55 posts
French EU Presidency: time to take stock
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As eyes now turn to the Czech Republic, it is time for France to assess the results of six busy mont...
Sarkozy’s Holy Alliance
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Six months at the helm of the European Council has taught French President Nicolas Sarkozy the wrong lessons.According to Sarkozy, only the heads of state (France) or government (most of the others) have the legitimacy to move Europe forward.This fal...
Qui va succéder à Jean-Pierre Jouyet?
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La nomination de Jean-Pierre Jouyet à la tête de l’AMF a beau être un choix on ne peut plus judicieux, c’est une décision que je regrette (1). L’AMF a peut-être besoin d’un pro-européen consensuel à sa tête mais d̵...
The French EU Presidency in Troubled Times
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The new issue of Social Europe Journal is dedicated to the French EU Presidency after the Irish ‘no’ to the Lisbon Treaty. This journal includes the exclusive English version of French Foreign Secretary Bernhard Kouchner’s speech at...
Sarko in the Celtic Tiger’s cage
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Image via Wikipedia The second in our now regular series of blog posts from our lovely French colleagues over in Paris…grrrrrrr. After the announcement of the “No” on Friday, June 13, Dublin erupted in jubilation. But the next day, Ireland...
Celebrity politics
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As thoughts of vacation drift before our eyes, we may perhaps be permitted a little musing. The two biggest political names in July 2008 are Nicolas Sarkozy and Barack Obama - who meet today in Paris. The French President’s Mediterranean...
The Irish Lisbon revote: in 9 months, 15 months, or never
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Nicolas Sarkozy is going to Dublin for a few hours on Monday. Going by the Elysee website, his agenda for Barack Obama’s visit on Wednesday is far clearer than for his visit to Ireland. On what is ostensibly a listening tour to understan...
What French NGOs will be doing during the French Presidency of the EU
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span style="font-style: italic;"Source: a href="http://www.concordeurope.org/Files/media/internetdocumentsENG/4_Publications/1_CONCORD_Flash/Flash2008/Mai-Flash-final.doc" target="_blank"Concord Flash 52, May 2008/a/spandiv style="float: right; margi...
Lisbon Treaty: Sarkozy accused
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The Irish ’no’ side has hurled accusations at the current president of the European Council, France’s Nicoalas Sarkozy, for suggesting a second referendum in Ireland on the EU Treaty of Lisbon, ahead of his discussions with the Irish government...
The latest Euro-Med jamboree
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By Clara Marina O'DonnellOn July 13th, President Sarkozy, surrounded by 42 EU and Mediterranean leaders, launched his pet project, the Union for the Mediterranean. The Paris summit was a success. The turnout was impressive and the mood constructive.
Sarkozy bounces back
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For those of you who missed Nicolas Sarkozy’s appearance last week at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, there are always YouTube and Dailymotion. In one revealing clip, the unforgettable 1968 student rebel Daniel Cohn-Bendit, now a Green...
The Sarko show: let the curtain rise!
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Image by looking4poetry via Flickr In what we hope will be a series of regular reflections from our colleagues at FH Paris on Bld Haussman during the current EU French Presidency, a mail arrives with this guest contribution from Clemence Choutet an...
Sarkozy must be careful to leave EU's options open
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Nikolas Sarkozy's first speech in the European Parliament as President of the European Council was the closing highlight of the final Strasbourg session before the summer recess. His speech was far more conciliatory than perhaps people had been ex...
Sarkozy on EU treaty perspectives
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Waiting for the French EU Council presidency site – a href="http://www.ue2008.fr/"www.ue2008.fr/a – to post a written version of president Nicolas Sarkozy’s speech in the European Parliament, we turn to a few news reports, because it is more co...
French press for EU summit on CAP
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French farm leaders have asked President Sarkozy to organise a Special Summit of EU heads of government on 'EU ambitions for the agriculture and agri-food sectors.' Perhaps the word 'EU' should be replaced by 'French'.French Farm Minister Michel Bar...
Sarko’s not-so-grand plan
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Just read the latest version of Sarko’s “European pact on immigration“. To recap, this is his plan for European countries to bring their immigration policies closer together. EU interior ministers broadly backed the measure at th...
