Dossier prepared by Loup Besmond de Senneville and Olivier Jehin
Four priorities for a Europe which protects
"France is back in Europe". For several months now, the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, has been repeating this phrase to anybody who will listen. This return will be achieved, according to the head of the French State, by means of four priorities for the French Presidency of the European Union (PFUE) and one overarching theme: a Europe which protects.
The priorities, which were laid down in August 2007 at the Conference of the Ambassadors, are based around four areas: -Energy-climate; - Health check of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP); - Defence Europe; - Immigration. In addition to these four themes, the French Presidency has for several months been laying particular emphasis on launching the Union for the Mediterranean, the founding summit of which will meet in Paris on 13 July. On top of this comes the management of the crisis sparked by the Irish "no" vote in the referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon.
Energy-climate. One of the major challenges facing the French Presidency will be reaching a political agreement on the energy-climate package before the Conference of Poznan, to be held in December. The FPEU also hopes to lay emphasis on energy security (see below).
Agriculture. Last March, before the committee on economic affairs of the National Assembly, the French Minister for Agriculture, Michel Barnier, said that discussions should be opened during the French Presidency on the future of the CAP, and specifically the post-2013 regime, as it will not be possible to do this in 2009, the year of European elections and the renewing of the Commission. "And after that, we will be constrained by the budgetary debate in 2010", he added. France, which is opposed to the redistribution of credit from the first ("Common Market Organisations") pillar to the second ("Rural Development") pillar of the CAP, will kick off talks at the informal Council to be held in Annecy on 21, 22 and 23 September. The debate is likely to be particularly tough, with the downward trends in the world market for agricultural and food products casting doubt on the current mechanisms of the common agricultural policy, particularly given the continued uncertainty on the future developments of these trends.
Defence Europe. Ten years after the compromise of Saint-Malo and the birth of the European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP), the FPEU hopes to reinforce certain capacities of Defence Europe (see below).
Immigration. Since he took up residency in the Elysée Palace, the French President has unceasingly called for the creation of a European pact on immigration, and his Minister for Immigration and National Identity has become a spokesperson for this, having visited all 26 capitals in turn, before 1 July. The text is based on four pillars: - a rejection of mass regularisations; - a harmonisation of asylum regimes in Europe; - negotiations on readmission agreements; - co-development (see below).
The FPEU will happen against a very specific backdrop, as the mandates of the Commission and the European Parliament are coming to their end, and both institutions will be keen to bring their political programmes to a close during the second half of 2008. On 14 November 2007, during his visit to the European Parliament, Nicolas Sarkozy spoke out against a Europe that was little more than a machine, saying: "Europe must ensure that it is not seen as a threat against identities, but as a protection". "The word protection should not be banished", he added a little later. Before the EP, he also stated that he wanted to "put politics back" at the heart of Europe. "The real victory of the French Presidency would be to reach a political agreement on points such as the energy-climate package".
To do this, France has an ace up its sleeve- the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet. This former director of the Cabinet of Jacques Delors and deputy director of the Cabinet of the former French prime minister Lionel Jospin, who spends two days a week in Brussels, is thoroughly familiar with the Community mechanisms and seems unanimously accepted in Brussels. "He has done sterling work in preparing for the Presidency", commented a staff member of the Council of Ministers. "The challenge of a Presidency of the second half of the year is that the working time is very short", noted French MEP Alain Lamassoure (EPP-ED). Between the summer break and the Christmas and New Year holiday, the Presidency effectively has only four and a half months to do its work.
Internationally, apart from holding five summits between the EU and the emerging countries (South Africa, Ukraine, India, Russia and China), the French Presidency will also see the Beijing Olympic Games in August and the American elections in November.
Since the Irish no-vote, the French government has continually stated its view that the Presidency of the Union must be made "concrete" and as much as possible done to bring the EU closer to the citizens. Originally, eight "regional conventions" had been scheduled in the same number of French regions, but the Ministry has since scaled its ambitions down to just four events. Two of these have already taken place, in Marseilles and Lyons, on 13 and 21 June respectively.
Europe must be useful, concrete and close to the citizen, says Jean-Pierre Jouyet
On the eve of the French Presidency of the European Union, the Secretary of State for European Affairs has agreed to answer questions put to him by the management team of Agence Europe. Here are the questions and the answers he supplied (our translation throughout).
Agence Europe: "France is back in Europe", says President Sarkozy. What does that actually mean?
Jean-Pierre Jouyet: The President of the Republic wanted this Presidency to mark France's return to Europe. This homecoming is political, first and foremost. Tomaso Padoa-Schioppa, the President of the association Notre Europe, recently wrote that "without France, there would not have been and there cannot be a European Union". As a large founder country, France must assume the responsibilities incumbent upon it with its Presidency of the Council. What this actually means is that France will bring a number of ambitious and realistic political priorities to the European scene in the fields of immigration, energy and climate, defence and agriculture.
