During a one-hour television address, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, promised to "protect Europeans" during France's time at the EU helm. The French EU presidency, which begins Tuesday (1 July), is saddled with some of the biggest conundrums to face the bloc in years: Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty and the climate of growing discontent among citizens towards what they see as the EU's poor response to growing food and fuel prices. The Eiffel tower will be lit up in the colours of Europe every evening in the next six months. "We have to profoundly change our way of building Europe," Mr Sarkozy said during his talk on TV channel France 3 on Monday (30 June). "There is something wrong, Europe worries today and even worse, [European] citizens are wondering whether in the end they are not better protected at the national rather than at the European level," he added. Consequently, "we must not be afraid of the word protection... We have to reflect on how to turn Europe into a means of protecting Europeans in their everyday lives," he argued.
During a one-hour television address, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, promised to "protect Europeans" during France's time at the EU helm. The French EU presidency, which begins Tuesday (1 July), is saddled with some of the biggest conundrums to face the bloc in years: Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon treaty and the climate of growing discontent among citizens towards what they see as the EU's poor response to growing food and fuel prices.
The Eiffel tower will be lit up in the colours of Europe every evening in the next six months.
"We have to profoundly change our way of building Europe," Mr Sarkozy said during his talk on TV channel France 3 on Monday (30 June).
"There is something wrong, Europe worries today and even worse, [European] citizens are wondering whether in the end they are not better protected at the national rather than at the European level," he added.
Consequently, "we must not be afraid of the word protection... We have to reflect on how to turn Europe into a means of protecting Europeans in their everyday lives," he argued.
Anything goes to defend unfettered deregulation, however indirect. In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
