Oscars ceremony is close enough to tempt me in announcing my trendy nominations. What else to do, when January the traditional Sales period is done, boutique and grand distribution people aka managers (even consultants) are savoring juicy Excel total sheets, longing libidinously for the next major freaking fake – St. Fallentime. Well… it might be something in between, but I wouldn’t wish to insist or intrude… As Feb seems to be designated the month for Sales in Politics.

I’m not referring here to my Belgian Government ordeal or hardly marketable options, mais rather consider EU innovative approaches and launching of revolutionary calls on indeed actual, stringent issues, in the light of latest developments in Arab world, especially in Egypt and Tunisia. For the moment… Anyway, it appears some obsolete PCs will be made redundant. Or, for marketing sake Sale price is reduced and some categories would qualify for installments notwithstanding. The bad news is PC stands for Political Correctness, en revanche the good one is the season has just begun.

I have the opportunity (or strategy?) to be involved almost on a daily basis with EU Institutional environment and lately the unavoidable trend is to accommodate a certain circumstantial boldness, regarding cornerstones of our governance system, such as democracy, representation, legitimacy, state of law, power of the people, etc. People, people… but what kind of people and which power… it is not that simple anymore! Appropriateness of these nice export merchandises to be delivered in some sensitive areas has come under serious question.

Well… this is quite something. It is huge, epochal, indeed revolutionary and paradigm shifting, some attributes are now loaded with substance, unlike their use in volatile EC 2020 strategy orientations for instance. Ok, but what shall we do without our precious chewing-gum delicacies, which seem essential in managing the whole cooking establishment? Probably nothing special… as the respective sacred cardinal versets represent anyway just exterior variables in the real functionality of the system in the real world. And this is notably true in the Westside story, where oligarchic muses play a decisive role.

The interchangeability, vacuousness and versatility of some fundamental categories of our system of values made me realize a second-hand dimension in habitual mythical interpretation of facts and consequently I’m heading to more glamorous Showbiz ratings.

Here are the nominations for best European features:

*        La Dolce Vita and Pastoral Symphony and La Vita è Bella

At category: Cultural heritage and patrimony, historical distinction, traditions and source of civilization.

Rationale: The European multifaceted mosaic comprising a tremendously rich diversity of cultures, languages, traditions, customs, the well-preserved anthropic and natural habitats, etc. represents an inimitably important asset. Perhaps this uniqueness is a paramount feature in defining the quality of European savoir-vivre. The distribution in non-alphabetical order casts stars such as: Mozart, Salzburg, Paris, Van Gogh, Dostoyevsky, lake Constance, Joyce, Baudelaire, Brancusi, Einstein, pata negra, Roma, Darwin, Sighisoara citadel, Stonehenge, Alhambra, Enescu, Karol Wojtyła, transhumance, Kant, Napoleon codes, Saint-Exupery, Eiffel, Grimm, Vienna, The Danube, palinka, Pinocchio, Chopin, Toulouse-Lautrec, Moulin Rouge, Don Quijote, Douro vinyards, English cottage, Brot Wurst und Biergarten and so on and so forth…

*        Borderless and Alice in Euroland

At category: EU integration and adoption of own currency – Euro.

Rationale: EU construction proved to be a progress momentum, especially after joining membership of former communist countries. The process of enlargement hopefully will continue with the Balkans states and further east. It is worth mentioning the contribution of new EU Members in aggregating a common economic space with enhanced competitive edge and rediscovered European spiritual dimension. The disappearance of borders and existence of Euro are success stories for everyday life and increased mobility, multilateral exchanges and tangible sense of facility.

*        A Fistful of Dollars

At category: Still attractive for financial fluxes, for confident investments and traditional transactions in decent financial purgatories, such as Luxembourg or Monaco.

Rationale: There is still a glamorous spell, a fascination and a certain je ne sais quoi, which seduces money to come over, feel great and settle down. But capital cannot live by itself, it hates solitude and badly needs owners, who need properties, clubbing, Louis Vuitton and some power to exercise on. The design of relationships building might seem irrelevant, yet the precarity of options inexorably leads to the same conclusion: somebody needs to assume Decision and the location could be also a yacht at quay in St Jean Cap Ferrat harbour.

*        In a Better World

At category: Climate change and environmental issues, sustainable development, EE/RES, bio-agriculture and traditional local products.

