French Presidency of the Council of the European Union

The Eiffel Tower illuminated in blue on the occasion of the French presidency. Paris. Original picture from Jeanne Gallien.

by Jeanne Gallien, 6 minutes

Since January 1st and for six months, France has taken over the rotating presidency of the council of Europe. Together with the Czech Republic, and Sweden, they embody the program of the trio presidency. The Council presidency trio mechanism involves three countries and was codified in the Lisbon Treaty. It allows for a certain continuity in the decision-making process with long-term goals and defines the main topics to be addressed for a period of a year and a half. Until mid2023, the trio will play an important role in making Europe more sovereign, more human and in creating a new European pioneer for the rest of the world.

What is the Council of the European Union?

The Council of the European Union also referred to as the Council of Ministers or just the Council, is a co-legislator along with the European Parliament. Together, they vote, accept, negotiate, or reject the Commission's proposals. They also adopt the budget. The Council has an important role in most agreements related to foreign policy and broad trade agreements. Furthermore, the Council has the coordinating power in a certain area where the European Parliament does not have binding power, such as economic policies. They can adopt recommendations or decisions that try to corporate national policies.

The composition of the Council is defined by article 16(2) of the Treaty of the European Union. This is not a fixed composition because it depends on the topic discussed. Meetings are attended by representatives from each member state at a ministerial level. Meetings are chaired by the minister of the member state holding for six months the Council presidency, France. Exceptionally, the Foreign Affairs Council is chaired by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, currently Mr Josep Borrell.

What does the presidency of the Council entail?

Every six months the presidency of the Council rotates. This is a symbol of equality between the member states. The Presidency of the Council organizes and chair meetings, ensure consistency, continuity of the decision-making process, and submit conclusions. It has a bridging function between the institutions, in particular, the Commission and the European Parliament.

Logo of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU

What are the objectives of the French Presidency of the Council?

President Macron set out the main policy lines in his speech on December 9, 2021. Three main objectives were presented: a more sovereign, human Europe and creating a new European reference for the rest of the world.

A more sovereign Europe: president Macron would like to act on two angles regarding migrants and refugees. On the one hand, he would like to work with the countries of origin to avoid trafficking and migration flows, to protect the external borders, to harmonize the rules regarding the management of migrants, and, once in Europe, to help the migrants. On the other hand, he would like to improve the internal functioning by helping the member states in the front line by providing material and police support, organizing more regular meetings and improving FRONTEX. FRONTEX is a European Union agency that controls external borders to guarantee free movement without internal barriers. It has three main objectives: reduce the vulnerability of the external borders based on comprehensive situational awareness; guarantee safe, secure and, well-functioning EU borders, and plan and maintain European Border and Coast Guard capabilities. At his head, Fabrice Leggeri, a French politician. He faces accusations on multiple fronts and often endorses all the failures of the agency. Many argue that the French presidency could be the occasion to improve FRONTEX and to get rid of Leggeri.

Moreover, the French presidency would like to establish a climate of stability and prosperity with our neighbourhood. Europe and Africa have a common interest in building a future for the youth to fight against inequality, trafficking, and poverty. During his speech, the president indicated that he wants to create a new economic and political deal with Africa on the financing of African economies. On the agenda: education of young girls, formation of teachers, providing vaccines, supporting Africans in their economic transition, and fighting terrorism.

Making the Europe of 2030 a new pioneer for the rest of the world: This objective is based on four pillars. The first one is the capacity to produce with the ambition to create jobs. The second is to reconcile economic growth and climate change. The objective is carbon neutrality in 2050. In order not to discriminate against our European companies, it would be possible to establish a mirror clause. It means that Europe wants the same environmental ambitions in their trade agreements with third parties. The third pillar is to make Europe a digital power. To make start-ups emerge, not to suffer the laws of other digital powers by defining our laws, to protect personal data, and to fight against online hate. The fourth and last pillar is to fight against poverty. This includes equality between men and women and defining a European minimum wage.

A more human Europe: The objective would be a more democratic, simpler Europe. France would like to transmit the history, the culture of the European Union. Along the same lines, the French Presidency wants to be closer to its citizens. The Conference on the Future of Europe will take place until Spring 2022 and will take the form of (among others) local events. One of them will take place in Maastricht on 11th February 2022. Such local conferences are an opportunity for European citizens to debate on Europe’s challenges and priorities.

Emmanuel Macron's Speech at the European Parliament, January 19, 2022

The French presidential election as a challenge for the Council’s presidency

The biggest obstacle to the smooth running of the Council’s presidency is the presidential elections that will take place in France in April 2022. Indeed, Mr Macron, current president of France and candidate for the elections of 2022, is not sure to be re-elected. This means that from April the Council could see a new president at its head. We have already seen on January 19 in the European Parliament, a confrontation between President Macron and Yannick Jadot, MEP of the Greens, and candidate for French Presidency 2022. The latter said that Mr Macron will go down in history as "the president of the climate inaction". The European deputies retorted that "the French presidency of the Council should not be an electoral step. "

Conclusion

To conclude, the French presidency of the Council promises interesting changes that could see the day by 2023. It remains to be seen how the trio of France, the Czech Republic, and Sweden will work together and how the French elections will affect the proper functioning of the stated objectives.