant chain Le Pain Quotidien in Brussels at the beginning of the 1990s.

in Bahrain, Kuwait, Lebanon, Mexico, the Netherlands and Qatar. And it is still continuing to grow.

He launched this innovative concept, of a restaurant offering traditional bread as the basis of each dish, because he was never able to ﬁnd proper bread. He therefore opened a bakery and made his own bread. He called it Le Pain Quotidien, a bakery that evolved into a restaurant chain, which can now be found all over the world.

The father of Le Pain Quotidien may not be very famous but his creation is today recognised at international level. He is one of Belgium’s prides. His recipe for success, and his philosophy? "Freedom to work when you like…That is to say all the time!"

Freedom to work when you like… That is to say all the time!

“Mrs. Schwarzer likes to appear in various game-shows as a ‘rowdy’ with a feminist touch” wrote one reader as a comment to an article about Alice Schwarzer, in a German online magazine. Schwarzer, a feminist, is known by almost everyone in Germany, but not necessarily liked. Schwarzer was the driver behind the manifesto “We have aborted”, a protest against strict abortion law, which was published in the “Stern” magazine on 6 June 1971. Publisher of feminist magazine “Emma”, Alice Schwarzer continues to highlight women’s rights to equal status. Sometimes one needs to be a little of a “rowdy” to be heard! J.G.

GOOD TO KNOW...

www.lepainquotidien.com – FAQ section

Yes, it's tricky. (It was so simple in Belgium!) It sounds like this: luh paN koh-ti-dyaN. Don't be shy – it takes some practice. Our friends call us "PQ" for short.

Désirée Nosbusch Cathodic spreading © Charline Robichaud

More than a rowdy with a feminist touch

L.v.B.

“HOW DO I PRONOUNCE YOUR NAME?”

The company has 25 restaurants all over Belgium, as well as 41 in the United States, 14 in the United Kingdom, 8 in Russia, 6 in France and the United Arab Emirates, 5 in Switzerland, 4 in Spain, 3 in Australia, 2 each in Canada, Germany and Turkey, and 1 each

Alice Schwarzer

The son and grandson of grocers, success was certainly in his blood, but two people in particular played a major role in his choice of career. His grandmother, who he spent hours and hours watching as she made bread in the kitchen of her hotel in Huy (Belgium), and the French chef Michel Guérard, one of the architects of “nouvelle cuisine”.

P.S. For more information: http://www.desireenosbusch.com/

Désirée Nosbusch is a television presenter and actress. She was born in Eschsur-Alzette, Luxembourg, and has one Luxembourgish parent and one Italian parent. She has acted in both French-language and German-language ﬁlms and television productions since her mid teens. She presented the Eurovision Song Contest from Luxembourg in 1984. She is also herself a singer, and during the same year even recorded a duet with Austrian singer Falco. Moreover she directed a short-ﬁlm Ice Cream Sundae with the American actress Tippi Hedren. In 2004 she got involved in an anti-fur poster campaign for the animal rights organization PETA. Y.M.

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European Idols

Cheick Kongo

Marcel Reich-Ranicki

The ultimate ﬁghter

The “Pope of German literature”

If you come across a guy called Cheick Guillaume Ouedraogo, alias Cheick Kongo, here is some advice for you – do not annoy him! This guy is strong, heavy and aggressive. Fighting is his profession. Unknown in his home country France, he is better known in the USA where he fights in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a mixed martial arts organisation where you can find some of the world’s best fighters. Born to a Congolese father and a mother from Burkina Faso, he is known not only as Unstoppable or the French Sensation but also as the African Punisher. So please, be extremely nice to him! F.D.

Paul Pepene “I will not accept this award” – Marcel Reich-Ranicki (right) with TV presenter Thomas Gottschalk, causing a stir during a live TV ceremony in October 2008.

“Absolute rubbish – that’s what we get to see on TV nowadays.” With these words, the German newspaper Bild quotes literary critic Marcel Reich-Ranicki, explaining why he rejected a high-proﬁle TV award. He has never been afraid to speak his mind; and it has made him into one of the most famous names in the German media landscape. He became known to a wide audience through his participation in the literary TV talk show Literarisches Quartett. The authority attached to his judgements has earned him the title of “Pope of literature”. He is acclaimed by the public and feared by authors for his slating reviews. The German writer Martin Walser, target of his criticism over the years, has gone so far as to publish a roman á clef clef, or ‘faction’ novel, entitled “Death of a critic”, in which he depicts Reich-Ranicki as a tyrannical ﬁgure oppressing the German literary scene. Born in Poland into a Jewish family, the critic who will turn 90 this year, grew up in Germany before he was deported back to Poland in 1938. He managed to escape from the Warsaw Ghetto, but his parents and his brother died in the camps. He tells the improbable story of his life in an autobiography, which has topped bestseller lists for months. F.E.

