The turbo-charged president of France Nicolas Sarkozy takes up the reigns of the European Union today, in what is promising to be an action-packed six months. Nicolas Sarkozy, a political live-wire, is keen to set the EU alight with his ambitious ideas during his tenure of the revolving Presidency, with policy initiatives ranging from defence to immigration.
His flamboyance and drive may be just what the doctor ordered. The EU is in the doldrums after Ireland's rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. Sarkozy's first challenge will be to keep the Treaty alive by getting the Irish back on board while on a visit to Dublin next month.
"The No vote has certainly made things harder,"
he admitted during a television interview on Monday.
"That's why I need to go there to try to understand what went wrong and find answers."
But there are doubts over whether the firebrand Frenchman will strike the right tone in a country that does not like to be told what to do: "He has many strengths but diplomacy is not necessarily one of them," says Simon Tilford from the London-based Centre for European Reform. "He tends to make policy off-the-cuff and he often talks without thinking through the implications. In the context of Ireland, that may well backfire."
French flair
Jackie Davis, an analyst at the European Policy Centre, is more upbeat. She points to Mr Sarkozy's adroit handling of his own country's rejection of the European Constitution in 2003, when he put forward the idea of drafting a smaller treaty that would not have to be approved in a national referendum:
"He has leadership and he's shown he can be very imaginative in coming up with solutions. But he must handle this carefully and become a consensus-broker, rather than leading from the front and crying "This is what France wants, follow us!'"
Mr Sarkozy, however, is already hinting heavily that the only solution is to put the Treaty to a second referendum - a risky endeavour for both the Irish government and the EU.
"I don't want to appear forceful and say they must vote again. But remember that this is what they did with the Nice Treaty [which was approved in a second ballot]."
He will also try to reverse a growing anti-Treaty sentiment in other EU nations, such as the Czech Republic, which has threatened to block its ratification. Sarkozy, phrasing the problem in medical terms, said the EU presidency must "limit the problem to the Irish and stop contagion."
'An EU for the People'
The French leader does not plan to let constitutional issues overshadow his tenure, however. He is determined to forge an agreement on an EU immigration pact that would clamp down on illegal migration while allowing skilled workers from outside Europe to come fill job vacancies.
"We cannot continue with a system where there are no cross-border controls on [immigrants] and where one country can reject a political refugee whereas another can say 'yes'. We need one policy across Europe."
But Mr Sarkozy may be forced to drop other ideas, such as an EU-wide reduction on fuel tax. He has repeatedly stressed the importance of "protecting our citizens" by tackling soaring food and fuel costs.
"He won't get agreement on this,"
says Simon Tilford.
"There's no case for the EU to intervene here. If the French want to cut VAT on fuel, they can, but they can't force other countries to do so, especially if they think it runs counter to EU goals to fight climate change."
Mr Sarkozy may also need to scale back plans to build up Europe's defence capabilities, given Irish concerns that the Lisbon Treaty would affect their country's neutrality.
"European defence has always been a key issue but it will have to stay low-key because of Irish concerns,"
believes Jackie Davis.
Despite all its drawbacks, the drama of the Irish 'No' gives Mr Sarkozy an opportunity to shine and to breathe new life into the EU.
Qui est President Sarkozy?
* Nicolas Sarkozy - nickname "Sarko" - was born in Paris in 1955.
* He was elected in May 2007 after defeating his Socialist opponent Ségolene Royal.
* Before his presidency, he was leader of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) centre-right party, serving as Minister of the Interior and Minister of Finance.
* He has been married three times. His third wife is the model and musician Carla Bruni.
* He is known for being outspoken and prone to gaffes. Earlier this year, he told a man who refused to shake his hand to "get lost, poor dumb-ass".
by RNW Brussels correspondent Vanessa Mock of Radio Netherlands, Copyright
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