Brown and Sarkozy seal ‘Entente Formidable’

Three months before France takes over the EU Presidency, President Nicolas Sarkozy used his state visit to Britain to revive the Franco-British alliance, seeking stronger cooperation on energy, climate change, immigration and defence.

“It is not simply a matter of a one-night stand. I believe that we can go into the next day’s breakfast as well,” Sarkozy said during a joint press conference with Brown following the bilateral summit, held at the Emirates Stadium home of Arsenal football club in North London. 

In the tradition of the British-Franco “Entente Cordiale” dating from 1904, Brown offered France an “Entente Formidable“, responding to Sarkozy’s invitation of an “Entente Amicable” in his speech to both chambers of the UK Parliament on Wednesday (26 March). 

In his speech, which was greeted with a standing ovation, Sarkozy urged both countries to “overcome our long-standing rivalries and build together a future that will be stronger because we will be together”. However, he also called upon the UK to play a bigger role within the EU. 

Political commentators referred to a new atmosphere between the two countries – set to be very different from “icy” Chirac-Blair summits. 

In a Joint Declaration, both leaders announced a series of measures to deepen the relationship between their two countries: 

• Energy: Both leaders labelled nuclear energy “the energy of the future”. They had been expected to seal an agreement on a new generation of power plants, but the deal was delayed (EURACTIV 27/03/08). 
• Defence cooperation: Both signed a single maintenance contract for a future military aircraft made by EADS, the A400M, in an effort to cut costs and preserve interoperability, despite Germany’s insistence on making its own arrangements. This is in line with their pledge to further strengthen their military cooperation and improve the Union’s military capabilities.
• Reforming international institutions: Sarkozy and Brown called for the G8 to be enlarged to a G13 or G14 and reiterated their support for reform of the Security Council to include permanent membership for Germany, Japan, India and Brazil, as well as African representation. They refused “to see the world of the 21st century governed with the international institutions of the 20th”. 
• Immigration: Both leaders called for the tightening of border controls at the French port of Calais, with Sarkozy suggesting a European immigration pact which he wishes to see adopted under the French Presidency to better control illegal immigration. 
• Greater transparency in financial markets:  Sarkozy urged all member states to “swiftly and completely implement the EU roadmap agreed at the October 2007 ECOFIN Council,” which called for a reinforcement of cross-border financial supervision. 
• Small Business Act:  Both leaders expressed their support for this Commission initiative, which has been labelled a ‘paper tiger’ by critical SME organisations. The Commission is expected to present its plans in June (EURACTIV 08/02/08). 
• Education: Both countries pledged an initiative bringing education to 16 million children in Africa. 
• New counter-terrorism measures: Sarkozy and Brown’s recommendations include scanning traffic at the Channel Tunnel to combat “nuclear terrorism”. 

Read more with Euractiv

US gets own way in visa negotiations

Washington has not given in to pressure from the European Commission to negotiate an EU-wide visa waiver deal and will continue to strike bilateral agreements with individual member states, it emerged yesterday (13 March) after a meeting of EU and US justice officials.