Changed by the crisis

“No one can say that, as President of the EU Council, I didn’t want to promote the unity of Europe”. Nicolas Sarkozy is like a river in full spate. He reviews the situation of his leadership of the EU: he argues, gesticulates, replies. All you need is the patience to listen to him, since he shows no signs of stopping. Various international meetings saw him as a protagonist in recent days: the G4, the Eurogroup, the summit of the 27, the meeting with US President Bush. And already he has on the agenda a journey to China, a visit to Poland, and then a summit with Russia. But in Strasbourg he takes all the necessary time to reflect: “This crisis has changed us”, he declares. Then, after a split second, he adds: “Fortunately”.Coordinated responses. “The capitalist system has never caused so much damage as that caused by the collectivist system: social and environmental damage, damage to the means of production… Having said that, I’m in favour of a reappraisal of the system of the financial markets, and this crisis offers us the opportunity to do so”. Sarkozy was invited to the European Parliament to report on the results of last week’s summit. It’s enough for an MEP or a journalist to make objections or ask him a question, and he ripostes as quick as a flash. He tackled four main points in his speech in the chamber: war in the Caucasus, financial crisis, climate & energy package, and common EU action on immigration. Sarkozy, who seems to enjoy greater success on the international scene than at home in France, insists on the need for “greater coordination of the EU”, to enable it “to exert greater influence in the world and safeguard the interests of citizens”. He defends the results of his Presidency, especially revolving around “a unity of intentions” at the institutional level. “The EU will only make progress if Parliament, Commission and Council act in unison, by common agreement”. With regard to the climate package, he declares: “It’s an appointment with history”; we need to “go ahead with the objectives agreed to” (reduction of greenhouse gases, more sustainable energies and greater energy efficiency. Deferring it means failing. And that would be irresponsible”.Determination and imagination. “I say no to a new cold war. Rather, it’s cold blood we need”. Nicolas Sarkozy recurs to the problems created with the Russian invasion of Georgia, which he calls a “disproportionate reaction”, but at the same time he underlines the Georgian “provocation”. “The war broke out on 8 August – he points out – and on 12 August the EU obtained a ceasefire and brokered a deal for the withdrawal of Russian troops. Is that not a success?”. “We could have respected the traditions, the unwritten rules, and done nothing. Instead – he adds, with conviction – the urgent problems we found ourselves having to tackle required action, determination, imagination and new solutions”. “I tried to do exactly the same in my response to the financial crisis. The meeting of the G4 had the objective of reaching a provisional agreement between France, Germany, the UK and Italy. Not against the other countries, but for the good of the EU as a whole. I received so many objections, yet that in fact is what happened. For the G4 opened the way” to the European Council of 15 and 16 October, “at which we shared the need for a coordinated action to support the banks and protect savers”. Then he repeats: “This crisis could even in the end represent an opportunity for the EU, to help us achieve greater unity”. “A long-term Presidency is needed”. Sarkozy, who now holds the rotating Presidency of the EU, spoke spontaneously and “in full freedom”, both inside and outside the European Parliament. “To tackle the crisis of the financial markets we have mobilized no less than 1,800 billion euros at the EU level. We have placated the stock exchanges, and the American plan, the so-called Paulson II, was modelled on the EU action. Of course – continued the French President – we are now faced by the crisis of the real economy, which will require interventions for research, innovation, and for the support of small and medium businesses. Here too we are called to act in concert”. The “Gaullist” Sarkozy does not forget however his political roots and if he is asked whether the Lisbon Treaty will have to change its spots, he says: “We have spoken a great deal about the reform of the institutions of the European Union; we devoted a lot of time to this question, even if we are still dealing here with a European issue”. Then the EU President returned to his institutional role and maintained that “reforms are necessary; for example, the war in Georgia and the financial crisis have demonstrated the need for a long-term President of the EU”. But on the future of the Lisbon Treaty he is far more evasive: “We’ll fix a calendar by December”. That’s all. Before boarding his presidential car for Paris, Sarkozy devoted his final words to an openly euro-sceptic MEP: “You’re the last person in the world not to believe in Europe. That can only mean one of two things: either the whole world is wrong, or you’re wrong”.