Analysis: Weak start to Sarkozy’s EU presidency
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France holds the rotating presidency of the European Union until December 2008. With a president like Nicolas Sarkozy, the agenda of the traditionally boring EU all of a sudden becomes entertaining. France makes sure to play its role properly, but S...
Sarko to the Rescue
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Can Sarkozy save Europe? This was the question being asked in France over the weekend, featured in big bold letters in Sunday’s Le Parisien. As France took the helm of the rotating European presidency yesterday, it seemed as if the only person who...
The French Presidency
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The first day of the French Presidency of the EU could not have been more beautiful in Paris: warm, sunny and a blue sky. The whole European Commission went there by train to meet the French government and experienced an overwhelming programme, inc...
M le Président: écouter, écouter…
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Day Two of the French Presidency: President Sarkozy has postponed his trip to Ireland, but unfortunately he has not cancelled it. He will go on 21 July. Will he be there to lecture or to listen? He and Bernard Kouchner have already upset the Irish. H...
Sarkozy and source amnesia
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Question: What do the European Central Bank, EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson, French army commanders, French public television broadcasters, the former Yugoslav republic of Macedonia and Snagglepuss the Mountain Lion have in common? Answer:...
You’re chairing GAERC for 6 months you idiot
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Hell. If it’s not McCreevy saying he’s not read the Treaty of Lisbon then it’s French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner stating his ignorance. As reported by the Financial Times Kouchner today said: “No one understands the ins...
Website in “average shape” as France takes over
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Today is significant. Firstly, it’s 30 degree sunshine in Brussels, and secondly it’s the first day of the French Presidency of the EU. Bonjour. As a shameful Anglophone, I’ll be dusting down the pocket dictionary, practicing my ...
No-one understands the European Union
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Day One of the French Presidency increases my worries. From the Schumann Plan to monetary union, the big ideas which fashioned European integration have been mainly French. But the tenor of the rhetoric of the French leadership leaves me incredulou...
Sarkozy's Turn at the Helm
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European Union politics are to take a turn for the interesting as the presidency of the Union rotates to France. Giving us six months of even closer contact to the 'frenetic' Nicolas Sarkozy.As a first foretaste, write this down: M-A-R-SOver to the B...
A quick case study of the EU’s problems
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Today marks the start of the French presidency of the EU. Sarkozy’s task as president? To guide the union from the post-Irish referendum confusion into a fresh new dawn of harmony and mutual appreciation, to an EU both truly united and sure of...
French EU presidency programme
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For those who want to dig deeper than the media reports at the start of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Work programme 1 July – 31 December 2008 is available in English on the presidency web pages:http://www.ue2008.f...
French EU presidency: Win-win?
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President Nicolas Sarkozy made some interesting observations at the start of France’s six month presidency of the European Council and the Council.For the main points, read for instance the BBC news item ‘Warning as France takes EU helm’:http:/...
French Presidency Preparations 2: planes, trains and automobiles
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Rich - in answer to your question on 25th: the normal and preferred option from London is to use the Eurostar - simpler, quicker and more environmentally friendly. If I am going to Paris or Brussels from Scotland (where my constituency is) I fl...
Roller coaster EU Presidency coming
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We appear to be in for a roller-coaster ride under the French – or rather Sarkozy – Presidency, which begins in a few days. Most worrying is his declared intention to travel to Ireland presidency to help find a solution. His reactions so far ar...
French Presidency Preparations
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With just a week to go until the French Presidency of the EU kicks off (and the Slovenians get a well deserved summer break) I'm off to Paris this afternoon to see French Europe Minister Jean Pierre Jouyet. We've spoken by phone over the last couple...
French EU Presidency Logo: Where is the President?
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The source of inspiration of the rather uninspired French EU presidency logo: Is this an indicator for a strong presidential presence in Brussels over the next 6 months?
Thalys via Paris: it’s the planes and the second seat that are the real scandal
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From the start of the French Presidency of the EU (1st July), a 300km/h Thalys train is going to be hired to transport MEPs and EP officials from Brussels to Strasbourg for the monthly plenary sessions. Sounds like a reasonable idea - via the high sp...
Sarko the Euro-populist
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In what is no doubt part of his resurrection bid, French president Nicolas Sarkozy has proposed a vague-sounding cap on VAT/TVA as applied to fuel. He has a point. VAT is an accelerator of underlying price increases, since the amount applies a...