Rationale: Europe enjoys a leading positioning in these matters and this kind of positive tendencies should be encouraged. Quality of life, the living standards imposed greater care for these essential issues. Healthy food and appropriate preparation, good air and water, independence from fossils fuels are assets worth building on and trends to be acknowledged.

*        The Social Network

At category: Resourceful communitarian potentialities and capacity to aggregate innovative approaches, independent thinking streams.

Rationale: By its nature, Europe is probably the most heterogeneous space of expression for professional bodies, media, journalists, independent thinkers, cultural operators, opinion makers, artists. This privileged situation resulted in abundance of ideas, judgments, opinions, peer reviews, analyzes, speculations, viewpoints. It is merely the incongruous qualitative structure of respective pool of actors that secures trustworthy results.

The spectacle would not be complete without the popular Razzie Awards.

Here are the nominations:

*        The Devil’s Advocate

At category: Unproductive formalism, dissimulation and pretending performance.

Rationale: There is still an enormous amount of schizophrenic behavior at all levels, from top politicians and government, to middle class, entrepreneurial environment and simple subjects, who most of the time would prefer to be lied and hate to assume a rigorous responsibility. People speak, act and react in certain chablons at work, in the public space generally, but actually they think and behave quite differently in their private reasoning or environment. Moreover public or private institutions, organizations, corporations are developing this doubling, tripling, etc. nature on a programmatic basis and as an intrinsic prerequisite in playing the game. The freaking rules of this game are considered immuables and inherent, most of the time being labeled as expressions of general interest, decency, politeness, civility, good sense, professionalism, aso. Naturally and of course this is far from being an European exclusivity.

*        Louis de Funès in German

At category: Weak power centre and insufficient coherence.

Rationale: Until now Europe failed in positioning itself as leading voice in the global concerto. The actors are more or less talented, but the direction is surely inconsistent, lacking coherence and without requisite charisma. The Franco-German leading force can always be enjoyed as suitable gag situation.

*        Modern Times

At category: Diminishing competitiveness as global player.

Rationale: Globalization has changed the rules of the game. Other regions are emerging as staring actors from an economical, financial, technical, industrial-manufacturing, exportation perspective and it is not just about BRIC countries.

*        The Office

At category: Rigid business modeling, modest growth rates and ineffective entrepreneurial endeavors, especially for the start-up phase.

Rationale: Certainly, 2 digits growth rates are hardly imaginable, but the way to do business, the speed of translating new ideas, innovative market opportunities into feasible business models truly is a handicap in comparison with nowadays tigers. European managers seem quite restful and some white-collars are experts in acting on Mark Knopfler’s ‘Money for Nothing’, the soundtrack of their lives seemingly. This is particularly true for Brussels Bureaucracy Festival and its propagandist, inefficient approaches based upon self-satisfactory scenarios.

*        The Way We Were

At category: Aging, romantic years and lost generation.

Rationale: Obviously the population in Europe is experiencing dramatic aging process. The next generations will have to put up with this unavoidable trend and search for compensatory solutions.

Hors concours et pour la bonne bouche – Le Grand Restaurant

If you noticed too many American productions as European illustrations, it is probably because Charlot, der Vagabund was originally produced in London. And again the grand prize for winning the game in La Vita è Bella was an US tank.

Finally, would like to express my gratitude and give thanks to those who made possible, who in fact incited to and inspired this intervention i.e. politicians, media, Frederic T., respectable citizens and last but not least, ordinary participants in street revolts in Cairo, Tunis aso. I reckon they deserve a great deal of compassion and undisimulated respect for their genuinely idealist query towards basic human liberties. Nonetheless, putting own lives at stakes for don-quijotest pursuits merits at least a sincere reflection.

