Chambéry, 05/05/2000 (Agence Europe) - Speaking to the mayors of Savoie, Thursday evening in Chambery, the President of the French Republic, Jacques Chirac, asserted that the French Presidency, during the second half of this year, will work "beyond the institutional reform and European defence" to ensure that the future of Europe becomes "everyone's Europe." He said, Europe is still in the process, it sometimes has trouble finding its way, it still seems far off" and "it is time that it deals more with issues that more directly interest people, those that concern their lives." Furthermore, the French President underlined the role of the Euro in asserting: "It is a wonderful accelerator of development. The strength of the currency must be judged in the long-term and not on the short-term exchange rate fluctuations. The Euro is our currency, it is a currency that rests on firm ground." Mr. Chirac undertook, to ensure that "the European economic policy allows to benefit from the economic currency," which, according to him, means it is necessary to continue the economic reforms started, while persevering the European model against "all temptations of social dumping."
Let us recall that a debate on the guidelines of the French Presidency will take place next week, Tuesday 9 May, in the National Assembly, with Lionel Jospin and will be followed by a debate in the Senate on the 16 May. Furthermore, the 19 May in Paris the Franco-German seminar will gather the French and German Heads of State and Government with several ministers and the next Franco-German Summit will take place 9 June in Mayence, ten days before the European Council in Feira.