The French Presidency of the EU Council (FPEU) published its foreign policy priorities on 1 January. The document remains relatively vague, as this area is the responsibility of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.
Africa. One of France’s priorities is to rebuild the EU/Africa partnership (see EUROPE 12850/17). A summit is planned for 17 and 18 February in Brussels “with the aim of establishing an ambitious and forward-looking alliance with Africa, which will make it possible to build an area of solidarity, security, sustainable prosperity and stability”, explains the Presidency’s programme. According to the FPEU this summit will focus on the development of “ambitious and structuring” projects, supported by an Africa-Europe investment package around the triptych of ‘prosperity, peace and security’, ‘migration’ and ‘mobility’.
In the run-up to the summit, the Presidency is organising a ministerial conference on new trade partnerships between Europe and Africa on 10 January in Paris.
Western Balkans. France intends to ensure that negotiations with the accession candidates continue in line with the new methodology and will promote EU action vis-à-vis the Western Balkans “in favour of deep and transformative reforms in key areas such as the rule of law, democratic institutions, media freedom, economic reforms, facilitating the adoption of the European acquis”. No details of the process for each candidate or potential candidate country for EU membership are given.
On 9 December, during the presentation of the priorities of the FPEU, the French President, Emmanuel Macron, had asked for a clarification on the European perspective of the region (see EUROPE 12850/17).
The FPEU intends to organise a conference on the Western Balkans in June 2022, which will aim to promote the deepening of concrete cooperation with these countries, in particular with a view to fostering regional cooperation and stability in the region.
Neighbourhood. France also intends to monitor the implementation of the various measures and actions with a view to a progress report in spring 2022 on the renewed partnership with the southern neighbourhood and the new programme on the Mediterranean.
On the Eastern side, it wants to focus on the implementation of the Eastern Partnership as a follow-up to the 15 December summit (see EUROPE 12855/12) and to strengthen resilience, stability, and sustainable connectivity in the region.
Indo-Pacific. France wishes to pursue the Commission’s Global Gateway initiative (see EUROPE 12844/7). To this end, it will organise a ministerial forum on 22 February, which will focus on security and defence issues, digital and connectivity issues and global issues.
The FPEU also highlights relations with the US, including the deepening of the foreign policy dialogue, in particular on China and the Indo-Pacific, China, Russia and Turkey.
Defence. The French Presidency of the Council of the EU wishes to contribute to the work on the Common Security and Defence Policy and in particular to the endorsement of the ‘Strategic Compass’ by the European Council on 24 and 25 March 2022.
The FPEU intends to ensure the preparation of the EU Council’s position on the Commission’s initiatives in the framework of the defence package that could be presented on 9 February 2022 and to support the efforts to implement the ‘Compass’ and the concrete measures that will accompany it.
France also intends to contribute to the work to provide the EU with a space strategy for security and defence and to the implementation of the roadmap on critical technologies and the reduction of strategic dependencies. It also wishes to “guide” the implementation of the European Peace Facility and the revision of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) civilian pact by 2023.
Similarly, the EU’s access to strategic disputed areas is another priority of the Presidency. It will support the efforts to be made in the maritime field through the extension of the coordinated maritime presence to the Indo-Pacific (see EUROPE 12792/1) at the beginning of 2022 and will work on the update of the EU maritime security strategy.
Finally, the Presidency will work to deepen the EU’s relations with its partners in the field of security and defence, in particular NATO, ahead of the Madrid Summit scheduled for the end of June 2022.
Trade. The FPEU wishes above all to follow the Commission’s communication on “open, sustainable and assertive” trade policy (see EUROPE 12661/1).
While supporting further work on the various legislative tools proposed by the Commission, it places particular emphasis on the inclusion of sustainable development in trade policy. However, the ongoing trade agreement negotiations are not mentioned in the FPEU programme.
Link to the FPEU programme (in French): https://bit.ly/3EOfJcZ (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant and Léa Marchal)