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Read about France's priorities for the European Union

 
As the landmark Eiffel Tower burst into a dazzling display of blue and gold, the colors of the European Union flag, at midnight Monday, France took on the six-month rotating presidency of the 27-member bloc.

But a year after famously proclaiming, “France is back in Europe” following his 2007 election, French President Nicolas Sarkozy admitted that “something isn’t right. Something isn’t right at all,” with the EU in a Monday night interview with a French TV station.

Sarkozy’s ambitious agenda for the EU has been considerably thwarted by the June 12 Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty, a setback exacerbated by Polish President Lech Kaczynski’s refusal to sign the treaty on Tuesday. The Polish leader argued that the Irish rebuff had rendered the treaty “pointless.”

Asked by the Polish daily, Dziennik, if he would sign the Lisbon Treaty, Kaczynski tersely replied: “For the moment, the question of the treaty is pointless.”

Although the Polish parliament has ratified the Lisbon Treaty, it requires the president’s signature to be definitive. The Lisbon Treaty cannot come into effect unless it is approved by all 27 member states.

French Prime Minister Francois Fillon nevertheless reiterated in a televised speech on Tuesday that “the process of ratification would continue”. European Commission President José Manuel Barroso expressed his “unwavering support” for the French presidency’s programme and added : “We need to show each day that Europe brings value to our countries and to our citizens”.

‘Another fly in the European ointment’

Kaczynski’s remarks were a serious setback for Sarkozy, who just hours before said the EU presidency’s “first priority is to find a way to contain the problem to the Irish.”

“The next few months are going to be spent negotiating with the Irish behind the scenes in the hope that the Irish can be persuaded to vote again,” said FRANCE 24’s international affairs editor Robert Parsons.

On July 21, Sarkozy will fly to Dublin to listen to Irish concerns firsthand.

Parsons also noted that the Czech Republic - which takes over the presidency January 2009 - is “another fly in the European ointment.”

While the Czech ratification is being held up in the courts, the country’s eurosceptic President Vaclav Klaus has already declared the Lisbon Treaty finished before it even started.

Four priority areas

Long before the Irish rejection effectively derailed the EU agenda, France had set four priority areas for its EU presidency stint: immigration, defence, energy and the environment, and agriculture.

The priorities are capped by Sarkozy’s ambitious Mediterranean Union project, which he is expected to launch July 13 in Paris. The Mediterranean Union seeks to tie European countries with states from the Mediterranean rim - including Israel and its Arab neighbours - to develop economic cooperation.

On the environment, France is hoping to secure a deal on cutting the bloc’s carbon emission levels. But Sarkozy’s plan to cap the value added tax (VAT) on oil to cushion the blow of soaring fuel prices has been fiercely opposed by several European governments and have sparked protests across the bloc.

“They have a big agenda, quite an ambitious agenda particularly on climate change, defence, and they’re clearly organized and ready to go,” said Parsons. “But the problem for them is their energies are going to be sapped by the big issues like Ireland.”