Africa-Press – Gambia. France took over the rotating presidency of the European Union at midnight on Saturday, affording President Emmanuel Macron the chance to pose as the EU’s de facto leader in the run-up to national elections due in April. In his televised New Year’s address, the French president made no direct reference to his intention to compete for a second five-year stint as national leader.
“The year 2022 must be a turning point for Europe,” President Macron said in a New Year’s Eve address.
Referring to the French EU presidency, he promised that “you can count on my complete commitment to ensure that this period, which comes around every 13 years, is a time of progress for you”.
The centrist, who made his Europhile views a key part of his political campaign when winning the presidency in 2017, is hoping it will again serve him in elections scheduled for April 10 and 24.
“The EU presidency gives him a welcome platform to put his European record to the forefront and differentiate himself from his rivals and bring new proposals, new ideas to the table,” said Claire Demesmay, an expert at the Marc-Bloch think-tank in Berlin.
“The French like nothing more than the image or impression of France being at the controls,” said Pierre Sellal, a former French diplomat at the French mission to the European Union.
To mark the start of the six-month presidency, France illuminated historic buildings across the country including the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe in the blue of the EU flag on New Year’s Eve.
Other observers have noted that the French logo for the presidency includes the letters U and E for “Union Europeene” with a grey arrow in the middle that appears to create another letter — a sideways M for Macron.
Opportunities and risks
Although the French presidency of the EU, the first since 2008, offers opportunities for Macron, it is also seen by observers as holding risks.
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