Ensuring France's return to Europe also means working together with our twenty-six European partners, with the European Parliament, with the Commission and with each of the Community institutions, in order to ensure that the Presidency unfolds under the best possible conditions. This is why the President of the Republic, Prime Minister Bernard Kouchner and I have completed a tour of European capitals and met our opposite numbers in each of the Member States. These exchanges have allowed us to make progress on the very many dossiers on which we hope to move forward over the next six months.
Finally, France's return to Europe will be characterised by a coming-together with the European citizens, because more than anything else, Europe means 490 million citizens. When we laid down France's priorities, we took account of the legislative calendar of the European Union, but also of the concerns of the citizens. France's return to Europe will therefore send out a message loud and clear: Europe must be useful, concrete and close to the citizens.
A.E.: We are familiar with the major priorities of the Presidency: immigration, energy, climate and defence. What does France have to bring to Europe, on each of these dossiers?
J-P. J.: As everyone knows, the Presidency serves the general interest. This does not mean that it cannot provide greater impulse in particular dossiers. The Slovenian Presidency, for example, was highly efficient in its management of Balkan issues.
France, similarly, wants to make its determination work for the European general interest on several issues on the agenda. In the field of defence, for example, France has always had a tradition of commitment at European level. From the word go, it has established itself as one of the main authors of the European security and defence policy, and has thus acquired an experience and legitimacy with its European partners that allow it to be genuinely proactive. The same goes for the common agriculture policy. On the environment and energy, our expertise and commitment in the Grenelle meeting on the environment speak volumes for our determination. As for the pact on migration and asylum, France hopes to promote a joint approach to the issues of integration, the fight against illegal immigration, removing illegal immigration channels, asylum and co-development.
I believe, therefore, that France has much to put at the service of the European general interest during its Presidency. But I am also convinced that we have a lot to learn from our twenty-six partners, and we will pay very close attention to what each of them has to say.
A.E.: In this new period of institutional uncertainty, should use of the passerelle clause be a serious consideration, given the very many proposals on the table in the field of legal immigration, and the desire of the European Parliament for more powers in these matters?
J.-P. J.: One of the very many advantages of the Treaty of Lisbon, which is now been ratified by 19 countries, is that it increases the use of qualified majority and co-decision, which applies in the field of economic immigration, amongst others.
At the European Council of 19 and 20 June, the Member States agreed that the process of ratification should continue and that Ireland be given time to put forward proposals for a common path. The President of the European Parliament supported these ideas.
Although the joint objective remains the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, it would be somewhat paradoxical to engage all of the Member States to take a decision unanimously on the basis of the Treaty of Nice, in order to modify the decision-making regime in the field of economic immigration.
The Treaty of Lisbon is a whole. As well as co-decision in the field of economic migration, it contains other major progress, reinforcing the efficiency of decision-making at European level and the involvement of the national parliaments. It also gives co-decision powers to the European Parliament in the criminal field, which the Treaty of Nice does not permit without calling for further ratifications in all of the Member States. It is, therefore, preferable to stick to the course we have set at this stage: working towards the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon, to achieve a substantial increase in the powers of the European Parliament, well beyond the scope of economic immigration, and in all fields which matter to the European citizens.
In the meantime, the French Presidency of the Council has committed to work closely with the European Parliament in all fields in which it is soon to receive powers of co-decision. This will be the case in particular as regards the directive on highly qualified workers ("blue card"), which is the main legislative proposal in the field of economic migration on which we will be working over the next six months.
A.E.: The compromise reached at the Energy Council of 6 June on the third legislative package for the liberalisation of the energy market avoids the dismantling of large energy groups in the two sectors of electricity and gas. Can the French Presidency convince the European Parliament, which is in favour of ownership unbundling in the electricity sector alone, to agree to the Council's compromise for both sectors, so that general agreement on the package can be achieved before the end of its term in office?
J.-P. J.: Yes, because we want gas to be dealt with in exactly the same way as electricity: this is what emerged from the Energy Council of June. The solidity of the compromise reached by the Council should not be underestimated. The debates at the EP have been highly contradictory and had to take place very soon after the compromise of the Council was reached. It is highly likely that discussions will continue with the Parliament in order to bring our positions closer together.
A.E.: France's misgivings on the proposed directive on intra-Community transfers of defence equipment are well documented. Is the French Presidency not risking slowing down the legislative procedure on this dossier, which is so vital to the development of the industrial and technological base for European defence?
J.-P. J.: No, the French Presidency will do its work on the Defence package proposed by the Commission and it will aim for a political agreement on this text. The facilitation of trade in defence products is a major issue for reinforcing the competitiveness of the industrial and technological base of European defence. France is also continuing its discussions with the main European weapon-producing countries in the framework of the LoI Treaty in order to achieve this objective, and to respond to the considerable expectations of the industrial sector in this field.