Seeds of glory

At nearly 22 years old, Romanian athlete Paul Pepene became the world champion in the pursuit race (30 km) for juniors (under 23) at the cross-country World Championship skiing in Germany. He is the ﬁrst athlete in Romanian history to walk away with a world title in a skiing event. He is competing in Vancouver and has high hopes of coming home to Transylvania with an Olympic medal. He competed in Vancouver with high hopes of coming home to Transylvania with an Olympic medal. Unfortunately he only ranked 29th in the Men’s 30km Pursuit. See you in Sochi 2014 to turn the tables! Y.M.

Bruce Forsyth Nice to see him

Bruce Forsyth is a British comedian, born in London in 1928. An iconic ﬁxture of British TV, “Brucie” is known for catchphrases, such as "nice to see you, to see you nice" and "didn't he do well?". Today he hosts UK hit TV show “Strictly Come Dancing”, with celebrities paired-up with professional dancers. Well, all we can say really is…”didn't he do well?” M.H.

Austria enjoys

Dutch singing talent She was born in the Dutch city of Enschede, but it was in Munich where the great voice Susan Rigvava-Dumas was discovered. She currently lives in Vienna where she is a famous musical star, singer, actress and musician. With ﬂaming roles in plays like the operetta ‘Die Fledermaus’ and the musical or rock-opera ‘We will rock you’, RigvavaDumas has proven to be a real talent, one of the many reasons why the Austrians adore her! C.V.

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European Idols

Beckii Cruel

Sandra Roelofs

“Big in Japan”

A Dutch ﬁrst lady for Georgia

There was a song in 1984… “Big in Japan" by Alphaville, well for one young Brit, it has actually come true. Fourteen year old Rebecca Flint, who goes under the name Beckii Cruel, has become an internet hit among anime fans in Japan, after posting her performances on YouTube. She now heads a trio, Beckii Cruel and the Cruel Angels. They have just released their debut album in Japan, which is expected to reach the top of the charts.

Too many people’s names like Michelle Obama and Carla Bruni ring a bell. Less known is Sandra Roelofs, the Dutch wife of the Georgian president Mikheil Saakashvili. Roelofs has been living in Georgia, her adopted home country since 1996, where she enjoys much popularity. She is well known for her humanitarian work, on which she wrote the book ‘Sandra Elisabeth Roelofs – the Story of an Idealist’.

M.H.

C.V.

Olle Nyman A cool folk

Olle Nyman is a 26-year old Swedish singer and songwriter from Luleå, a little city next to the Arctic Circle. He discovered music at an early age and started to write his own songs when he was 15. His style is folk music, like many other Swedish singers. He has already written two albums, Behind The Clouds and recently, Venture. He recorded the latter in a chapel near his hometown. This helped him to create a cosy and pleasant atmosphere for the disc. Although his music is mostly folk, some of it is infused with jazz and soul. This young and talented singer really has all the capacity to become a famous personality. L.v.B.

Hans Riegel & Hans Beck

Spiritual fathers of the gummy bear & the playmobil

P.S. Listen to Olle Nyman on http://www.deezer.com/fr/music/olle-nyman

What do gummy bears and playmobil ﬁgures have in common? Well, you couldn’t tell by their looks, but they have German roots. The original “gold bear” was conceived in 1922 by Hans Riegel, who gave his name to the Haribo brand (short for HAns RIegel BOnn). Praised by Emperor William II as “jewel of the Weimar Republic”, their popularity is unbroken. The son of the inventor

Hans Beck († 2009) spent three years designing handy-sized, easyto-manipulate toy ﬁgures with facial features resembling children’s drawings – Playmobil was born. They started selling worldwide in 1975. F.E.

and current Haribo owner, Johannes Peter "Hans" Riegel, is one of Germany’s richest men.

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European Idols

Anders W. Berthelesen Dogmatic

Anders W. Berthelesen is a famous Danish actor. He has been conveyed by his interpretations into two variations of the Dogma ( (Mifune – Dogme III and Italian for beginners), ordained by director Lars Von Tries in 1995. He is a versatile comedian, also comfortable though with cartoon dubbing ((Brother Brother Bear Bear), ), as well as giving credible performances from the darker universe of the Nordic thrillers (Just another love story). P.S. For more information: http://www.123hjemmeside.dk/anderswberthelsen/

Y.M.

Matti Nykänen

“What is not done cannot be undone” Five Olympic medals, nine world championship medals and twenty-two Finnish championships medals! In the 80s the ski jumper Matti Nykänen had it all, to become a true hero in his home country. Unfortunately the rest of his life looks like a road to ruin. At the beginning of the 90s, besides sport he launched himself into singing with a modicum of success – he got a golden record for his ﬁrst album but the second and third ones were failures.

After his retirement – he came back to competition in 2007 after more than ten years off – he had to work as a striptease artist to pay off his debts. Since then he has more often been in the papers because of a stormy personal life – domestic violence, alcoholism, multiple marriages and divorces…Finland loves the champion he was and hates the man he is.

