Beginning July, France has taken over the presidency of the European Union under the motto “a more protective Europe.”
President Nicolas Sarkozy has identified four priorities during the six-month presidency.
Firstly, France will raise questions in light of the limited number of suppliers of energy, which threatens the European continent as a whole.
France will also be promoting nuclear power in order to fight climate change. France’s goal is to develop a Europe rich in sustainable development and innovation.
The emphasis will be on the reduction of greenhouse gases, the introduction of ecological taxes, the development of environment-friendly products and the creation of a European space dedicated to environmental research.
In January 2008, the commission presented a major “energy-climate package”, with the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent by 2020. A political agreement is due on this proposal under the French presidency.
Secondly, Sarkozy declared that immigration will be one of the French presidency’s first priorities and announced that he will propose a “European Pact” to concentrate on this issue. The Pact will be based on “the refusal of mass regularizations in terms of illegal immigration”, “the harmonization of different country’s policies on asylum” and “negotiations concerning immigrant re-entry procedures.”
Key to finding a collective solution will be the implementation of a partnership with southern countries — a rapprochement between the EU and its Mediterranean neighbors, with the launch of a “Union for the Mediterranean” on July 13.
Defending the Common Agricultural Policy will be the third priority for France, which is also willing to initiate a re-examination of European policies and finances after 2013, paying particular attention to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
EU leaders agreed to carry out, in 2008, a “health check” of the Common Agricultural Policy. The commission’s initial proposals to review the CAP will be initiated under the French presidency on Sept. 21-23.
Finally, the French president would like to improve the effectiveness of the EU in regard to international issues. To carry this out, France will recommend a budgetary increase for EU defense. Reinforcing communication with emerging countries as well as the creation of a Mediterranean Union will also be two matters of discussion.
France will also focus on the foreign policy agenda and on the European Central Bank’s economic policy