Show must go on

______________________

Mihai COSTEA

Adviser

Accredited lobbyist to EP/EC

bromotion.eu

About (general) interest and other necessary demythisations

Yesterday I was sitting in the bus 21, the most European one here in Bruxelles, as it rumbles around the EU Quartier and wise guys bearing appropriate access passes to these Institutions are allowed also to take this bus for free. It is never too crowded and I could notice there was quite an old vehicle this time, with dirty used seats exhaling dodgy odors. At Place du Luxembourg, just in front of European Parliament, our European bus had a minor accrochage with a taxi and the inevitable dispute began. The way belligerents tried to settle the matter, their words, attitude and approach reminded me of some familiar scenes back in Bucharest where I was born. This Balkanic atmosphere consolidated and corroborated with the decrepitude of my bus, or with smiling holes appeared on the streets’ asphalt after last Christmas winter attack made me realize that Brussels is trying to do its best to make me feel more and more AT HOME, here in the capital of Europe, like in the old good times in Bucharest – the capital of… Romania, you guessed it! I am living in this really cosmopolitan, contrasting yet indeed accommodating, acquiring town for more than 8 years now, and as Belgian resident I see Bruxelles as my place to rope my horse and go to sleep, so to speak… the undoubtedly home sweet home for the time being and chocolate sake. At the same time, one can easily observe over the years a constant trend towards degradation, lowering of living standards and unexpected mutation in mentalities. Is it a question of political governance, is it due to mondialisation, (d)evolution of socio-economic systems, growth models, including ecological aspects and permanently increasing damage to our natural habitats?

I watched on FR3 – Ce soir (ou jamais !), a debate fueled by Frederic Taddeï, the subjects were generous and extremely actual i.e. democracy, légitimité, oligarchy, exercise of power and representation of interests. INTEREST – voici a fundamental category in my view, a constant that should be accommodated in all equations associated with explanatory approaches of any social, political, economic phenomena. Personal, family or group INTERESTS are the ultimate engine, alpha et omega of every human-related activity, but also seem to aspire at Secret de Polichinelle status. The truth is people are not really keen to include the naughty INTEREST and its egoistische reflections on their public agenda, and especially in the public space. Moreover, those who dare to speak of the devil in the cozy house of complaisant civility, thermo-insulated or should I say reality-insulated with nice good manners and intentions, the rebels are considered bizarre mutants, merely suspects and eventually personae non gratae. The intensity of rejection is surely directly proportional with the intrinsic power of respective omnipotent argument – fatalmente the good old INTEREST. I believe this anthropological cornerstone should be exploited throughouly and systematically for its veritable enlightening value in serious discussions.

Anyway, the chaps invited at the respective TV program affirmed unequivocally that nowadays we are far from living in a democracy, demonstrating the appartenance to oligarchic systems in entire Western block, including and highlighting the leading position of US for its illustrative military oligarchy component. For I fully subscribe to describing the oligarchical complex as a solid quadrate representation – a natural mixture of 4 spheres of influence/constituents id est military, politics, business, plutocracy. Obviously the combination, juxtaposition and mutual potentiating between these 4 elements defers for each country, but basically the so-called power of the people appears to be merely a (super)flu notion without decisive, consistent ability or woe!… even will to manage, control and authentically influence anything relevant. Perhaps I would also detect a crucial catalyst and unavoidable interface for the oligarchic complex to interact with masses… I give you the omnipresent Mass-Media… Applause! Normally and for the time being, this 5th element cannot be seen as intrinsic component part of oligarchic complex, with some exceptions, see for example the Italian case.

I would mention also the balanced character of respective FR3 program moderated by le glandeur Frédéric Taddeï, an equidistant TV animateur, who invites well-known cultural personalities without particular extremist views. Here are 3 more appealing observations from the participants:

1.    In fact only 10% of the ancient Athenians were engaged with the democratic process and even more important, the daily ordinary work was made by slaves. This was platitudinous memo for those apologetically claiming a return to basics.

2.    The acceptance of the wealthy class in the society is based on the assumption that they produce richesse for the others. Well, in the last 10 years it seems more likely the ever polarized well-to-do class delivers mainly bubbles, crises and structural dysfunctionalities.

3.    The decline of democracy as supreme value and governance model in contemporary society paradoxically began with the fall of Berlin Wall 20 years ago and implosion of communism. Why is that so?… as a Romanian native I lived my first 30 years under a communist regime, so my comparative grasp is far from being merely an intellectualist approach. I remember very well the spring of ‘90 when I first got out from the communist jaily-camp driving to Stuttgart to meet my relatives. By that time it was absolutely inconceivable to imagine any cracks on Autobahnen in Österreich oder Deutschland. Now it is common fact to accept holes, blocked roads by snow or never-ending stau stories, caused by questionable management of public authorities. Growing despise for ratepayers’ expectations is still incompetently camouflaged behind formal smiles or reasoning, and any financial crisis, economic recession or budgetary constrains are the perfect alibi for justifying NIMBY- je m’en fiche policies.

