Archive for the 'France' Category :

M le Président: écouter, écouter…

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 02/07/08

Day Two of the French Presidency: President Sarkozy has postponed his trip to Ireland, but unfortunately he has not cancelled it. He will go on 21 July. Will he be there to lecture or to listen? He and Bernard Kouchner have already upset the Irish. He plans to go to the Czech Republic. Will he [...]

No-one understands the European Union

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 01/07/08

Day One of the French Presidency increases my worries. From the Schumann Plan to monetary union, the big ideas which fashioned European integration have been mainly French. But the tenor of the rhetoric of the French leadership leaves me incredulous and worried. “No-one understands the European Union, not even me”, says Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner. [...]

Roller coaster EU Presidency coming

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 25/06/08

We appear to be in for a roller-coaster ride under the French – or rather Sarkozy – Presidency, which begins in a few days. Most worrying is his declared intention to travel to Ireland presidency to help find a solution. His reactions so far are not conducive to his playing a constructive role. At a [...]

France talks to Hamas

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 19/05/08

Le Figaro reports that around a month ago, a retired high-level French diplomat met with the main representatives of Hamas, and only later informed the French foreign ministry. It’s hard to believe that a recently retired ambassador would not have informally cleared this with the Elysée or Quai d’Orsay. The piece also notes that Nicolas [...]

Entente Cordiale: implications for EU (2)

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 01/04/08

10 years after the Franco-British St Malo accord, President Sarkozy’s successful visit to London brings hope for a strategic consensus between France, Germany and the UK, supported by most Member States. Beyond diplomatic initiatives, this could encompass energy policy, climate change and also development aid. This is the conclusion of an interesting article by Thierry [...]

Entente Cordiale : implications for EU

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 28/03/08

The whirlwind state visit of President Nicolas and Carla Sarkozy to the UK is over. What are its lasting implications? The rhetoric on these grand occasions is not necessarily converted into action. It is especially difficult to interpret the nature of Sarkozian initiatives and their durability. The President clearly seeks to bring France closer to [...]

Franco-German cooperation: an institution

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 11/03/08

My 5 March posting commented on Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy making up after a period of strained relations. In a discussion yesterday, the sustainability of this rapprochement was questioned. The personal chemistry of the current Franco-German couple is unlikely to lead to the relationship matching that of several of its predecessors, but Franco-German cooperation [...]

A new couple français–allemand?

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 05/03/08

Angela Merkel and Nicolas Sarkozy both referred on Monday 3 March in Hanover to the friendship between the two countries, after a period of cool relations. They announced agreement on Sarkozy’s ’Mediterranean Union’ project, originally opposed by the German Chancellor. No details were given and there will be a Franco-German proposal to next week’s European [...]

A taste of things to come

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 26/02/08

President Nicolas Sarkozy’s visit to the French Agricultural Show in Paris on 23 February was far more eventful than expected. This is not the place to compete with YouTube’s video clip of his extraordinary conversation with a visitor who refused to shake his hand. On the WTO trade negotiations, the French President brought up CAP [...]

A strange Franco-American meeting of minds

Posted by Stanley Crossick on 29/01/08

I received a provocative note from my good friend and colleague, Eberhard Rhein, and with his permission, publish it below: During their recent visits to Ryadh the French and US Presidents have called on the Saudis to lower the oil price as it hurts American and French families. They received a polite but firm answer [...]

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Rated 6th most influential EU blog by Waggener Edstrom. European of British nationality, for nearly 30 years Bruxellois. Deep believer in the principle of 'mutuality' and Monnet's axiom "Thought cannot be divorced from action", equivalent to Wang Yangming's "Zhixingheyi". more.



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