WHAT ELSE?

A movie about his life “Matti, Hell is for Heroes” was released in 2006. His role was performed by the young Finnish actor Jasper Pääkkönen. Nykänen is also famous for his (un)intentionally hilarious answers to interviewers such as “Tomorrow is always the future”, “Every chance is an opportunity” and “What is not done cannot be undone”.

L.v.B. P.S. For more information: http://www.mattinykanen.info/

Ólafur Arnalds

Icelandic eclecticism Do you like multi-instrumental music? Are you interested in Northern cultures? You might then want to listen to Ólafur Arnalds. This multi-instrumentalist comes from Iceland and loves mixing different sounds using piano, drums, guitar and banjo. His music style varies as well, as he is not scared to employ many different genres such as experimental, indie, electronica, classical and neoclassical compositions. Thanks to his imagination, his symphonies are quite enjoyable and relaxing. F.D. P.S. For more information: http://www.myspace.com/olafurarnalds/

Jairo Miguel

Sweet Little Six Six Six The young Spanish bullfighter, Jairo Miguel, likes the number 6. He began to practise this controversial sport, hugely popular across much of Spain, Latin America and parts of the South of France, at the age of 6. Ten years later, on 6 February 2010, at the age of 16, this amazing bullfighter killed 6 bulls in 1 day. A remarkable accomplishment for such a young guy. The minimum age to start bullfighting

professionally in Spain is 16. Nevertheless, Miguel could not wait; he started competing at the age of 12 in Mexico. He was brutally charged at by a bull when he was 14 and almost died. Luckily for him though, it looks as if this incident only made him stronger. F.D.

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European Idols

James Berisha Flying for Kosovo

However, ironic as it may seem, the Kosovo authorities do not pay attention to their new “ﬂying ambassador”... But this doesn’t slow down the pilot’s motivation as he wants to go right to the end of his mission.

James Berisha was born in Brestovc and spent his whole childhood in Kosovo. He then left for the USA where he graduated as a pilot. He now works for Sierra West Airlines but he is also an activist for the independence of Kosovo. This Albanese-American pilot tours Central and South America with his own plane, a Cessna 172, to promote this independence. Why? Because of the lack of Kosovo diplomats committed to the issue. The wings of his plane say it all in two languages, English and Spanish: “Please, recognise the independence of Kosovo”.

F.D.

P.S. For more information: https://www.ﬂyingforkosovo.com

Pauline Ado

Surﬁng for Europe If someone asked you where do the best surfers come from, you would probably answer Australia, the USA, Hawaï, Brazil, or perhaps even South Africa. Can’t Europeans surf?

In 2009 at Narrabeen Beach in Australia, Pauline Ado proved the opposite at the age of 17. She was not only the first nonAustralian to become World Junior Champion, but she was also not only the first French, but the first European surfer to clinch an ASP World Title. An unbelievable achievement when you consider that she only qualified following the withdrawal of fellow Frenchwoman Lee-Ann Curren!

The 18 year-old athlete grew up in Hendaye in the French Basque country, where she started surfing at the age of 8. She participated in her first surfing contest when she was 9 and she has already won a host of trophies, including two European Junior Titles in 2005 and 2007. Pauline grew up in the right place to become a great surfer. She lives in an area well known for its beaches and waves. Hendaye, Guéthary, Biarritz and further north in Les Landes, Hossegor, Capbreton and Seignosse, all great “surfing spots”. Pauline always had a huge potential, one which she has demonstrated very well. She has also shown that Europe can compete with Australia and US in this technical sport. Although she has already made history, Ado now needs to confirm her talent at the highest level. In 2010, she will try to become the fourth French female surfer to qualify for the WCT, the first division tour of professional surfing. F.D.

P.S. Surf http://paulineado.fr and follow Pauline’s news around the world!

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European Idols

Nichi Vendola

A refreshing wave in the Mezzogiorno Nichi Vendola, a charismatic Italian public ﬁgure, was chosen in 2005 by the people of Apulia in 2005 to be the President of this southern region of Italy. A devout Christian, Vendola is also openly homosexual and the founder of the Communist Refoundation Party. Vendola’s main strength lies in his ability to communicate, as his ﬁrst campaign, “Subversive”, shows.

At the start of 2010, nearly 70% of the left voted him in as their candidate for the regional elections, held in March. More than 200 000 people have been reached, thanks to smart web use which includes video letters. Undoubtedly, his conﬁdent use of the latest communications technology leaves him ahead of the ﬁeld.

VENDOLA’S VOCABULARY

•Il “Factor V” (“V-Factor”): his nickname. •La “Fabbrica di Nichi” (“Nichi’s factory”): the name of his headquarters in Bari •“Solo con(tro) tutti” (“Alone with and against all”): his slogan. •“Nichi Express”: name of the bus ﬂeet that drive students from Apulia – who have left elsewhere in Italy for studies – back home so that they can vote.

