Nicolas Sarkozy's attempts to get France's presidency of the EU off to a flying start with a carefully orchestrated television interview have been undermined since footage of him losing his cool in front of the camera became an instant internet hit. France 3, the state TV station which broadcast Sarkozy's hour-long interview last night, said it had ordered an immediate internal investigation into the leaking of the tape, which by this afternoon had already been watched more than 440,000 times. The footage, recorded in the minutes before the prime time interview, shows a visibly irritated Sarkozy struggling to maintain his calm as tensions between the President and state television employees erupt onto the set. Enraged at the perceived snub by a technician who, while pinning a microphone to his shirt, appears not to have heard Sarkozy address him, the president gives in to a barely controlled outburst of anger.
Nicolas Sarkozy's attempts to get France's presidency of the EU off to a flying start with a carefully orchestrated television interview have been undermined since footage of him losing his cool in front of the camera became an instant internet hit.
France 3, the state TV station which broadcast Sarkozy's hour-long interview last night, said it had ordered an immediate internal investigation into the leaking of the tape, which by this afternoon had already been watched more than 440,000 times.
The footage, recorded in the minutes before the prime time interview, shows a visibly irritated Sarkozy struggling to maintain his calm as tensions between the President and state television employees erupt onto the set. Enraged at the perceived snub by a technician who, while pinning a microphone to his shirt, appears not to have heard Sarkozy address him, the president gives in to a barely controlled outburst of anger.
Subverting the manufactured dignity of politicians and giving candid insights into their true characters cannot be a bad thing.
Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères
When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
France's six-month leadership of the EU began turbulently Tuesday, July 1 with President Sarkozy involved in a bitter war of words with the EU's trade chief and Poland refusing to sign the embattled Lisbon Treaty. French President Nicolas Sarkozy faced mounting troubles as his country assumed the rotating six-month EU presidency on Tuesday, July 1 with grand pledges of moving beyond the crisis triggered by the recent Irish rejection of the treaty meant to reform the 27-nation bloc. The first sign of trouble came early Tuesday when Polish President Lech Kaczynski Kaczynski said it would be "pointless" signing the Lisbon treaty following its rejection by Irish voters in a referendum on June 12. The treaty, intended to overhaul the bloc's institutions, needs the backing of all 27 member states to come into force. Kaczynski, a Eurosceptic, helped negotiate the treaty but his party is now in opposition. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said ratification of the Lisbon Treaty was in Poland's interest.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy faced mounting troubles as his country assumed the rotating six-month EU presidency on Tuesday, July 1 with grand pledges of moving beyond the crisis triggered by the recent Irish rejection of the treaty meant to reform the 27-nation bloc.
The first sign of trouble came early Tuesday when Polish President Lech Kaczynski Kaczynski said it would be "pointless" signing the Lisbon treaty following its rejection by Irish voters in a referendum on June 12. The treaty, intended to overhaul the bloc's institutions, needs the backing of all 27 member states to come into force.
Kaczynski, a Eurosceptic, helped negotiate the treaty but his party is now in opposition. Prime Minister Donald Tusk said ratification of the Lisbon Treaty was in Poland's interest.
The French government has budgeted a record-breaking 190 million euros ($300 million) for its six-month EU presidency. The sum is 16 times what the British Foreign Office spent on its presidency in 2005. The French government has not discussed what the money would be spent on, or whether competitive bids were issued for contracts granted by the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy, according to the French internet daily MediaPart, which initially broke the story. Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet said that the large sum was necessitated by expenditures linked to the union's expansion to 27 members. The budget "corresponds to that of a presidency for an enlarged Europe," Jouyet said, adding that this made comparisons to the costs of previous EU presidencies meaningless.
The French government has not discussed what the money would be spent on, or whether competitive bids were issued for contracts granted by the office of President Nicolas Sarkozy, according to the French internet daily MediaPart, which initially broke the story.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Jean-Pierre Jouyet said that the large sum was necessitated by expenditures linked to the union's expansion to 27 members.
The budget "corresponds to that of a presidency for an enlarged Europe," Jouyet said, adding that this made comparisons to the costs of previous EU presidencies meaningless.
