The government line-up that emerged from France's election marathon last spring makes for stability and continuity until the next presidential and legislative elections in 2007. At present, the president, the prime minister and all the ministers come from the same political camp.

No doubt, there will be differences and internal debates; but gone is the institutional tension of the past five years when a president and a prime minister from opposing sides were in almost constant conflict.

The resulting coherence in foreign policy will benefit France's foreign partners, who can look forward to five years working with much the same people, promoting much the same policies.

So the speeches on foreign policy made on August 27-29 in Paris, at the annual meeting of French ambassadors, deserve careful study. In Malta's case, we are particularly interested in statements on Europe and the Mediterranean area.

President Jacques Chirac started his speech to the ambassadors with favourable comments on the European Union's enlargement. Speaking of the accession of ten new member states, programmed for 2004, he noted that France welcomes enlargement because that is how peace and democracy can be firmly established throughout the European continent.

"We must now respect the deadlines. In November at the latest, the EU will present to the candidates its detailed financial proposals, in particular those related to direct agricultural aids. Our ambassadors in the candidate countries have a major role in explaining France's position and dissipating any possible misunderstandings."

French minister to visit Malta

However, the most immediate major event in French European policy will be the renewal and revamping of the Elysée Treaty between France and Germany, concluded by President Charles de Gaulle and Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, on its 40th anniversary in January 2003.

The Franco-German partnership has been the engine of European integration in the past and, despite their sometimes diverging interests, the two countries are determined that it will continue being so in future.

Chirac further said that he has directed Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin and Minister Delegate for European Affairs Noëlle Lenoir to visit all candidate countries by the end of the year "so that the candidates know that France is expecting them and wishes their successful integration in the European family".

Mme Lenoir will visit Malta in the next few months. She is a distinguished legal scholar and has made original contributions on law and bioethics; she has also been a member of France's Constitutional Council.

She will be the fourth minister for European affairs to visit Malta in recent years. Among her predecessors, Alan Lamassoure paid a working visit to Malta in 1994, Michel Barnier in 1996 and Pierre Moscovici in 2001.

As regards the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, known as the Barcelona process, Chirac regretted that its political dimension had been slowed down by the Middle East crisis. However, he encouraged progress on the economic and cultural aspects and the preparation for 2004 of an ambitious Mediterranean strategy for sustainable development.

In the meantime, Chirac is planning to visit Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco, France's privileged partners in the Mediterranean, in 2003.

Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin spoke about the opportunities France sees for itself in current European initiatives and the prospects of enlargement. "For France, the enlargement date which is rapidly approaching is a challenge, an opportunity and a necessity.

"The EU's enlargement is an obvious historical and moral necessity. For 50 years the people of central and eastern Europe have dreamt about us and about Europe. They identified the fight for freedom with the fight for Europe. We cannot disappoint them.

"So we stand without hesitation in this great European project. The European Council at Copenhagen in December will be historical. It will be a decisive step in their future and ours. France will ensure that this event will be a success. It is involved and will continue to be involved".

In a brilliant speech, Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin painted a broad-brush fresco of the state of the world and France's place in it in the light of history. In due time, we will read a book on his views on French foreign policy, much in the way that his predecessor, Hubert Védrine, put his thoughts to paper in the book Les Cartes de la France à l'heure de la mondialisation (see "French Foreign Minister spells it out", by Joseph Licari, The Sunday Times, June 18, 2000).

De Villepin describes Europe as "a promontory at the crossroads of several civilisations, rich in the diversity of sensibilities and visions that it combines - Britain's openness to the Atlantic area, the continental anchorage of the states of the new Europe, the original inspiration of the Nordic countries, the southern countries' roots in Mediterranean culture".

Like Védrine before him, de Villepin emphasises the cultural aspect of French foreign policy: "In a world where identity is crucially at stake, the cultural dimension of our diplomatic activity is a major priority". As a result, cultural counsellors in France's embassies all over the world are expected to be endowed with increased resources.

Risks and challenges

Noëlle Lenoir tackled the thorny question of whether enlargement and the new EU constitutional treaty, which is under way, could not undermine France's influence in Europe.

She argued that European integration has not brought an end to the exercise of state sovereignty; indeed, it has strengthened it by pooling the sovereignty of the member states. Nevertheless, she mentioned two risks.

The first is the danger of upsetting the delicate balance between European citizenship and the resurgence of minorities based on national feelings. "These feelings should not waken up old rivalries and conflicts.

"Our experience has taught us that identity consciousness is stronger the more it is built on respect for differences and diversities, and the more it aims at sharing and openness, rather than at exclusion and isolation."

The second risk is the possible division of the EU into big states on one side and small states on the other. Lenoir says that such a concept goes against the French vision of the equal dignity of nations.

"Since the foundation of the Council of Europe in 1949, Europe is based on every country's ability to make its voice heard and defend its interests. Past experience should help us to reconcile divergent interests and to control sensitivities."

At the same time enlargement presents a challenge. "Enlargement and deepening must advance at the same time. Enlargement cannot be a success if the EU's institutions are not renovated to become more effective and better understood by Europe's citizens.

"After enlargement, Europe must be more democratic and closer to its citizens; otherwise its institutional balance risks being undermined on the first confrontation between its member states."

France's position on the constitutional evolution that Europe is undergoing was summarised by President Chirac. France would like to see better management of economic policy within the euro area and stronger co-ordination of justice and security policies within the enlarged EU.

It would also like to see the current system of rotating six-month presidencies replaced by a president of the European Council elected for a longer period.

France is also working for a stronger and more efficient foreign and security policy to bolster the EU's credibility and effectiveness. The major principles of the EU's external policy for the coming years would be defined in a declaration. Then, as happened in the Balkans, a common position would be found in crisis situations to reflect Europe's common interests.

The new French government will thus proceed on the road France has travelled since the end of the Second World War. Realising that the world had become too small for a medium-sized country to exercise its influence, it clubbed together with other European countries in a community whose very success has been a magnet attracting others.

Thus the community, now called a Union, grew gradually from six to 15. It will soon grow to a membership of 25 countries. Will Malta be in or out?

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