A.E.: At the end of January, you undertook to transpose the French "family employer" model to European level during the French Presidency of the EU. Is the Union ready to accept a framework for cooperation in the family employer sector?
J.-P. J.: I did indeed say that on the basis of its recent positive experiences of promoting personal service jobs, France is eager to exchange best practices in this field with its European partners. Employment policy remains the responsibility of the Member States, but Europe can promote exchanges of experience which are useful for all, as the objective of reducing unemployment remains a major one for all of our economies.
A.E.: Does the criticism which President Sarkozy has levelled at certain Commissioners or actions of the Commission not risk undermining the Commission?
J.-P. J.: The President of the Republic is keen to bring politics back to the heart of Europe. His declarations at no time specifically targeted the European Commission as an institution. Nicolas Sarkozy takes the view that Europe must "bring" politics, back in order not to lose touch with the concerns of the citizens.
Let us take oil, for example. Barrel prices have never been as high as they are now: it is becoming a threat to the competitiveness of European businesses and the purchasing power of our citizens. The continual increase in fuel prices bears witness to the Union's inability to take decisions quickly. This means that we must change our way of doing things. It is a question of political responsibility. The President has put forward solutions, and they will now be discussed at European level. I do not see how discussions of this kind could undermine the Commission. In any case, a mandate on this subject has been given to the Presidency, in cooperation with the European Commission.
A.E.: President Sarkozy has commissioned Christiane Taubira to draft a report on the economic partnership agreements negotiated by the EU with the ACP countries. Is this a sign that the French Presidency hopes to give a new take on these negotiations? If so, which?
J.-P. J.: Ms Taubira's report does indeed highlight the attention France has always paid to this dossier. Given the fact that as of now, only one EPA has been concluded out of the six in the pipeline, our objective is to work together with the Commission to achieve full EPAs, which will be genuine development tools at the service of regional integration, in regions where this has not yet been the case, particularly in Africa. We will specifically seek to ensure that the EPAs are accompanied by substantial trade aid and that food safety is taken into account. Against the current backdrop of an ongoing increase in prices for raw agricultural materials and the resulting social unrest, the accompanying plank to the EPAs must promote the emergence of organised and fluid regional markets and improve crisis prevention and management- particularly food crises. The European Union cannot forget that it has always been a driving force in relations with developing countries, by such means as the ACP agreements.
A.E.: Multilateral negotiations at Geneva seem to have broken down since the most recent compromise texts came out on 19 May. Do you think that it is still possible for the 152 members of the WTO to reach an agreement before the end of July, in order for the Doha Round to be concluded before the end of the year, under the French Presidency?
J.-P. J.: At this stage, concessions appear unbalanced. The Doha negotiations had a part to play in the Irish referendum. At the end of the day, with the American elections getting closer, the American negotiator has no mandate from Congress to negotiate and a new administration will be in place next January. These are the main reasons why concluding the Round no longer seems to make much sense.
Results anticipated on the energy-climate and energy security package
The last preparations are underway for the French Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development and Planning, Jean-Louis Borloo. Over two days, Thursday 26 on Friday 27 June, he has visited no fewer than four European capitals (Budapest, Vilnius, Tallinn and Copenhagen). This tour has been the inauguration of a packed programme during the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The French Minister will effectively be inheriting a double priority: the fight against climate change and energy. With regard to the former, it will be his job to facilitate an agreement on the energy-climate package published this January by the European Commission. As for the latter, Paris is hoping to lay emphasis on energy security within the EU.
Environment. One year on from the Grenelle-type multi-party meeting on the Environment, written off by some as nothing more than a communication operation, Paris is claining to be in the vanguard of the issue. With the United Nations Framework Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC) due to be held in Poznan in December 2008, it will be Paris's job to promote a political agreement between the Member States, thus paving the way for the Copenhagen conference of December 2009 and the emergence of a post-Kyoto. In March, the spring European Council laid down the objective of reaching a political agreement on the whole of the package before the end of this year. In Brussels, Philippe Léglise Costa, the second-in-command of France's permanent representation, is tasked with supervising negotiations on the climate. In October, the European Parliament will be examining at first reading the proposed directive on promoting the use of energy produced from renewable sources, which comes directly from the package.