Ireland's rejection of the EU reform treaty has presented France with a weighty challenge at the start of its six-month presidency. DW-WORLD.DE asked EU experts about the options for the months ahead. Just days after taking over the rotating EU presidency on July 1, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is set to fly to Dublin for talks over the way forward after Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. It's a crucial visit, according to Hugo Brady, from the London-based Centre for European Reform. And one that the Irishman believes could go either way. "Sarkozy is unpredictable. The trip could make things worse if he's impolitic. But it could also be the start of a way back, an escape from europaralysis." The reform treaty, which, in part, aims to streamline decision-making in the enlarged 27-member bloc, needs the agreement of all members to come into effect. So what options are open to the EU?
Just days after taking over the rotating EU presidency on July 1, French President Nicolas Sarkozy is set to fly to Dublin for talks over the way forward after Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty.
It's a crucial visit, according to Hugo Brady, from the London-based Centre for European Reform. And one that the Irishman believes could go either way. "Sarkozy is unpredictable. The trip could make things worse if he's impolitic. But it could also be the start of a way back, an escape from europaralysis."
The reform treaty, which, in part, aims to streamline decision-making in the enlarged 27-member bloc, needs the agreement of all members to come into effect. So what options are open to the EU?
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
The plans were grandiose. But now that Ireland has rejected the Lisbon Treaty, Nicolas Sarkozy will have to scale back his goals for the French EU presidency. His answer? Frenetic activity. It was a different looking Eiffel Tower that Parisians saw on Monday night: Lit a deep blue, there was a circle of 12 stars dotting its middle. And on Tuesday, the first day of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's six month stint as holder of the European Union presidency, there is more to come. At 6:30 in the evening, a ceremony will be held at the Arc de Triomphe marking the transfer of the office. Later, Sarkozy will receive President of the European Parliament Hans-Gerd Pöttering (more...) and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. Then comes a gala dinner with European Commissioners in the Élysée Palace -- everything as stately as it gets. The Eiffel Tower was lit up on Monday night in honor of France taking over the rotating EU presidency. But it's not just France taking the EU's center stage on Tuesday. It is Sarkozy himself. The French president, with his outsized ego, boorish on-the-job persona and jam-packed agenda, will for the next half year be the political face of Europe's 27-member club. And a first glance, it looks like the hyperactive Sarkozy is not planning to slow down any time soon. Just the first four weeks is full of trips and appearances: A speech before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on July 10; the Mediterranean Summit in Paris on July 13 followed by the EU-Africa Summit on the 25th; plus four different European Commission meetings between now and July 25. As if that weren't enough, France is hosting no fewer than eight minister-level mini-summits -- with those responsible for space exploration even flying off to visit the rocket launch pad in Kourou, French Guyana.
The plans were grandiose. But now that Ireland has rejected the Lisbon Treaty, Nicolas Sarkozy will have to scale back his goals for the French EU presidency. His answer? Frenetic activity.
It was a different looking Eiffel Tower that Parisians saw on Monday night: Lit a deep blue, there was a circle of 12 stars dotting its middle. And on Tuesday, the first day of French President Nicolas Sarkozy's six month stint as holder of the European Union presidency, there is more to come. At 6:30 in the evening, a ceremony will be held at the Arc de Triomphe marking the transfer of the office. Later, Sarkozy will receive President of the European Parliament Hans-Gerd Pöttering (more...) and European Commission President José Manuel Barroso. Then comes a gala dinner with European Commissioners in the Élysée Palace -- everything as stately as it gets.
The Eiffel Tower was lit up on Monday night in honor of France taking over the rotating EU presidency. But it's not just France taking the EU's center stage on Tuesday. It is Sarkozy himself. The French president, with his outsized ego, boorish on-the-job persona and jam-packed agenda, will for the next half year be the political face of Europe's 27-member club.
And a first glance, it looks like the hyperactive Sarkozy is not planning to slow down any time soon. Just the first four weeks is full of trips and appearances: A speech before the European Parliament in Strasbourg on July 10; the Mediterranean Summit in Paris on July 13 followed by the EU-Africa Summit on the 25th; plus four different European Commission meetings between now and July 25. As if that weren't enough, France is hosting no fewer than eight minister-level mini-summits -- with those responsible for space exploration even flying off to visit the rocket launch pad in Kourou, French Guyana.
You'd think by now it's only meant to impress them and no one else?
Sheesh In the long run, we're all dead. John Maynard Keynes
Marrying Bruni seems to have been his biggest policy success.
It is not driven or purposeful, it is not concentrated, it is not targeted, it is not managed or thought-out, or even useful. It's just moving randomly and bursting in anger every now and again. Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need, but not every man's greed. Gandhi
