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CNB Pro, a department of Bordeaux-based yacht- and boatbuilder CNB, builds passenger boats for commercial operators. CNB Pro has been particularly busy of late. In early May, the department delivered five passenger boats to UBA, an operator based at Arcachon bay on France’s Atlantic coast south of Bordeaux. These boats are 14.15 metres in length for a beam of 4.56m and carry up to 49 passengers. Powered by a pair of 280-hp Cummins QSB 6.7 engines, they offer a top speed of 18 knots and, thanks to advanced automation, can be operated by the captain unaided.

• Lire la suite de CNB Pro, enjoying strong demand for commercial passenger boats

Following its complete refurbishment and transformation to accommodate superyachts, the large drydock at La Ciotat was formally declared open for business on Monday 3 April. Originally 335 metres in length by 60 in width, the facility was commissioned in 1969 to build large ships. In 1988, shipbuilder Normed closed the drydock and yard marking the end of a long history in shipbuilding. In 2000, the yard reopened to service large yachts. Interest in the precinct’s potential revived, except that it was too big for even the biggest superyachts.

• Lire la suite de Superyacht drydock open for business

Compositeworks has completed an extensive refit of the Ulysses, a 107-metre exploration motor yacht that has been in the main La Rochelle drydock since March. This summer, the drydock will be transformed into a covered superyacht refit facility as part of a project that symbolises the Atlantic port’s commitment to refits, repairs and rebuilds for superyachts, megayachts and the like.

• Lire la suite de La Rochelle for superyacht refits

On 21 April, the Le Havre pilot station took delivery of the L’Hirondelle de la Manche, a new 12-metre pilot boat designed by the Pierre Delion naval architecture bureau in cooperation with the Sibiril Technologies boatyard. For the design and production teams she’s a “little gem”. On 17 March, the new model passed a capsize recovery test with three people aboard, which is no mean feat for a boat of this size.

 

• Lire la suite de New pilot boat is a “little gem”

French regional cluster Bretagne Pole Naval has launched a container-based shelter concept for onshore and offshore applications ranging from accommodation modules and control centres to air conditioning, water processing and power generation.

• Lire la suite de Container-based shelters from Brittany

Deux semaines seulement après Manchester, la ville de Londres a été frappée, samedi 3 juin, par un attentat terroriste faisant au moins 7 morts et une cinquantaine de blessés. Alors que l'enquête se poursuit, les élections législatives du 8 juin sont maintenues, tandis que l'impact du Brexit sur la coopération antiterroriste pose à nouveau question.

When people think about the Balkans, it is most often as the ‘powder keg’ of Europe: a region that produces more history than it can consume. But this small group of countries next door to the European Union has been trying for more than two decades to change this stereotype. After fierce ethnic conflicts during the 1990s the Western Balkans have been moving towards the prospect of EU integration.

The joint EU accession project remains the major inspiration for peace, stability and security in the Western Balkans, whose history, culture, society and economy are inseparably linked to those of the rest of Europe. But ethnic divides are set to remain a source of instability; the enduring legacy of ancient conflicts.

The prevailing perception of the Western Balkans is that of a divided and distrustful society. I became aware of this divide as a student in Sarajevo in 2000. Bombarded buildings show a town’s suffering much better than the bitter stories of its residents. I also saw the immense impact of ethnic conflicts on the younger generation. We mixed very little with the ‘others’ – those of a ‘different’ ethnicity – whose parents or grandparents were responsible for certain past events. The scars of conflict were still fresh. Young people, despite their energy and forward-looking nature, were not yet ready to place themselves at the head of the much-needed reconciliation process.

“Conflicts of the past have left behind prejudices and intolerance”

Many hoped that time would heal the wounds. But even the young people today who have never experienced a single day of war have grown up in divided societies. The conflicts of the past have left behind prejudices and intolerance, exploited in propaganda by nationalists who consider young people to an easy target and a Balkanised generation. We see young people fighting at football matches or singing nationalist songs; it is clear that the hoped-for reconciliation has not yet arrived. This process needs time and – more importantly – work.

Reconciliation is essential for lasting peace. Reconciliation needs simultaneous top-down and bottom-up processes. And reconciliation needs effective leadership, including the efforts of ordinary citizens and (in particular) younger generations, to propel societies away from a divided past and towards a shared future.

