Brussels, 08/01/2008 (Agence Europe) - At a press conference in Paris, Nicolas Sarkozy set out the main thrusts of the forthcoming French presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2008. “At the end of the French presidency, I would like Europe to have an immigration policy, a defence policy, an energy policy and an environmental policy,” he said on Tuesday 8 January. Europe, he said, had to be made to serve protection, speaking about a civilisation plan for France, Europe and the world.
“Europe was built to protect, not to worry” and “citizens from all of Europe are calling for protection,” he said. “Wanting to make a political Europe and not allowing oneself to use the word protection does not make sense,” he noted, opining that “financial capitalism needs to be made ethical”. Calling for Community preference to be respected, he added: “Free competition is not compatible with dumping of all sorts. Reciprocity must now become the rule”. “Europe must protect, not weaken, us,” but it must also become less bureaucratic and more democratic. The Lisbon Treaty cannot do everything, but it is a step in the right direction, he said.
Detailing the reforms he would like to put in place in France in 2008, Sarkozy used the concept of a “civilisation policy” for Europe. “Europe needs a civilisation policy,” he claimed, saying more generally that the values and standards such as the declaration of human rights, secularity, social security, and public service could be considered the “fruits” of this policy. “We want to oppose violence, fanaticism and terrorism with a civilisation policy,” he went on, before saying he thought that the Mediterranean Union was a “perfect example of a civilisation plan”.
To make international institutions more representative, “France will do all in its power to make the G8 into the G13,” he said, wanting Brazil, China, India, Mexico, and South Africa to become fully fledged members of the group. It was the same for the UN, where France would endeavour to have “Germany, Japan, Brazil, India and a major African country become permanent members of the Security Council”. Finally the French president said he hoped that the operations of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, which had already begun their own reflection on the matter, would be “reconsidered” (A.B.)