A few years ago I asked a good friend who once lived in the former USSR why the end of cold war and Iron Curtain resulted in regress of developed West. His answer was simply astonishing then, but now it makes more and more sense. He argued that the capitalist world needed inseparably a concurrencial pressure, a motivation incentive and a watchdog. One could also see here some prerequisite for a market-related mechanism and consequently a scary conclusion might be acknowledged: democracy was simply an export commodity and when the export market seized to exist the respective product life cycle curve has taken the descendent slope.

Since then, it is worth stressing that the poor, underdeveloped former communist countries from Central and Eastern Europe are continuously assisting the patronizing Western economies in enlarging their businesses/markets, in selling their products, services and knowledge, in providing safe investment opportunities. The Central European societies are also providing the hypocritical West with underrated, overqualified and motivated labor force, transfusing fresh blood into an often aging freakish body. Hope to be spared by cheap diversionary political subterfuges such as Rroma issue, dumping labor, or funky non-tax working, as if the employers were registered on Mars. Or is it probably a matter again and again of meeting the personal INTEREST instead of a chimerical general one? In fact the contribution of the New Members in EU club was recognized as so by former Commissioner and Vice-President of EC – Günter Verheugen. But he was a poet too, so…

Closing the parenthesis, INTEREST and necessary demythisations could be the beginning of a coherent explanation for understanding the true functionality of nowadays world. I reckon some innovative approaches are badly needed and certain bluntness appears to be unavoidable. For clichés and deceivingly pretending behavior define simply an accomplice attitude, obliterating real causes and perpetuating ineffective treatment.

In this respect, Bruxelles would represent a resourceful trampoline in launching some unorthodox analysis regarding politics, European integration and governance, efficiency of public administration or other forms of bureaucracy, consultation of citizens and actual processes of decision-making, including lobby and elite relationships domination, etc.

If one considered my judgment too catastrophic and partially exaggerated on the pessimistic side, I would call Jean Gabin to witness in 1961 in Le Président par Henri Verneuil – Petite leçon d’Europe

It shall be also the perfect introduction for my future interventions on these themes.

______________________

Mihai COSTEA

Adviser

Accredited lobbyist to EP/EC

bromotion.eu

I was invited to have a contribution – sounds like make a donation, but it isn’t the case -  and comment some topics on the agenda of this European investment forum. Well, I’m not very sure about attending the event, but took the opportunity to express some thoughts, partially reproduced below. Somehow, it seemed quite a prudent foot in the door of blogging here.

I believe that an agenda curriculum structured around the overall 3 conferences approach would allow consistency and coherence to manifest in a holistic manner, sketching also a pragmatic vision and inspirational contributions.

RATIONALE

The world, its systems i.e. social, economic, financial, political, technological ones, a.s.o. are experiencing unprecedently demanding mutations, voire spectacular. Obviously Europe is part of the game with specific SWOT vectors. EU after Lisbon – Treaty adoption and strategy – is still thriving to emerge from a so-called financial crisis, which has the merit of uncovering multiple unbalances, latent tensions and totally inefficient mechanisms, revealing la dolce vita of pretending and wishful thinking in a convenient, to often cosmetized reality.

Financial turmoil is far for being a cause and a plethora of associated effects is crowding to assist in formulating the right questions.

In setting up the scene, European Community has now a new team, new rules, a fresh strategy 2020 and a momentum to build upon. Subsequently an operational framework and appropriate instruments exist; it is just a question of establishing the right priorities, assuming decisive decisions, allocating resources and ensuring real functionality between various components. It’s so simple, like in any SME Business Plan, n’est-ce pas?

CRITICA

My expertise as management consultant based in Bruxelles, running an independent consultancy active in 4 areas:

1. European Affairs

• Lobby & Advocacy, Representation and Liaison office sur Bruxelles
• Accredited lobbyist to European Parliament and European Commission

2. EU programmes expert assistance

• EU funding opportunities screening, accessing and assessment, including Structural Funds for Romania
• European programmes / projects evaluation
• Romanian works and services tenders participating and facilitation

3. Management consultancy and business support

• Business planning, durable strategy development, competitiveness enhancing, entrepreneurial leveraging, business and financial modelling, investment and relocation schemes
• Belgian Guichet d’Entreprises – EUNOMIA Entry Point