Energy security. For several months now, the French Secretary of State for European Affairs has been constantly emphasising the importance of the issue. On 28 March, addressing a floor of decision-makers from the energy sector meeting in Paris for the colloquium " The Revival of Nuclear Energy: a Challenge for Europe", Jean-Pierre Jouyet stressed that "we must take advantage of the French Presidency of the Union to ask ourselves vital questions". Mr Jouyet went on to raise the issue of security of supply and means of storage. "We must also ask ourselves how we can promote a higher level of safety in nuclear matters", he added. The former director of the International Energy Agency, Claude Mandil, had been asked by the French Prime Minister, François Fillon, to draw up a report on energy security. Published on 21 April, the text, entitled "Energy Security and the European Union: a Proposal for the French Presidency", recommends, amongst other things, the creation of emergency European arrangements in the event of an energy crisis. Mr Mandil, who paid particular attention to relations between the European Union and Russia, suggests promoting "a relationship which does more to respect the sovereignty" of Moscow, for instance by abandoning the clause of reciprocity known as the "Gazprom Clause", and by involving Russia in the planned Nabucco co-gas pipeline to provide the EU with gas from the Caspian Sea area. These questions may, amongst others, be raised at the EU-Russia Summit to be held in Lille on 14 November, and before that at the meeting of the EU-Russia Energy Permanent Partnership Council, to be held in Paris on 8 October. In addition, in order to preserve EDF and GDF, Nicolas Sarkozy is hoping to conclude, under the French Presidency, the dossier on the ownership unbundling of networks for the production and distribution of energy.
A number of meetings covering these areas are planned between now and the month of December. An informal Council will meet in Paris from 3 to 5 July, after which the ministers will meet in Brussels once again for the Environment Council of 20 and 21 October. Lastly, a seminar on the security of energy supply in Europe will be held in Paris on 1 December.
A race against time for the French Presidency to set in place its European Pact on Immigration
Nicolas Sarkozy first raised the issue when he was Minister of the Interior, in 2005. Since then, the possibility of a "European Pact on Immigration" has kept cropping up in the speeches of the French President and his Minister for Immigration, Integration and National Identity, Brice Hortefeux. Nicolas Sarkozy's arrival at the Elysée Palace marked the beginning of a race against time to draw up this pact and to promote it among his European counterparts. It is an understatement to say that the timescale is tight, as it is the goal of the French Presidency to have the text adopted at the European Council in Brussels on 11 and 12 December of this year.
The tax is based on five pillars, which were presented by Brice Hortefeux to the Delegation for the European Union of the National Assembly in January: - European border police, to be achieved by reinforcing the European Agency for the Management of Operational Coordination at the External Borders of the Member States of the European Union (Frontex) and the completion of a system of biometrics; - setting in place a policy of quotas; - the collective organisation of returns, by bringing in joint flights under the aegis of Frontex; - a common asylum regime; - and promoting co-development.
Elements of these proposals dovetail with those put forward by the Commission in February 2008, when the Commissioner for Justice, Liberty and Internal Security, Franco Frattini, presented a "borders package" made up of three communications, recommending, amongst other things, the reinforcement of Frontex and the creation of a common system of controls on people entering and leaving the Schengen zone.
In defence of his text, Brice Hortefeux has embarked on a marathon journey, which has seen him visit all 26 other European capitals since the beginning of January, to convince his partners of his plan. However, negotiations are to continue under the French Presidency, notably at the informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) ministers in Cannes on 7 and 8 July, and then again at the meeting of the JHA Council in Brussels on 24 and 25 July.
In the meantime, Nicolas Sarkozy announced after the European Council of 19 and 20 June that the text had received a "very enthusiastic" welcome. "This pact represents the basis for concrete decisions to be taken in the field of immigration policy ", said the President of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Silvio Berlusconi.
On the legal nature of this pact, Brice Hortefeux has already stated that he did not wish the text to be binding. "It is not a question of proposing a transfer of sovereignty to European level. Each Member State will remain free to determine whether or not they wish to welcome nationals of other countries", he said in January, at a hearing by the Delegation for the European Union of the National Assembly. A number of points, however, remain open-ended. Will the pact apply to just the Schengen zone, or all of the Twenty-Seven? How can its implementation be reconciled with that of the Treaty of Lisbon, the application of which will change the rules in the field of JHA? Some, indeed, see the "pact" as a race against time before the Treaty of Lisbon is implemented, with the new rules it will bring about. Legislative acts in JHA fields may then be proposed by the Commission or by initiative of one quarter of the Member States.
The Secretary of State for European Affairs, Jean-Pierre Jouyet, has defended himself against criticism that he wishes to set in place "a common expulsion machine". "We must at the same time integrate, because Europe needs immigration on an economic level, and to ensure the diversity of Europe", he told a joint press conference with his Spanish opposite number Diego Lopez Garrido, in Paris on 3 June. The Spanish remain on the defensive as regards the text. At the European Council of 19 and 20 June, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero repeated that Spain's position consisted of "disregarding the contract of integration" supported by France, as Spain does not feel this is relevant.
At the Ministry of Immigration, however, it has been confirmed that no official presentation is anticipated before October 2008. Before then, the issue will no doubt be debated at meetings of the SCIFA (Strategic Committee on Immigration, Frontiers and Asylum) in Paris on 4 and 5 September; of the consultative group on the future of EU home affairs on 8 and 9 September; on the conference on the European asylum regime, to be held in Paris on 13 and 14 October and during the Euro-African conference on immigration and development, to be held in Paris on 20 and 21 October.
