France will assume the rotating presidency of the European Union on Saturday, giving President Emmanuel Macron the opportunity to position himself as the EU’s de facto head in the run-up to national elections in April. France has held the rotating presidency since 2005.
In the last four years, the 44-year-old has served as a lively sidekick to the more stable German chancellor Angela Merkel in Europe’s power couple, and he has made no secret of his intentions to be the engine for further European integration.
After the retirement of Angela Merkel and the timely gift of the rotating presidency of the EU Council beginning on January 1, Macron has announced an ambitious agenda for the 27-member organisation that could also help his re-election campaign at home.
“The year 2022 must be a watershed moment in the history of Europe,” he declared in a New Year’s Eve national address in which he praised the EU’s stance during the Covid-19 crisis.
In reference to the French president, he pledged that “you can count on my total dedication to ensure that this moment, which comes around every 13 years, is a period of progress for you and your country.”
The moderate, who made his pro-European beliefs a central component of his political campaign when he was elected president in 2017, is expecting that they would serve him well in the next elections on April 10 and April 24, respectively.
“The EU presidency provides him with a welcome platform to put his European record front and centre, differentiate himself from his rivals, and bring new proposals and new ideas to the table,” said Claire Demesmay, an expert at the Marc-Bloch think-tank in Berlin. “The EU presidency provides him with a welcome platform to put his European record front and centre, and differentiate himself from his rivals,” she added.
The act of stuttering on the international stage has also long been a fashionable one for any French president to undertake.
In the words of Pierre Sellal, a former French diplomat now working at the French mission to the European Union, “the French love nothing more than the image or impression of France being ‘at the controls’.” France is a member of the European Union and has a strong presence there. On New Year’s Eve, France lighted iconic buildings throughout the country, including the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe, in the blue of the European Union flag to commemorate the beginning of the country’s six-month presidency.
Aside from the letters U and E for “Union Europeene,” several observers have pointed out that the French presidential logo has an arrow in the centre that looks to generate another letter — a M in a sideways position for Macron.
During the course of the year, each European country has a chance to assume the presidency of the Council of the European Union. This allows the member state an opportunity to define the official agenda for fellow leaders in the bloc — within certain parameters — and to convene ministerial meetings. However, while the first French presidency since 2008 presents potential for Macron, it is also perceived by many to be fraught with dangers as well.
It is possible that the increasing Covid-19 health crisis will eclipse his efforts to make Europe “strong” — whether in defence, technology, or border security — in the medium term. President Macron, according to Sebastien Maillard, director of the Jacques Delors Institute, a pro-EU think tank located in Paris, will be under increased pressure to deliver as a result of the high level of expectations.
According to Maillard, “He won’t be able to get through to the first round (of the presidential election on April 10) until he gets some positive results from the European presidency.” “That presents a difficulty for him, but it also presents an excellent opportunity.”