‘Nichi’s factory’ as his headquarters is called, sees his campaigners whipping up support through tactics such as encouraging people to write in with rhyming slogans. These are to include facts on his priorities for the region, (which include tackling unemployment, policies directed at youth and local environmental issues), couched in rhyme. Spokesperson for the coalition ‘Left, Ecology Freedom’ since December 2009, Vendola is taking a stance against arrogance. Y.M.

P.S. For more information: http://www.nichivendola.it/

Katsunori Kotoōshū With his gracious technique and 152 kilograms of agility, Sumo Wrestler Kotoōshū struck down his opponent Ryogoku Kokugikan on May 25, 2008 in Tokyo, Japan. By doing so he became the ﬁrst European to win the Emperor's Cup, the ancient contact sport’s biggest prize. There have been only seven non Japanese winners. Kotoōshū made his debut in professional sumo in November 2002. Racing up the ranks he reached the rank of ozeki in 2005. No one else has ever reached he second highest rank in just three years.

In April 2006, the European Union then made him its Goodwill Ambassador to Japan. Kotoōshū has collected a loyal fan base over the years, one of his keenest is former French President Jacques Chirac who asked to meet him during a March 2005 visit to Japan. Kaloyan Stefanov Mahlyanov, his real name, was born in the town of Veliko Tarnovo on 19 February 1983. Kotoōshū, which is his professional Sumo wrestling name, is derived from “Koto”, his “stable”, and “ōshū” which means Europe. Y.M.

In the Land of the Rising Sun

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European Idols

Edouard Duplan

Edouard Duplan was studying philosophy when he started playing for the French national university team. He stopped his studies though, after Clermont offered him the chance to sign a contract to play in the French second division championship. However, his team got relegated to the third division and Duplan started to look for a new French second division club, but he was young and lacked experience. The opportunity came for him at the age of 23, from another country though – the Netherlands. RBC Roosendaal, in the second division at that time, offered him a contract. Duplan now plays for Sparta Rotterdam in the Dutch ﬁrst division, although it was Roosendaal where the French winger made a name for himself in Dutch football. While he is still quite unknown in France, he has became a star in the Netherlands. He has already a Dutch fan club!

He likes living and playing football in the Netherlands, he even has a Dutch girlfriend and for the moment he doesn’t plan to go back to France. Duplan, is he the Dutch Cantona? F.D.

P.S. Follow Edouard’s news on “Duplan Fansite" http://www.duplanfansite.nl/

Marta de Menezes Inner universe

Born in Lisbon, Marta de Menezes is a visual artist placing art within a scientiﬁc research context. She works in laboratories, demonstrating that new biological technologies (Magnetic resonance P.S. For more information: http://www.martademenezes.com/

imaging, bioinformatics …etc.) can be used as a new art medium. She has created butterflies with modified wing patterns (Nature?). She has also painted with DNA fibres (Nucleart) and she has created sculptures with proteins. F.D.

Klaus Wowereit Mayor of slogans

Never heard about Klaus Wowereit, alias “Wowi”, before? The mayor of Berlin is known in Germany more for his slogans than for his politics. Both “Arm aber sexy” (“Poor but sexy”) and “… und das ist auch gut so” (“… and that’s all right”) became idiomatic expressions in Germany. In June 2001, Wowereit gave a speech at a convention of the Berlin SPD (Social Democratic Party), ending with his famous words: “I am gay…. and that’s all right”. That was just before his election. Asked in an interview with a magazine if money helps make someone sexy, Wowi disagreed, saying of the relationship between erotic charisma and richness “No. You can see that with Berlin. We are maybe poor, but nevertheless sexy”. Walking around Berlin, one can see people wearing T-Shirts or bags with those slogans. And that’s all right. J.G. P.S. For more information: http://www.klaus-wowereit.de/

French footballer, Dutch star

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European Idols

Youp van ‘t Hek And Youp loves us! For more than 30 years, Youp van ‘t Hek has been hitting the Dutch and Flemish stages with quick, committed and ironic humour. Starting with small gigs in the seventies at schools and local stages, Van ‘t Hek eventually made his ﬁrst appearance on Dutch national television back in 1983. A star was born. Ever since his, one-man shows, columns, books, songs and performances have been a tremendous success. Part of his popularity stems from the recognisable and social critic themes he touches on, such as the expectations of a narrow-minded society, the pursuit of dreams and ideals, fear of death and the daily grind of modern adulthood.

The board of Dutch beer brewer Heineken probably still remembers the year 1989, when Van ‘t Hek mocked the drinkers of their low-alcohol beer brand Buckler. Since then, Buckler can only be found outside the Netherlands due to a steep decline of the brand’s popularity on the national market. But also Dutch politicians, bankers, pet-owners, snobs, skiers, married couples, students, irritating children, sportsmen, school teachers, Ikea furniture and tvshows starring wannabe-singers, single farmers and “Big Brothers” have not been safe – may Youp continue like this for many years to come!