Calculated ambitions for European defence
Although lending his support to what he himself described as a regime of making European defence secondary to the transatlantic relationship, Alain Lamassoure said on Tuesday 24 June, at a colloquium organised by the IFRI in Brussels, that defence had fallen down the ranks in the list of priorities of the French Presidency of the Union. The MEP explains this by the backdrop to the Presidency, which will see the new American administration take up its duties and the NATO Summit in Strasbourg-Kehl a few months after it ends. The importance granted to this timetable dictates that, for the French Presidency, important decisions must now be somewhat dependent on Washington and NATO.
Having been deprived, by the result of the Irish referendum, of preparatory work for the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty, the French Presidency must now concentrate on the management of civil and military operations under the ESDP (Chad, DRC, Guinea-Bissau, Palestine, Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Moldova, Afghanistan and Iraq) and the development of capacities.
Capabilities - a word which encompasses all human and material resources required for defence. For the most part, these resources are used for either the EU or NATO, which explains the reiterated calls from the American authorities for European capacities to be developed. In France and other countries of the Union, cutbacks in defence expenditure call for an increase in European cooperation, in order to make savings. For this reason, the White Paper on French defence, which was published in mid-June, stresses the need to step up European capabilities. It is against this backdrop that the Steering Board of the European Defence Agency is to approve, on 8 July, the draft Capability Development Plan, drawn up with the collaboration of the Military Staff and the Military Committee of the EU. This document identifies and ranks in order of priority the capacities to be acquired in order to carry out ESDP missions. One of the first tasks of the French Presidency will therefore be to initiate work on this new basis.
As regards staff, the Presidency must focus on preparing and training EU battlegroups and continue its work of putting together joint task forces, complementing the land components of these groups with air and marine elements. There are two major problems facing the well-known "battlegroups" of the EU: on the one hand, certain military leaders (as is the case with Sweden and Poland, for example) feel that the concept is too unwieldly; on the other, their use seems to bring about major political and financial difficulties (for details, see our specialist publication, Europe Diplomacy & Defence). As regards equipment, progress is anticipated for (1) the forthcoming generation of observation satellites (the MUSIS project is scheduled to be entrusted to the Defence Agency on 10 November), (2) the development of the Franco-German heavy lift helicopter, (3) the increase in the budget for the EDA and clarification of its relationship with JACS, (4) the work developed by the EDA to modernise and improve the availability of helicopters (a Franco-British initiative), (5) pooling strategic air transport (A400M) and airborne refuelling capacity; (6) the creation of a European aero-naval group on the basis of British, French and German marine vessels.
France also hopes to proceed with reinforcing capacity for the planning and carrying out of EU operations. For the time being, it has shelved ambitions for a European general headquarters. Essentially, France's plans consist of increasing the number of planners permanently assigned to the operations centre in Brussels. The nature of this increase would automatically limit EU ambitions to conduct an operation of similar dimensions to that currently underway in Chad. Given British misgivings, however, this is by no means a done deal.
It is also in December that the European Council is to approve the result of the reflection carried out on the revision of the security strategy adopted in December 2003. This is a delicate job of work, limited by the mandate of the European Council and which should, according to a French diplomat, go no further than to produce an "addendum".
The Mediterranean: a priority to be shared
The enlargement of the European Union towards the east partially distracted it from its role in the Mediterranean. The spotlight being trained on this region by the planned Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) has already restored a certain balance between the various neighbourhood regions of the Union. The UfM has even provided leverage in the forthcoming reinforcement of cooperation with the eastern neighbours. Some of the European partners, however, remain to be convinced that the Mediterranean basin should be granted the degree of priority Paris hopes for.
13 July 2008 will see what is being called, by common agreement, the "Paris Summit of the Mediterranean". Consultations are still underway, both on participation (the Libyan representative recently criticised the plan and stated that he would not come to Paris, and one is well aware of the other misgivings expressed by the capitals of several other Maghreb states) and on the content of the declaration to be adopted formally at the Summit. The declaration will provide the foundations of a "Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean". This resumption of Euro-Mediterranean cooperation will be based on what has so far been achieved by the Barcelona Process. The European Commission is to keep its key role in the management of cooperation, despite more structured political steering at Heads of State and Government level. In the absence of any major new changes, the Paris Summit will nonetheless be used to re-establish personal links between leaders of Europe and the Mediterranean. Lastly, it will offer high visibility to cooperation which receives little media attention.
