[FR] Style, strategies and potential influence of France’s European policy: a look back at a remarkable presidency

President Sarkozy’s stated intention to bring France back into Europe has revived hopes among France’s partners, particularly in Germany, for a new dynamic in a Union that is running out of steam. The French Presidency’s work programme, which focused on major strategic issues such as the Union’s Mediterranean policy, the energy/climate package, asylum and migration policy and defence policy, was disrupted by a series of crises: the Irish “No” vote, the Russian-Georgian conflict and, of course, the financial crisis.

How can European leadership be reaffirmed in such a context? What was the right political strategy and diplomatic style to achieve this? How can a French president who has accentuated the concentration of power at the national level act effectively at the European level, in a political system where power is shared by a large number of European and national actors? The authors have sought to find answers to these questions by looking back at the key moments of the French Presidency and focusing in particular on the style and strategy employed during this six-month period, as well as the impact of this privileged moment on France’s influence within the European Union.