We love Youp!

P.S. For more information: http://www.youp.nl/index.php

C.V.

FRANCOBELGIAN STORY

Dave, Dutch export at its best

I had to move to Belgium to ﬁnd out that Holland does not only export cheese, Dick Advocaat and tulips, but also the best kept treasure of the French chanson…Dave! With songs like La cigarette qui brûle mes doigts, Doux tam-tam and Chagrin sur mer, Dave has captured my heart. Adored in France and Belgium, the Dutch audience really do not know what they are missing. Go Dave! C.V.

Stefka Kostadinova

Ada Nicodemou

The undethroned ﬂying queen

The “white rabbit” girl Remember Heartbreak High... Remember Katerina... but watch out, Katerina is not her real name! She was born Ada Nicodemou in Lacarna, Cyprus. However, she has been an Australian resident since 1987. Besides being an actress, she is a professional dancer. In 2005, Ada competed in and won the grand ﬁnal of Channel Seven’s Dancing. Above all though, she played an unforgettable role in the movie Matrix, being the one to disclose the white rabbit. Y.M.

Stefka Kostadinova cleared a 2.09 m jump during the 1987 World Athletics Championship in Rome. Her record is still unbroken. Just one year after her son’s birth, she was crowned Olympic champion in the high jump in Atlanta. Since retiring, she has held various positions, such as vice president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee and deputy sports minister of Bulgaria. Y.M.

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European Idols

Marco Lamensch and Jean Libon The men who undress society

“Strip-Tease”. This word means a bit more in Belgium and France than in any other country. It is the name of Belgian TV magazine – aired from 1985 to 2002 on national broadcaster RTBF – which has reached cult-status – a DVD or, even better, a VHS cassette of Strip-Tease remains “the present par excellence” in Belgium – and even crossed the borders to be a hit in France. Its founders, on the other hand, remain in the anonymity of Belgian cultural heritage.

The concept: there is no voice-over, or journalist featured. People are the only protagonists. This programme may be considered as the forerunner of reality TV. L.v.B.

“If anthropologists, say in a 100 years, want to study and further understand Belgium, viewing Strip-Tease’s 800-or-so episodes would be a good starting point”, explained Jean Libon in an interview in 2008. This programme highlights the inconvenient truth of the lives of everyday people. It undresses us, sociologically speaking. It brings the viewers closer to “nation’s DNA”. From an episode to the next feelings can be very different: fun, hilarious, questioning, scary, embarrassing or even irritating. “I’ve already received letters from Belgians living abroad who told me: I know the country is like this but this shouldn’t be shown. Why not? The thing is, we relate the reality we see, the aim isn’t to be negative about the country at all... By the way I know for a fact that Strip-Tease had a lot to do for Belgium’s reputation for creativity, energy and success in France.

WHAT’S ON TV TONIGHT?

Strip-Tease which continues to be rerun on RTBF and France 3 during every summer has got a little brother since 2003: “Tout Ca (Ne Nous Rendra Pas Le Congo)” / “All that won't give us Congo back”

Vladimir Bereanu

Nothing else than a revolution on TV Vladimir Bereanu is a TV journalist, famous for his live coverage and commentary for more than 48h non-stop, of the events linked to the collapse of the dictatorial Ceausescu regime. He provided live commentary of what happened from the morning of 22th December 1989 through until the evening of the 24th December, a unique ‘reality’ TV show according to him – his was the only station able to transmit out of Romania, and so it was he who broadcast the events to the world. He is now a respected investigative journalist

and hosting the program "A Special Case" which is always on Bulgarian television. He investigates and highlights corruption cases and other public scandals affecting society. Y.M. P.S. For more information: http://multimedia.tipik.eu/year-that-changed-europe/

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European Idols

©Nick J. Webb

Eddie Izzard

Run Eddie, run!! Eddie Izzard is an actor and one of Britain’s favourite stand-up comedians. He is particularly well known as a cross-dresser both on and off stage, describing himself variously as an "executive," "action" and "professional" transvestite, and as a "a male tomboy". He has said that his main comical role model has been Monty Python, and has been referred to by Monty Python’s John Cleese as the "lost Python." He is also a politically active member of the UK Labour party. He recently completed a seven week marathon through the UK to raise money for Sport Relief – 43 marathons in 51 days! M.H. P.S. For more information: http://www.eddieizzard.com/

Strong voices and strong competition in Malta

Sabina Guzzanti

A very serious humorist The eldest daughter of the respected senator and dissenting member of Forza Italia, Paolo Guzzanti, Sabina is a very serious humorist best known for her savage impressions of Silvio Berlusconi and Massimo d’Alema.