But the priority which France hopes to grant to the Mediterranean will not stop at the Summit. It will continue via an impressive round of meetings. Including civil society meetings, we have so far counted 22. In this framework, Anne-Marie Idrac, the Secretary of State for External Trade, will hold a Euromed ministerial conference on trade in Marseilles on 2 July 2008. Bernard Kouchner, the foreign affairs minister, will chair a conference of foreign affairs ministers of the euro-Mediterranean partnership, again in Marseilles, on 3 and 4 November 2008. The Mediterranean civil forum will be held at the same time, also in Marseilles. Luc Chatel, Secretary of State for Industry and Consumption, will hold a conference of Euromed ministers with responsibility for industry on 6 November 2008, in Nice. This meeting will be preceded by a Euromed normalisation day, also in Nice, on 5 November. Four further Euromed conferences will take place under the French Presidency of the European Union: - Euromed Ecofin, in Luxembourg on 7 October 2008; - Euromed Employment, in Morocco on 9 and 10 November 2008; - Euromed Water, in Jordan on 29 October 2008; - Euromed Health, in Egypt on 17 November 2008. On top of this will be various conferences, focusing on, amongst other things: - Mediterranean biodiversity, to be held in Nice/Acropolis on 18 and 19 December 2008; - the fight against drugs trafficking in the Mediterranean, to be held in Toulon from 24 to 26 September 2008; - and a Mediterranean agenda for vocational training, to be held in Nice on 2 and 3 December 2008.
Paris sets in place specific tools to prepare for its Presidency of the Union
The French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (FPEU), for which President Nicolas Sarkozy has been preparing ever since he took up residency in the Elysée Palace, has required specific structures to be set in place.
A secretariat general for the French Presidency of the European Union, led by Ambassador Claude Blanchemaison, is tasked with supervising all logistical aspects of the Presidency: budget management, accreditation of journalists, reserving official cars, etc. It employs 22 people on a permanent basis, in nine different sections: financial questions, justice and immigration, civil society, education and research, local authorities, ecology and sustainable development, culture, agricultural questions and social questions.
In a note dated 26 May, the Secretariat General summarises all events organised during the PFUE. From the launch summit of the Union for the Mediterranean at the "industrial property seminar", to the illumination of the Eiffel Tower all in blue and changing the name of the "bals du 14 juillet" to "bals de l'Europe", the document is 135 pages long and lists a veritable litany of events, colloquia and other meetings. Amongst them, there will be five summits between the EU and third countries, to be held in France, and 20 informal meetings between the ministers of the Twenty-Seven.
With a budget of 190 million euros over two years, the French Presidency is divided up into three areas of expenditure: -89 million euros for the organisation of the obligatory and traditional activities of the Presidency (meetings of the Council, arranging informals and Coreper, etc); -52 million euros for events to be held by initiative of the FPEU (events labelled "French Presidency" and those organised by France); and -19 million euros for "inter-ministerial activities", including 8 million for communication.
The logo of the French Presidency, which was launched by the French Foreign Affairs Minister Bernard Kouchner, was designed by the famous designer Philippe Starck, who has been appointed "artistic director of the FPEU". The call for tenders had a budget of 60,000 euros.
Over the last several months, awareness of the French Presidency has been increased in some 800 - 1000 French civil servants from all ministries. This training session included four modules: - the definition of the FPEU and its objectives; - relations between European institutions and the role of each of them; - the composition and functioning of the European Parliament; and - the logistical organisation of the PFUE.
French Presidency of the EU
The official calendar is due to start on
1 July: Seminar French Government/Commission (Paris)
European Councils
15 - 16 October: European Council (Brussels)
11-12 December: European Council (Brussels)
Formal meetings
7 July: Eurogroup/Ecofin (Brussels)
8 July: “Economic and Financial Affairs” (Ecofin) Council (Brussels)
10 July: Presidency Sarkozy addresses the European Parliament in Strasbourg
15 July: Council of Agriculture and Fishery Ministers
17 July: Ecofin/Budget Council (Brussels)
22-23 July: "General Affairs and External Relations" (GAERC) Council (Brussels)
24-25 July: Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council (Brussels)
15 -16 September: "General Affairs and External Relations" (GAERC) Council (Brussels)
25-26 September: Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council (Brussels)
25-26 September: Competitiveness Council (Brussels)
