France hopes to boost EU by end of 2008

01/07/2008

France has announced a number of ambitious projects for which it will seek approval during its six-month presidency of the EU.

(DPA, BBC - 27/06/08; AFP, The Economist - 26/06/08; EurActiv, Euobserver - 25/06/08; EurActiv - 20/06/08)

Blue lighting and gold stars, representing the EU flag, illuminate the Eiffel Tower to mark the start of France’s EU presidency. French President Nicolas Sarkozy assumed leadership of the EU on Tuesday (July 1st). [Getty Images]

France took over the six-month rotating EU presidency from Slovenia on Tuesday (July 1st) with ambitious projects in energy and the environment, immigration, defence and agriculture topping its agenda.

But French President Nicolas Sarkozy may face difficulties winning the 27-nation bloc's backing for them after the June 12th Irish "no" vote on the Lisbon Treaty.

Paris has signalled that it may demand new discussions on the charter to get the European train back on track.

"A top priority of the French presidency is therefore to prepare the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, which everyone now hopes will come into effect next January," French European Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Jouyet wrote recently in <i>World Policy</i> journal.

Sarkozy will travel to Dublin on July 11th to learn firsthand the reasons behind the Irish rejection of the document, which provides for critical institutional reforms to make the expanding Union more efficient.

"An important part of the French [EU] presidency's work will be to put the 27 [member states] back on the rails," an AFP report quoted Jouyet as saying.

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen likely will propose ways for dealing with the problem in October. Ireland is the only EU nation whose constitution mandates putting treaties to a referendum. The charter requires ratification by all 27 member states.

Meanwhile, Sarkozy will seek EU approval for a series of climate and energy measures proposed earlier by the European Commission, envisioning a drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and liberalisation of the Union's energy market.

"Market liberalisation cannot take place without there first being a strategic vision of energy supply policy in the EU," Jouyet said.

The French leader will push for a "European pact on immigration and asylum" -- to crack down on illegal immigrants, while encouraging newly arriving foreigners.

Some analysts, however, doubt that the plan would produce any meaningful results. "The main potential worry is that the migration pact will re-emphasise a very restrictive approach -- such as forced returns," the BBC quoted Kris Pollet of Amnesty International's EU office as saying.

Sarkozy has indicated that he would pursue his plan to create a 60,000-strong EU armed force. But analysts believe he may have to modify his bid to convince Irish voters, in the event of a second referendum.

Irish voters cited fears that the EU charter would undermine their country's neutrality as one of their main objections to the document.

Sarkozy will give a further push to the Mediterranean Union project, aimed at regulating the EU's relations with nearly a dozen countries -- Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Territories, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.