There are lessons from elsewhere. The Franco-German Youth Office was established in 1963 to bring the young people of these countries together after two world wars. The Western Balkans is using this model today as a source of inspiration. During the 2016 Paris Western Balkans Summit an agreement was signed to set up the Regional Youth Cooperation Office. RYCO, a joint initiative of the prime ministers of Albania and Serbia, with its seat in the Albanian capital Tirana, is designed to nurture a spirit of reconciliation and cooperation among young people in the region; to strengthen bonds and promote mutual understanding. Recently there have been positive developments in this area, particularly thanks to top-level political exchanges. But political deals alone do not have the power to boost such cooperation.

Substantial reconciliation requires regional cooperation. Good neighbourhood relations can be forged only through constructive and peaceful dialogue among citizens, young people included. At a time when nationalist and populist rhetoric is gaining ground in Europe, including in the Western Balkans, young people have a responsibility to take an active stand against it.

Politicians should reject nationalism and trust young people, allowing them to take a leading role in maintaining dialogue and building bridges of friendship. Today’s young people are tomorrow’s decision-makers: they will have responsibility for ensuring sustainable security and stability in the region, as well as continued socio-economic development and further integration into the European family.

“Good neighbourhood relations can be forged only through constructive and peaceful dialogue among citizens”

This could be a hard process in a region where the wounds of conflict have not yet healed. But there is no viable alternative. European integration is a shared goal and challenge; it serves as the motivation to achieve reconciliation. But the long waiting time to join the EU, social problems arising from unemployment, slow economic growth and the lack of trust in weak institutions combine to create disappointment among young people, who tend to view themselves as a ‘lost generation’. Our societies cannot risk wasting their potential, which would seriously threaten the region’s long-term development.

The RYCO may have just taken its first steps, but there are big expectations. This does not mean that there were no such exchanges prior to this initiative or that it will immediately solve all the problems facing young people in the region. But a regional organisation that guides and coordinates cooperation among young people would strengthen the overall reconciliation process. It has the potential to gather momentum and lend a new perspective to reconciliation. Regional cooperation can only truly become a real success story in Western Balkans when it lives in the hearts and minds of its young people.

To this end, this initiative need to be associated with new policies to stimulate economic growth, create new jobs, consolidate the rule of law and democratic institutions, ensure observance of human rights and fight against corruption and organised crime. These actions would help ensure the future that our young people deserve, bringing them closer to the promise of Europe.

For the EU, stability, security and prosperity in this region are of special interest. So Europe needs to invest in young people and keep their part of the promise. Young people in the Balkans have much to offer for the future: energy, an awareness of the past, and the ability to play an active role in building a common European future.

IMAGE CREDIT: Borodin/Bigstock

The post Young people can map a European future for the Balkans appeared first on Europe’s World.

Dr Panagiota Manoli and Dr Thanos Dokos – with the contibution of Dr  Angeliki Dimitriadi and Dr Theodore Tsakiris – wrote a paper analysing the Greek perspective of relations between the EU and Turkey.  Their report has been written in the framework of the FEUTURE research project. You can access it here.

L'Experte indépendante des Nations Unies sur la situation des droits de l'homme en République Centrafricaine (RCA), Marie-Thérèse Keita Bocoum, se rendra en RCA du 7 au 16 juin pour évaluer la situation critique des droits de l'homme et de la réponse humanitaire, a annoncé mardi le Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme.

Comentario Elcano 28/2017 - 6/6/2017
Gonzalo Escribano

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(Own report) - With its continued worldwide support for Salafis, Germany's close partner, Saudi Arabia, is relentlessly fertilizing the soil for the growth of jihadi terror, according to the German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP). "The consequences of Saudi Arabia's support for Salafism are catastrophic," the SWP concludes in light of IS/Daesh activities in Europe. British experts are also sharply criticizing cooperation with Riyadh. If one seriously wants to combat jihadi terror, one "should start by stopping the mass export of Wahhabism's intolerance and hatred from Saudi Arabia," an insider recommends. This is, however, countered by Germany, other European powers and North America's relentless cooperation with the Saudi ruling clan. Just a few weeks ago, Chancellor Angela Merkel launched regular military cooperation with the Saudi armed forces. Out of consideration for Riyadh, the British government has been withholding an investigation, showing the - presumably Saudi - financiers of British jihadis. This had been made known only three days before the latest terror attack in London.

Emmanuel Macron et son homologue comorien ont prôné lundi "l'apaisement" après les propos polémiques du président français sur les "kwassa-kwassa". Le ministre comorien des Affaires étrangères avait auparavant exigé des excuses.

Premiers appelés à se rendre aux urnes pour le premier tour des législatives, samedi 3 et dimanche 4 juin, les Français de l’étranger ont plébiscité les candidats de La République en marche dans la quasi-totalité de leurs onze circonscriptions.

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