In 2001, “Berlusconi’s Bulgarian edict” included her among various ‘undesirable’ journalists and comedians of “having criminally misused publicly financed television”. In 2003, she created a TV show called “Raiot – Weapons of Mass Distraction”, where she tore into almost every figure in Italian public life, including the Prime Minister and the director of state television. She also used the programme to touch on issues such as the public display of crucifixes and international support for Israel. Raiot was first broadcast on the public television channel Rai 3 but was been banned as media group Mediaset took legal action against her for slander, offence and untold vulgarities. The Supreme Court, after months of enquiries, cleared Sabina Guzzanti of all suspicion. Besides winning the trial, her personal answer was the release, in 2005, of a widely praised film, Viva Zapatero! Devoted to comedy and satire, she is continuing to fight a daily battle for freedom of expression. Y.M. P.S. For more information: http://www.sabinaguzzanti.it/

It seems that one rule to be respected if one is to be such a famous pop singer in Malta, is to participate in the Eurovision Song Contest, or at least try to!

Chiara Sirécusa has represented her country three times at the Eurovision. In 2005, she came second. She was third in 2009, also becoming the third most successful Eurovision artist in terms of total points earned. Ira Losco is one of the best selling artists in this island. She also participated in the Contest, coming in second in 2002. Fabrizio Faniello, another idol of the same ’variety’, participated in 2001 and was placed ninth. The career of Olivia Lewis is the most interesting though. She is a singer from Qormi. A very keen singer, who has tried persistently and tirelessly to get her ticket to be the Maltese representative at the Eurovision Song Contest. She almost succeeded at her 11th attempt in 2007, unfortunately though her performance didn’t qualify for the ﬁnal stage in Helsinki. Y.M.

SHIFTING WITH

Guy Verhofstadt Born in the “U.S.E.”

He could have been president of the European Commission in 2004. He was approached to be the ﬁrst “president of the EU” in 2009. In the end, he got himself a seat in the European Parliament. No need for big titles to have big visions for Europe. He had the time of an interview to prove it and he did. INTERVIEW BY LAURENT VAN BRUSSEL When you became President of the Liberal Flemish Students' Union in Ghent in 1972, did you ever think that you would be involved in EU politics?

I was young and I couldn't know what twists and turns my career would take. However, I did develop a passion, for politics, my belief in liberalism and an enduring commitment to what would become the EU: so I guess that the writing was on the wall.

You studied law, became a politician. Was there a ‘plan B’ in your life? Winemaker in Italy? Most of my life revolved around politics, that is the way it turned out. With my law degree I could have taken a different direction and become a lawyer, but that's not where my true interests lay. To become a full-time amateur

winemaker in Italy is a dream for my retirement years, which is still a long way off. You started your political career in 1977. You have held many different positions. Thirty three years later what remains your best “chapter”? Maybe the one to be most proud of was my work as a reporter on the parliamentary commission on the genocide in Rwanda. It came after a dark period for me personally and forced me to put everything in perspective. This chapter also increased my involvement in international politics. Too often atrocities occur as a consequence of group thinking and tribalism. This is exactly why I value the project for a united Europe. Lots of languages/cultures, difﬁcult to understand for outsiders: EU and Belgian politics seem to be quite similar. What’s your point of view? Everyone that is active in Belgian politics and who wants to make a real contribution has to understand the art of consensus. This is also crucial in European politics. Diversity and consensus-

building are strengths of both Belgium and the EU. This process is not always easy, and is sometimes difficult to understand, but it produces the results that benefit out citizens. Last December, talking about the upcoming election of the European Council’s first President, you said: “When the College of Cardinals elects a new pope, it chooses a Catholic…” Is Herman Van Rompuy this new “European pope”? What I meant with this quote is that it would only be reasonable to choose someone who is convinced of the case for European integration. Herman Van Rompuy, like most Belgian politicians, believes that we need a strong Europe and I support him in giving strong leadership to the Council. I'm assured that he's willing to work together with the European Parliament to build a stronger Europe. Does the new Barroso Commission meet your expectations – at least “on paper”? I expect Barroso to live up to his promises to us and be a strong, bold and energetic President: closely in tune with public opinion, independent of Member States' pressure and proactive in seeking common European action where it is clearly necessary. The new Commission has only recently started its work but I hope it will soon present further ideas on an integrated economic strategy that will lead Europe out of the crisis. If you had to summarize your vision of Europe in a few words, what would you say? An ongoing project that provides peace, prosperity and unity in the face of global challenges. An evolving reality that exists for the benefit of citizens within Europe and beyond. The title of your latest book is clear “How Europe can save the world”. What does it imply? Is Europe not too divided to be a leader? The severe financial and economic crisis has highlighted important lessons. It has shown that national responses to inter-

