Brussels, 07/05/2007 (Agence Europe) - The election of Nicolas Sarkozy as the new French president was welcomed by a large number of European leaders who are hoping that he will bring a new impetus to resolving the EU's constitutional problem and getting political union to move forward. José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, said that “this election has seen the victory of the 'yes' to Europe and I am simply delighted with it”. He said that he was confident that with Mr Sarkozy, France would continue to be a “driving force” in European construction, and that “a Europe that does not turn in on itself, but which is strong through its values and abilities and will meet the challenges created by globalisation”. Mr Barroso said: “I know Mr Sarkozy well and I am aware of his desire for France to occupy its true place on the European scene. I have every confidence in Nicolas Sarkozy…in providing a driving force in the resolution of the institutional question and consolidation of a political Europe”.
In his first speech since becoming president-elect, Nicolas Sarkozy launched an appeal on Sunday night to, “our European partners, to whom our destiny is linked, to tell them that for all of my life I have been a European, that I believe in European construction and that this evening France is back in Europe”. In the same speech, Sarkozy called on European leaders to “listen to the voice of the people who want to be protected…I beg them to not turn a deaf ear to the anger of the people who perceive the European Union not as protection but as a Trojan horse containing all the threats and transformations of the world”. His political advisor, François Fillon, cited as a possible prime minister, confirmed that Sarkozy would be going to Brussels (planned for 16 May) and Germany in the first days of his presidency “to propose the relaunch of European construction”.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that she was “certain that with the new president, Franco-German friendship, which is tried and tested, will continue to be the foundation of guarantees for peace, democracy and wellbeing in Europe”. The current president of the European Council said that “in such a crucial phase for Europe, it is important to maintain close collaboration that is trusting and strong between Germany and France”. The British prime minister, Tony Blair, and the president of the Italian Council, Romano Prodi also congratulated the president-elect. Prodi declared that the “complex situation in Europe and the world demands a solid and shared objective”. He also provided assurances that he “very much likes the character” of Mr Sarkozy, with whom “it is possible to discuss openly and clearly”. The Slovenian prime minister, Janez Jansa, said that Slovenia hopes that Sarkozy's victory in the presidential elections will bring the necessary changes to France in the context of the future of the European Union. Jansa declared that “the election of Nicolas Sarkozy beckons positive changes in France's position on certain key questions on the future of the European Union”. The Belgian prime minister, Guy Verhofstadt, invited the French president elect to Brussels “as soon as possible”. The Dutch prime minister, Jan Peter Balkenende, commented that “I hope to be able to work with him in a Europe where people trust each other”. The head of the Spanish socialist government, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said that Nicolas Sarkozy embodies “the open and modern right that is able to channel desires for change in a country that has to regain its trust in itself and continue to play a driving force in Europe”. The president of the European Parliament, Hans-Gert Pöttering underlined the “important role that as a founding country in the European integration process, France has to play, in order to meet the challenges of the future together”. Pöttering has every confidence in “the determination of Nicolas Sarkozy to relaunch the dynamic in France for the European constitutional process”.
Turkey/Enlargement. During his campaign, Sarkozy said that he opposed Turkish accession to the European Union. Asked on Sunday evening about the impact of the French election on the continuation of the ongoing accession negotiations with Turkey, José Manuel Barroso asked the French president to face up to his responsibilities. Barroso affirmed that “accession negotiations with Turkey are on the basis of a mandate that was adopted at unanimity by member states. In the event that one or several member states want to challenge or change this mandate, they obviously have to assume responsibility for the initiative and its repercussions”. The president of the Commission affirmed that “the Commission is recommending that member states take a decision on accession for Turkey but only at the final moment of the negotiations and depending on the results of these negotiations”.
Reform of the EU. During his campaign, Mr Sarkozy proposed the adoption of a “simplified treaty” (he renounced the term, mini-treaty), which would be limited to the main institutional reforms included in the draft constitutional treaty (permanent president of the European Council, extension of the vote to qualified majority, double majority etc) and which would be ratified in France by parliamentarians, without another referendum. Mr Sarkozy also said that he was open to keeping the Charter of fundamental rights in the Treaty (which is opposed by countries such as the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic), but he believes that part III of the Constitutional Treaty, which describes the policies of the EU, should be kept out, with the exception of a few provisions. “After the election of Mr Sarkozy, I expect a swift clarification of the EU Treaty”, the Danish prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, commented on Sunday. He believes that it is “likely” that negotiations on the new treaty can be concluded “no later than December this year”. Further to a telephone conversation with Mr Sarkozy, the Luxembourg prime mnister, Jean-Claude Juncker, issued a press release on Monday in which he stressed that there was an agreement between them “in emphasising that an unblocking of the situation [on the Constitutional Treaty] is a necessity” (our translation). Both politicians also “pledged to consult each other regularly and to work together closely on all European issues”.
At the European Parliament, the president of the committee on constitutional affairs, German member Jo Leinen, on Monday reminded the new French president that “a mini-treaty, no matter in what form, is not acceptable as a solution for the crisis of the European Constitution”. The new treaty must not only reinforce the institutions, but also the policies of the Union, stated Mr Leinen in a press release. He added that it would not be reasonable to abstain from new competences for the EU in the areas of energy policy, health or space policy. French MEP Francis Wurtz (GUE/NGL) warned: “All of those people at the European Council, the Commission and the European Parliament, who are savouring the result of the French presidential election because Nicolas Sarkozy promised them that he would not consult the citizens on the future European Treaty (…)- do not rejoice too early, this election has not changed the feelings of most French men and women towards liberal Europe (…). In France, as in many other European countries, the spirit of 29 May 2005 (Ed: the date of the French “no” quote) remains very much in evidence”, said Mr Wurtz. (hb)