France, herald of a sovereign Europe

The French Presidency of the Council of the European Union (PFUE) is (really) on its way. Since January 1, France has held the reins of this institution which brings together the 27 Member States, but it is at the Élysée, this Friday, January 7, that the real kickoff of these six months was given.

→ EXPLANATION. French Presidency of the European Union: what is it?

During a joint press conference, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and President Emmanuel Macron expressed their desire to “Make this semester a useful moment for Europe”, calling for “Concrete progress at the service of Europeans” – particularly in the areas of green and digital transitions.

Geopolitical power?

One of France’s ambitions is to make Europe “More sovereign”. The PFUE program unveiled in early January thus refers to “A stronger Europe capable of acting in the field of security and defense”. For this, France expects a lot from the “European strategic compass”, a kind of ” White Book “ (this is how Ursula von der Leyen called it) aiming to clarify the ambition of the 27 in matters of defense. A first draft of this strategic document was prepared by the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, and Emmanuel Macron foresees negotiations in two stages: first informal discussions between States on March 10 and 11, the time of a summit organized in France; then a decision-making at the European Council on March 24 and 25, in Brussels.

→ PRACTICAL. Presidency of the European Union: what is France’s program?

Without a strong defense strategy, the EU will find it difficult to shed its label of ” lightweight “ on the international scene, in this “Delicate moment” where, according to Ursula von der Leyen, “Our neighborhood is the theater of significant tensions, as illustrated by the military pressure of Russia on Ukraine”. “It is up to us to propose the European security architecture that we want, because we are a geopolitical power”, hammered Emmanuel Macron, who considers Russia as a “Key player in this security architecture that we must build”. “The EU must dialogue with Russia”, he reiterated (a position shared with ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel), specifying that “To dialogue is not to concede, it is to take stock of our disagreements and try to build the future”.

New vaccine order

But the future is uncertain and the PFUE knows that a shadow hangs over its projects: that of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The health situation remains worrying”, admitted Ursula von der Leyen, however welcoming the overall vaccination rate in Europe of 70%. 1.2 billion doses have been injected into Europeans, she said. Emmanuel Macron returned to his words in The Parisian – he had indicated wanting “Piss off” the unvaccinated. The president explained that it is his “Responsibility to sound the alarm”.

To justify the change from health pass to vaccination pass, he stressed that he “Inspired” other initiatives in Europe, citing Luxembourg and Germany. “It’s a completely European movement that places restrictions on people who are not vaccinated, [et] this movement, you see it everywhere in Europe ”, maintained the Head of State. Ursula von der Leyen, for her part, was careful not to comment on Emmanuel Macron’s statements, and simply referred to a “Very important discussion” on “What freedom means”. Thus, according to the President of the Commission, “Freedom is always combined with responsibility”. The message got through. Without vulgarity.

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