The European elections have passed, but it is no excuse to lose interest in Europe. To venture on the complicated roads of the functioning and the actuality of the European Union can be confusing, even with the best will. Three books, published in France this summer, tell us about the European Union with unexpected lightness and originality.
• "The Erasmus Journey: If Europe told me"
A philosophical tale inspired by Saint-Exupéry's "Little Prince", "The Erasmus Journey: If Europe Was Told to Me" speaks of Europe with heart and illustrations. Its author, Franck Gouéry, teacher on European issues at Sciences-Po Paris, follows the little Erasmus - the name of a famous Dutch philosopher of the Renaissance - who wants to understand why the European Union he loves so much is torn apart. During his tour of Europe as the crow flies, he will meet as interesting as improbable. Democratic crisis and distrust, national selfishness, diverging interests, the most pointed subjects are addressed in this story, with imagination and sensitivity. Not forgetting to recall the history of European construction, this book speaks of peace, cooperation and the union of peoples.
• "The Syndic A crazy history of Europeans"
To learn while having fun, Gonzague Dejouany offers to dive in "The Syndic A crazy history of the Europeans". A bit like a "Europe for Dummies", the author decrypts the European Union with humor in a book he calls himself "crazy book on Europe". Twenty-eight families cohabit in the building UE28, built by the founding fathers in 1957, at No. 2 Avenue de l'Atlantique. These twenty-eight co-owners are shopping together, hosting students on another floor for a year or two, leaving their apartment doors open - to allow Shen Ghen, the babysitter, to deliver the mail more easily. The trustee of the building organizes the common life and manages disputes. Meanwhile, a vigilante of the Frontex company monitors the entrances and exits of the building: here we can recognize references to Erasmus exchanges or to the European force controlling the external borders.
Moreover, the spun metaphor is a hit. By mixing historical reality and caricature, this book sprinkled with playful words and fun references allows us to approach the Union in a lighter way. One feels nevertheless how much this co-ownership can easily turn into a nightmare.
• "Compromises"
For even more sensations, Maxime Calligaro and Eric Cardère publish "Compromises". Former and current parliamentary attachés in the European Parliament, they have written in four hands this crime novel that is happening ... in the Brussels Chamber! It is by reviewing "The Name of the rose" that the two authors start writing this polar. "The abbey, this distant world in isolation, made us think of the European Parliament," according to Maxime Calligaro.
This thriller plunges us into the heart of the European district, around the death of French Green MEP Sandrine Berger, after her fall from the 12th floor. Accident ? Murder? His parliamentary attaché, Émile, struggles with a Libération journalist to shed light. Political opponent? Competitor jealous? Lobbyist? MEPs, parliamentary attachés, journalists all participate in the ball macabre. And the initiates will recognize several colorful figures of the Brussels bubble. Novices will follow a breathtaking police intrigue, where you learn a lot about Europe without even realizing it! The idea of the authors was to "bring the reader into the European Parliament to discover the different castes, political families, functions". A successful bet.