January, 2001

France's Presidency of the European Union

Nabiya Al-Asfahani

At the end of 2000, France's presidency of the European Union came to an end. The constitution of the union demands that each member take presidency for six months on a rotating basis to ensure non-biased conduct. Equality is a main principal within the union and this has been an incentive for its expansion.


The European Union consisted of 12 countries in the 1990s, with diverse geographical size, population, ethnicity, and various interests. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, newcomers from the east joined and the members now number 15. A further 12 countries have applied for membership. Although the further enlargement of the union is a source of controversy among members, the number of member states is expected to reach 28 by 2020.


The crisis in the Balkans has deepened the feeling of weakness among EU officials. The European Union was unable to solve the crisis in the Balkans and, instead, NATO was needed to handle what was essentially a European issue.
France, the first to propose the idea of 'European integration', has been calling for three objectives: the establishment of an intergovernmental commission; the re-establishment of the voting system; and putting into practice the principal of a qualified majority against unanimous resolutions.


The European Union is going through a delicate phase, with geographical and population expansion and calls for political reform. In addition, newcomers will undoubtedly make the situation more complicated. French diplomacy has been active in attempting to reform the European Union, tackling the principle of forced cooperation and aiming to rebalance the votes, along with Germany being in favor of European integration.


France has been an active president, tackling issues in the commercial, economic, military and legal fields. Although many observers argue that the Nice conference was very disappointing, a careful examination of its results shows that it was successful in resolving a number of long-unsolved problems. France supported a vote rebalance that gives the founders - France, Britain and Italy - the largest share of votes. The issue of common defense was also discussed and a resolution calling for the establishment of a European common military headquarters was passed.
The conference highlighted the increasing influence of Germany in the European Union. Sweden, the new president of the union, may well be faced with a battle of wills between France and Germany.