French official spells out French presidency priorities
France has three key aims for its French presidency according to Pierre Vimont, France's permanent representative to the European Union: support for growth and full employment; taking into account the concerns of Europe's citizens and reinforcing the European Union's efficiency. Speaking in the latest edition of the newsletter of the Kangaroo Group, which holds it annual conference on the theme of 'barriers in cyberspace' on September 18 and 19, Mr Vimont, claimed that the French presidency has arrived at a key moment. 'The major challenge is to prepare the Union to accept new members without letting slip the spirit of the founding fathers,' he said. In supporting the first of the objectives, supporting growth and full employment, France has committed itself to the proposals made at the Lisbon summit in March. This is one of the major steps forward in the presidencies of the European Union - that there is increasing commitment to continue the good work of the previous presidency rather than have each country start afresh. France is also looking to make Europe a more civic society. Food safety, environmental protection, transport safety and general improvement of the quality of life will be the priorities. By the end of the presidency, it is hoped that a European charter of fundamental rights will be drawn up. The conclusion of the presidency at the intergovernmental conference will see three fundamental issues tackled: the extension of the qualified majority voting, weighting of votes and the composition of the Commission.ner Phil
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