Schulz and Juncker, the twin brothers

 As it gets closer to the EU parliamentary elections it is also clearer that the two main candidates for the top job of Commission President are just the opposite face of the same coin. There is no major difference, in terms of EU policies and choices, between Martin Schulz, from Germany and leader of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats, meaning the social-democrat head, and Jean-Claude Juncker, from Luxembourg and the front name for the European People´s Party, the centre-right. Therefore, the question is more about personalities than anything else. Some people would find Schulz more attractive, they would say he might be more progressive, whatever that means in the case of these two men, others would say that Juncker has more experience. Between the two, it is obvious that Juncker is the one that has been around longer, that knows more when it comes to the business of government and also has been tested as the leader, for a very long period, of the finance ministers´ Eurogroup. That makes him a better candidate. But politics is a very complex field and competence is not always a criteria of success.

Boko Haram in Paris

Today´s summit on Boko Haram, convened at the Elysée Palace by President François Hollande, should be seen as a constructive initiative. 

The concrete results in terms of fighting the Nigerian terrorist group might be very tiny. But it had some other advantages.

 It kept the pressure on the President of Nigeria. President Goodluck Jonathan must take the issue with a greater degree of seriousness. 

It also showed that the countries in the region – particularly Cameroon and Chad – must be fully engaged and cooperate among themselves. This is lacking. Especially as it concerns Cameroon. North Cameroon – an area I know relatively well – is a forgotten region, when seen from the capital Yaoundé. This has to change. The Cameroonians have to increase their police and armed forces presence in the North. They have also to be prepared to cooperate with Nigeria and Chad. 

The summit has also emphasized that the problem requires international cooperation if it is to be tackled without further delay. France can certainly play a role on the French-speaking side of the region. The UK has to be more involved on the Nigerian side. And French and British intelligence services have to work hand in hand on the ground and be willing to treat the African counterparts as equals.

All this is a bit of an ambition. Not easy to achieve. But it has to be said. And the pressure has to go on.

We will see what progress will be reported as accomplished when the ministers meet for a follow-up conference next month in the UK. 

The coming EU elections

With a little bit more than a week to go before the next round of European elections, the popular enthusiasm is truly low. In many EU countries, the elections will be basically an exercise on abstention.

The lack of interest for this vote and the role played by anti-EU parties put the common project in a very dangerous path. More than ever, we are at a crossroads. More than ever, we need a serious bunch of European politicians that can talk to the people and be clear about the critical importance of a united Europe.

Are we going to get them elected?

Are those who speak for Europe numerous enough to make a difference?

Europe cannot lose the public opinion battle. 

Afghanistan beyond 2014

Still no agreement between the Afghan government and the coalition of countries that would be ready to provide security assistance to Afghanistan after ISAF´s closure at the end of this year.

This is a matter of concern. It is true that Afghan forces are today better prepared than before. But that might not be enough. Actually, the country continues to require international cooperation in matters of internal security. To believe otherwise would be a straight and short road to disaster.  

Ukraine and the election of the new UN Secretary-General

Have we thought that a collateral damage resulting from the Ukraine crisis is related to the election of the new UN Secretary-general? Up to now it was safe to believe that the new SG, to be elected in 2016, would be a senior figure from Eastern Europe. Now, with the tense situation that has developed between the West and Russia, it is very likely to see Moscow opposing a strong candidate coming from a former member of the Warsaw Pact. Or from a former USSR territory. That puts an end, I believe, to the ambitions some key figures in the Baltic States had been nurturing.

It also increases the chances of someone coming from a smaller Western State. And it gives a new breath of hope to UNDP´s boss, Helen Clark, a New Zealander that would love to be in charge. 

Ukraine and the financial markets

The international financial markets seem to be less nervous about the crisis in Ukraine. This is a bit surprising at a time when nobody knows what could happen next in the Eastern regions of the country.

My reading is that they take the new situation, including the potential separation of those lands from the rest of Ukraine, as a fait accompli, something that will happen in any case. The people behind the key financial funds, those who define the trends, have now had enough time to move moneys around and adjust to the new game in Eastern Europe. 

Africa´s Green Revolution

Africa needs a Green Revolution: a major transformation of the agricultural sector. The benefits of enabling this are multiple. Not only can this contribute to addressing the fuel deficit by offering a means to diversify and localize the production of fuel. It will also enhance food security and offers a wide range of livelihood opportunities to move poor subsistence-based farmers and their families out of poverty and into greater economic security. Here too, then, there is a need for a radical re-think: looking at agriculture as a potentially profitable business opportunity, not simply as an aid or development challenge that is only oriented to poverty mitigation.

Agricultural transformation in Africa

The Africa Progress Report 2014 has just been published and I recommend its reading. It is the flagship annual publication of the Geneva-based Africa Progress Panel (APP), a non-governmental institution that is led by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. APP is a key advocate for Africa´s inclusive and sustainable development.

This year´s report is about food and nutrition security. It is about farming and fishing with the poor at the centre of the policies.

And I quote from the report:

“Agriculture must be at the heart that transformation. Most Africans, including the vast majority of Africa’s poor, continue to live and work in rural areas, principally as smallholder farmers. In the absence of a flourishing agricultural sector, the majority of Africans will be cut adrift from the rising tide of prosperity.”

#BringBackOurGirls

The international campaign #BringBackOurGirls has had some impact on the Nigerian government. The President is finally moving. For about three weeks – and this bog has been one of the very first to call the attention to the terrible fate the school girls kidnapped by the Boko Haram terrorists were in – the country´s leadership tried to sweep the issue under the carpet. Now the outcry is too big to be ignored.

But a key question remains: how to explain the failure to protect these school children and the many civilians in the North-Eastern part of the country that are under constant threat? How can we understand this failure in a country that has a large army, good special forces and good intelligence? Who is giving a chance to Boko Haram to commit the horrendous crimes that are now their trademark? Who are the political backers of the terrorists and why? 

Europe´s future requires cooperation among the states

Le Monde printed this afternoon with tomorrow´s date has a very important opinion editorial by François Hollande about Europe´s future. The French President´s views are very clear: the continuation of the common European project means peace and will bring prosperity; on the contrary, the ultra-nationalism and the return to national borders carries with it the seeds of conflict among the different European nations; it is also a serious menace to the continuation of the common currency, which means a return to devalued and 

unstable national currencies; it is a move back to poverty and underdeveloped economies.

And the President shows he is very concerned with the current trends that run against Europe. The project cannot move if the people are not in support. And he sees that we are facing a serious risk that can easily undermine the survival of a joint aspiration and shared interests. He sees, with great concern, a continuing deterioration of the popular support to the Euro and the EU.

It is a good text. It should certainly be made available in other languages besides French. In the current atmosphere, when the nationalists are getting ground, it is critical to present a different view.

It is actually a very simple, and also very correct view. Europe needs to unite and cooperate better among its member states if it still aspires to play a role in the global world we live in. That´s the only reasonable way forward. The rest is just demagoguery.