29-30 September: Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Brussels)
2-3 October: Employment, Social Policy, Social, Health and Consumers Council (Luxembourg)
6 October: Eurogroup/Ecofin (Luxembourg)
7 October: Ecofin Council (Luxembourg)
9 October: Transport/TTE Council (Transport, Telecommunications and Energy) (Luxembourg)
10 October: Energy/TTE Council (Luxembourg)
13-14 October: "General Affairs and External Relations" (GAERC) Council (Luxembourg)
20-21 October: Environment Council (Luxembourg)
27-28 October: Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Luxembourg)
3 November: Eurogroup/Ecofin (Brussels)
4 November: Ecofin Council (Brussels)
6 November: Competitiveness Council (Brussels)
10 November: "General Affairs and External Relations" (GAERC) & Defence Council (Brussels)
11 November: "General Affairs and External Relations" (GAERC) & Development Council (Brussels)
17-18 November: Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Brussels)
20-21 November: Education, Youth and Culture (EJC) Council (Brussels)
21 November: Ecofin/Budget Council (Brussels)
27 November: TTE Council (Telecoms)
27-28 November: Justice and Home Affairs (JHA) Council (Brussels)
1-2 December: Competitiveness Council (Brussels)
1 December: Eurogroup/Ecofin (Brussels)
2 December: Ecofin Council (Brussels)
1-2 December: Competitiveness Council (Brussels)
4-5 December: Environment Council (Brussels)
7-8 December: TTE - Energy Council (Brussels)
8-9 December: "General Affairs and External Relations" (GAERC) Council (Brussels)
9 December: TTE - Transport Council (Brussels)
15-16 December: Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumers Council (EPSSCO) (Brussels)
17, 18 and 19 December: Agriculture and Fisheries Council (Brussels)
Informal meetings in France
3, 4 and 5 July: Informal Environment/Energy (Paris)
7-8 July: Informal JHA (Cannes)
10-11 July: Informal EPSSCO (Chantilly)
17-18 July: Informal Competitiveness (Versailles-Jouy-en-Josas)
21-22 July: Informal Culture/Audiovisual (Versailles)
1-2 September: Informal Transport Ministers (La Rochelle)
5-6 September: Gymnich meeting (Avignon)
8-9 September: Informal Health (Angers)
12 September: Informal Eurogroup/Ecofin (Nice)
13 September: Informal Ecofin
22-23 September: Informal Agriculture (Annecy)
28-29 September: Informal Development (Bordeaux)
2 October: Informal Defence (Deauville)
25-26 November: Informal Education (Bordeaux)
European Parliament
7-10 July (session in Strasbourg). Speech by President Sarkozy
1-4 September (session in Strasbourg)
22-25 September (Session in Strasbourg)
8-9 October (mini-session in Brussels)
20-23 October (session in Strasbourg).
17-20 November (session in Strasbourg).
3-4 December (mini-session in Brussels)
15-18 December (session in Strasbourg)
External agenda
2 July: Meeting of EuroMed trade ministers (Marseilles)
13 July: Paris Summit for the Mediterranean (Paris)
25 July: EU-South Africa Summit (Bordeaux)
9 September: EU-Ukraine Summit (Evian)
29 September: EU-India Summit (Marseilles)
7 October: Council of EuroMed Ecofin Ministers (Luxembourg)
17 October: EU-Canada Summit (Montreal - Quebec)
24-25 October: EU-ASEM (Beijing)
29 October: EuroMed Conference on Water (Jordanie)
3-4 November: EuroMed/Foreign Affairs Ministers Conference (Marseilles)
14 November: EU-Russia Summit (Nice)
17 November: Euromed meeting of health ministers (Egypt)
1 December: EU-China Summit (Lyons) - date to be confirmed
22 December: EU-Brazil Summit (Brazil)
Other meetings
20-21 October: Paris conference on migration and development.
Useful information
The Permanent Representation
Permanent Representative Ambassador: Pierre SELLAL
Deputy Permanent Representative: Philippe LEGLISE-COSTA
14 Place de Louvain - 1000 Brussels
Tel: +32 (0) 2 229 82 11 fax: +32 (0) 2 229 82 82. E-mail: courrier.Brussels-dfra@diplomatie.gouv.fr
http: //http://www.rpfrance.eu/
(for the dossiers) http: //http://www.rpfrance.eu/spip.php?rubrique42
Spokesperson of the Presidency of the EU:
Press service: presse.Brussels-dfra@diplomatie.gouv.fr
Presidency Website: http://www.eu2008.fr
Press service: Switchboard +32(0)2.229.82.69 presse.Brussels.defra@diplomatie.gouv.fr
Marine de CARNE, spokesperson, press adviser
Philippe RAY, deputy adviser
Michèle-Ann OKOLOTOWICZ, deputy adviser
Spokesperson of the Presidency of the Republic
Franck LOUVRIER, Press and Communications Advisor
+33142928046 - email: franck.louvrier@elysee.fr
Pierre-Jérôme HENIN, Press Adviser, International Issues, +33142928394 - email: pierre-jerome.heninelysee.fr
Spokesperson of the Ministries
-Prime Minister http: //http://www.premier-ministre.gouv.fr/fr/ Premier ministre
Myriam LEVY, Communications Adviser to the Prime Minister +33142757407 email: myriam.levy@pm.gouv.fr
Delphine PEYRAT-STRICKER, Technical Adviser, Head of Press Services, +33242758127
delphine.peyrat-strickerpm.gouv.fr
Ministry for Foreign Affairs: 37, quai d'Orsay 75351 Paris cedex 07 SP tel +33 1 43 175353 http: //http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/
Eric CHEVALLIER, Director, Ministry Spokesperson. 6 33143175200.