4. Project management

• Public and private, commercial-oriented and non-profit endeavours: concept, design, application writing, holistic assessment, specific evaluation, quality management, audit, PPPs
• Standardized approach based upon the correct mix of PMI/PMBOK, PRINCE2, BS 6079, ISO 10006
• High added-value, interdisciplinary, cross-cultural projects focusing on CIP, EE/RES – green energy concept, entrepreneurship, SMEs, rural and regional durable development, RTDI – FP7, ITC, HR and organizational culture, CSR
• Events producing – design, landscaping, happenings
• EMotion artelier – contemporary art gallery located in Petit Sablon, Bxl

allows me to have a privileged, holistic, multilateral view upon European environment actions and ambience. A quick assessment would outline 3 categories of pitfalls in relation with general or specific EU functional modus operandi:

1. Institutional, politics, administration

a.    Political leadership and commitment

b.    Insufficient coordination at EU, national, regional, local levels

c.    Regulatory mechanisms and disharmonious positions

2. European programmes and funding

a.    Complicated, time consuming procedures for allocating European money

b.    Rigid, often inappropriate methodology for managing and evaluating efficiency of EU programmes

c.    Scarce flexibility and adaptability of EU programmes architecture

3. Entrepreneurial and business support

a.    Generalized formalism, inefficient spending, low capacity to grasp the real issues of SMEs, limited ability to comprehend inter-sectoral relationships and approaches

b.    Miming of genuine professionalism with little respect for results-, business-oriented attitude , methods, planning or initiatives

c.    Slow translation of knowledge, innovation and creativity into viable business cases, less competitive in comparison with concurrent regions e.g. SUA, Asia

As a general observation, Europe is lagging behind in capacity to create new businesses and rapidly adapt to market opportunities. Two main causes might be identified:

A.    Insufficient capacity of business entrepreneurial environment to formulate and implement pragmatic hands-on, truly professional and competitive Business Plans, innovative business/financial models or durable development strategies

B.    Limited competencies and interest of public administration, of some financial institutions, other donors and stakeholders in perpetually recognizing opportunities, promoting veritable entrepreneurship, understanding and supporting viable business concepts/cases. D’ailleurs, too often distinctively performant business plans are not judged properly and priority is given to more traditional ventures, evoking risk as decisive argument for disqualifying suspect initiatives. In fact, it is utterly a manner of non combat due to knowledge hiatus, inability to perceive inter-sectoral liaisons or the good old convenient formalism.

CONTRIBUTION

Considering La Baule WIC 2010 theme and its 3 well-articulated conferences and topics, I’d fancy nevertheless the idea of clustering my comments in a slightly different way.

Firstly I’d love to see some of the issues I’ve already risen, taken into account and by all means addressed.

Eventually I’d summarise some related observations:

- Paradigm shifting approach should be extended from Climate Change, Efficient Energy and Renewables to general philosophy of designing, planning, implementing and evaluating programmes, ventures, including investment endeavours. Greening the economy should not be considered as a nice politically correct goal, but as prerequisite for rethinking entire systems

- The financial crisis as a real opportunity would represent also vital reason for rethinking human relationships and activities, for generating new balances, businesses and brand new inspiration, stimulus even for huge actors such as multinationals, corporations capable of and supposed to set up new patterns in financial investment trends

- Consequently, innovative business and financial models would represent a reasonable strategic focus facilitating necessary mutations in change/risk management

- Bold orientation towards future vaults shall be balanced with essential return to basics in coherently related areas: leadership and management, social and economic role of financial institutions  – banks, marketing and decent customer satisfaction, organizational culture and HR efficiency, authentic added-value creation

- Attractiveness of Europe crucially depends on its positioning, by benefiting from undisputable fortes: history, tradition, specific knowledge, certain quality of living, reasoning or acting, etc. Obviously, some fields could assume lead posture e.g. knowledge-based and green economy, bio-agriculture, sustainable tourism, education, LLL, training and un certain savoir-vivre

- Geographical predisposition would recommend emerging markets situated in Central, East or South of Europe such as: Romania, ex-Yugoslavian space, etc., regions with huge potential for accommodating investment, synergies and creativity

At the end of the day, I believe that at present what is less relevant and how becomes the central methodological gizmo. Incidentally, trust modelling and performant durable business planning could illustrate the concept of mens sana in corpore sano.