national problems are less effective than ever, and that protectionist responses are designed to fail. The recent crisis Greece underlined this. That is why Europe should be at the forefront of the crisis recovery. Banks and investment funds are active on a European and global scale, and it is on those levels that supervision must operate. A common set of supervisory rules, enforced across the EU, is a good starting point. Raising Eurobonds, issued by the European Investment Bank, would allow also Europe to finance the cost of the economic recovery on the international market. I don't accept that Europe is too divided to achieve these things. The internal market, the euro, our nascent European security and defense policy: all of these are achievements at least equal in size and scope to a single financial supervisor and the issue of Eurobonds. We have proven in the past that Europe can unite to overcome problems. Now we must do so again. In 2002 you received the “Vision for Europe Award”. In 2007 your book “The united states of Europe” was awarded the Europe Book Prize. What does this recognition of your European involvement mean for you? It's always nice to be appreciated. But what is more important is that the idea of greater European cooperation is heard and debated. The European project is still young. With the oxygen of debate, it will grow and prosper. Today you are the favorite political leader in Belgium. We see the same phenomenon in France with public figures like Jacques Chirac or Dominique Strauss-Khan for example. Politics seems to be an exception to the famous rule “out of sight out of mind…” What’s your opinion? I think that this has a lot to do with the times of crisis we go through right now. A lot of people have lost their jobs, there's a lot of uncertainty about the future. In international politics we're going through an uncertain transition towards a multipolar world order. Under these circumstances it's perfectly natural that people will put their faith in familiar faces with a proven record.

Among the following sportsmen and women who recently decided to come back to competition, who has the best chance of succeeding in 2010: Michael Schumacher, Lance Armstrong, Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters or Marion Jones? It's hard to choose between Lance Armstrong and the two Belgian tennis players. But they have all shown determination in making successful comebacks and I wish them all well.

“MADE IN U.S.E.” portrait

As the title of his ﬁrst book was “The United States of Europe”, we decided to ask him to imagine what should symbolize them the most. If Europe was United States what/who would be its: Most symbolic building Colosseum Favorite music style Classical music Most popular actor/actress Sean Connery Most popular band/singer The Dire Straits Best writer Elias Canetti Main cultural event Avignon Festival Main sport event Tour de France Top sportsman/woman Eddy Merckx Greatest inventor/pioneer Columbus Greatest political leader Jean Monnet “National” sport Cycling Motto (other than “United in diversity”) Together we stand stronger Anthem (other than “Ode of Joy”) Putain Putain (TC Matic)

The Book

The Taste of Apple Seeds of Katharina Hagena All families have a story. The one related by Katharina Hagena plunges us into noises of an old wood staircase and the depths of Bertha’s garden where apple trees and white currant marmalades take shape. Some marmalades with clear glints... Some “potted tears”.

BY MARIEFRANCE LOCUS The Taste of Apple Seeds is a story of three generations of women with unique but entangled destinies, that shade as many sad or impetuous memories as they do secrets. When her grand-mother Betha dies, Iris, a young librarian, inherits the family house located in the north of Germany. At ﬁrst she doesn’t think that she will keep this house with its winter garden and its scent of cinnamon. But every room tells its own story; every object is a shared adventure. And over the pages while Bertha’s memory slowly disappears, Iris tames and even domesticates lives again – starting with her own. Between past and present, the exacting and masterful writing of Katharina Hagena offers us a beautiful view of love and forgetting, against a background of black lakes, hot stones and kids’ stuff.

THE AUTHOR

Born in 1967, Katharina Hagena teaches English and German literature at Dublin College and University of Hamburg. She also leads research activities/works at the Zurich James Joyce Foundation.

Ultra violence and good manners

"Swifter, Higher, Stronger... and water-resistant" BY LEMMY STERIO Wrestling, drawing, moustaches... Three words that ﬁre people’s imagination. Put them together and you will get the typical product of the Olympic motto: wrestling of moustachioed draughtsmen!

nicest leotard, hooded or masked – as soon as he looses his anonymity a “luchador” stops being free – and armed only with his pen as a weapon.

With this new “non-sport”, the Ofﬁcial Federation of Moustachioed Draughtsmen from Nantes (FOCDAMN), pushes the art of comics out of the living room and brings it into the public halls for a show worthy of a decadent rock star, expressing all the rage and madness of its water-resistant ink.

Every match involves an imposing selection of music, to guarantee an atmosphere promising audience participation – as well as a couple of spicy dancing cheerleaders.

Wrestling of moustachioed draughtsmen goes beyond entertainment. It offers a graphical match where tight-ﬁtting slipway and polished pen go hand in hand. Here, no need of phylactery; here big paper rollers rule! They will be soiled in hand-to-hand combat with the moustachioed wrestler dressed in his

All in all wrestling-drawing is a game where players are hidden so they can live happily. The drawing wrestler is not an adulated artist but simply a super-hero who dares to enjoy himself off the beaten track of comics. And there is nothing we would like better.