email: eric.chevallier (diplomatie.gouv.fr
Olivier GAUVIN, Deputy European Affairs Spokesperson +33143174169. email: olivier.gauvin@diplomatie.gouv.fr
Anne BOILLON, Deputy European Affairs Spokesperson +33143174647. email: anne.boillondipiomatie.gouv.fr
Secretary of State for European Affairs, Ministry for Foreign Affairs: 37, quai d'Orsay 75351 Paris cedex 07 SP tel +33 1 43 175353 http: //http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/
Stéphanie VERON, Press Adviser. +33143175573.
email: stephanie.veron@diplomatie.gouv.fr
MINISTRY FOR THE ECONOMY, INDUSTRY AND EMPLOYMENT
139 rue de Bercy, 75572 Paris cedex 12 + 33 1 40040404 http: //http://www.minefi.gouv.fr/
Jean-Marc PLANTADE , Press and Communications Adviser + 33 1 53 1841 35 email: jean-marc.plantade@cabinets.finances.gouv.fr
Elisa GHIGO, Communications Adviser +33 1 53 189766.
email: elisa.ghigocabinets.finances.gouv.fr
MINISTRY FOR AGRICULTURE AND FISHERIES
78, rue de Varenne 75349 Paris 07 SP 33 1 49554955 http: //agriculture.gouv.fr/
Khristelle ROBIC, Press and Communications Adviser. +33 1 49 55 59 74 email: khristelle.robic@agriculture.gouv.fr
Corinne DE CONTI, Press and Communications Adviser +33 1 495581 99. email: corinne.de-contiagriculture.gouv.fr
MINISTRY FOR ECOLOGY, ENERGY, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING
Hôtel de Roquelaure 246 Boulevard Saint-Germain - 75007 Paris + S 33 1 4081 21 22 - http: //http://www.developpement-durable.gouv.fr/
Benoit PARAYRE, Press and Communications Adviser +33140817236. email: benoit.parayredeveloppement-durable.gouv.fr
Frédérique HENRY, Press and Communications Adviser +33140813159 email: frederique.henrydeveloppement-durable.gouv.fr
Muriel DUBOIS-VIZIOZ , Technical Press and Communications Adviser +33140813173. email: muriel.dubois-viziozdeveloppement-durable.gouv.fr
MINISTRY FOR IMMIGRATION, INTEGRATION, NATIONAL IDENTITY AND CO-DEVELOPMENT
101 rue de Grenelle - 75007 Paris + 33 1 77 7261 00 http: //http://www.immigration.gouv.fr/
Geoffroy DIDIER, Communications Adviser +33177726215 / +33 1 77 72 62 66 email: geoffroy.didier@iminidco.gouv.fr
The EU in Paris
Representation of the European Commission in France
Yves Gazzo. Yves.gazzo@ec.europa.eu
Address: 288 Boulevard Saint-Germain F - 75007 PARIS
Telephone: +33 / (0)1 40 63 38 00
Telefax: +33 / (0)1 40 63 38 46
Email: comm-rep-par@ec.europa.eu - http: //ec.europa.eu/france/index_fr.htm
European Parliament -Information Bureau for France
Address: 288 Boulevard Saint-Germain F - 75341 Paris cedex 07
Telephone: +33 / (0)1 40 63 40 00
Telefax: +33 / (0)1 45 51 52 53
Email: epparis@europarl.europa.eu http: //http://www.europarl.europa.eu/paris/
Committee of the Regions: 24 permanent members and 24 french alternates
European Economic and Social Committee: 24 French advisers
Economic representations
Contents
The Circle of Permanent Delegates of France http: //http://www.cdpf-asso.net/
La section UE des Conseillers du Commerce Extérieur de la France (CCEF) (The EU Section of the Foreign Trade Advisers to the French Government)
Le Club des représentants des grandes entreprises françaises (The Club of Representatives of Major French Enterprises)
Chambre Française de Commerce et d'Industrie de Belgique (The French Chamber Of Commerce and Industry of Belgium)
- http: //http://www.cfci.be/ #Séquence_1
La Mission Economique de Brussels (The Economic Mission of Brussels)
- http: //http://www.ambafrance-be.org/ et http: //http://www.missioneco.org/belgique/index.asp
Delegation of MEDEF (Movement of French Enterprises)
Rue de Trèves 41 1040 Brussels, Belgium +32 2 231 07 30ý http: //http://www.businesseurope.eu/
Permanent delegate: Ms Marie-Christine Vaccarezza Tel.: + 32 2 231 07 30 Fax: + 32 2 231 08 38 e-mail: medef.brux@skynet.be