Silver Screen

Sfar sublimates Gainsbourg BY DAVID MARQUIE

“What interests me about Serge Gainsbourg is not his truths but his lies...”, Joann Sfar concludes his ﬁlm “Gainsbourg: A Heroic Life" with these words that perfectly summarise the previous two hours of the ﬁlm.

When I was a child, Gainsbourg frightened me. That was the 80s with “Gainsbarre” the sloppy agitator with stubble, who enjoyed himself by being hated by a too conformist France – just like the darkside of the ‘genius poet’, which I later discovered after his death. The French director brings this devil to life – in the physical sense of the word – in his ﬁlm. To break away from the genre of biography and its strict limits, Sfar decided to tell a story – a form which was perfectly suited to his artistic imagination. This narrative

choice has provided him with a freedom of tone that has turned this movie into a very personal work. This freedom can also be observed in the performance of the leading actor, Eric Elmosino. He doesn’t imitate or impersonate Gainsbourg but creates an original hero, halfway between himself and the singer. Elmosino himself sings most of the songs that are performed in the film. These songs that were re-recorded for the occasion, with some well-known figures from French music-scene (Dionysos, Katerine, etc.) are one of the attractions of this film. And if rhythm seems to be too speedy – especially in the final part – it is because we are carried along by a dizzying ballet of actors, brought together by Sfar. Between “Javanaise” and “Décadanse”...

Snapshots

Cities under bombings BRISTOL

This UK city, the home town of Banksy, one of the stars in world of grafﬁti, is showing a kind of gratefulness to its “enfant terrible”. Some of his creations are now protected by preservation orders and the city museum even opened up its doors to him last year. http://www.banksy.co.uk/

Some grafﬁti artists have turned cities into their own private playgrounds. From hometown debuts to inspiring tours de force, they redesign urban landscapes by giving life to walls.

BERLIN

The walls of Europe’s trendiest city seem to foster big ideas. Some of the most famous grafﬁti artists on the continent, from the Italian Blu, to the local Super Blast, or the Portuguese Victor Ash, have each given the city massive paintings.

http://www.missvan.com/ http://www.faﬁ.net/

TOULOUSE

La ville rose, the sunny ’pink city’, has given birth to an active and imaginative local scene which has taken possession of its walls since the mid 80’s. Some of its most well-known representatives are Miss Van and Faﬁ.

http://www.blublu.org/ http://www.superblast.de/ http://www.victorash.net/

Impossible to walk in Grenada without passing near El Niño de las pinturas’s pieces. His co lourful and poetic creations ornament façades all over the town, making them living oversized paintings.

GRENADA

http://www.elninodelaspinturas.com/

Andnow...? © SHIFTMag • 2010 Avenue de Tervueren 270 1150 Brussels – Belgium www.shiftmag.eu Publisher: Juan ARCAS • juan.arcas@shiftmag.eu Editor in chief: Laurent VAN BRUSSEL • T. +32 2 235 56 19 • laurent.vanbrussel@shiftmag.eu Deputy Editor: David MARQUIE • T. +32 2 235 56 41 • david.marquie@tipik.eu Editors: Alexia BOEHM (France), Frédéric DARMUZEY (France), Friederike ENDRESS (Germany), Juliane GAU (Germany), Mark HUMPHREYS (United Kingdom), Marie-France LOCUS (Belgium), Yuri MALU (Belgium), Christiaan VINKENBORG (NETHERLANDS)

Summer 2010 Issue – Next destination: Europe Three years ago we dedicated our second issue to Europe’s borders – in the broad meaning of the term. For our 14th issue we have decided to reverse logic with the theme “Next destination: Europe” focused on a Europe which travels – is it for business or pleasure? Is it for economic reasons or for studying? Or is it to explore support sports or culture? A kind of Europe without borders where all roads don’t just lead to Rome!

Contributors to this issue: Oliver LE BUSSY (Belgium), Hervé LE TREUT (France), Nicolas GROS-VERHEYDE (France) Illustrators: Frédéric HAYOT (Belgium), João SILVA (Portugal), Jimmy SEGERS (Belgium), François TACOEN (Belgium) Special thanks to Jérôme Verzin and Frédéric Farin for the magazine’s circulation follow-up; Abigail Acton, Ann Macpherson and David Bywell for linguistic proofreading. Production & coordination: Brieuc HUBIN • brieuc.hubin@tipik.eu Benoît GOOSSENS • benoit.goossens@tipik.eu Administration & subscription: editors@tipik.eu Design & Graphics: Tipik Studio Printed by: Manufast-ABP, Brussels. To advertise in SHIFT Mag contact: Jerôme URBAIN (Tipik Communication) • T.+32 2 235 56 64 • jerome.urbain@tipik.eu Bruno BONTE (Publicitas NV) • T. +32 2 639 84 36 • bruno.bonte@publicitas.com

Institute for European Studies ULB – Brussels

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