About: France

France conditions support for opening US trade talks

France wants to secure enough guarantees in terms of environmental protection and access to public procurement markets, before moving forward into trade talks with the US, president Emmanuel Macron said during the European Council on Friday (22 March). 

Italy and France reconcile after Macron’s harsh late-night comments

French President Emmanuel Macron and Italy's Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte appeared to have found common ground on long-standing bilateral issues, overcoming the risk of another rift after Macron said Italy's attempts to discuss national problems on the sidelines of an EU summit were "a waste of time".

The puzzle of the European aircraft carrier

A proposal by the heir apparent to German Chancellor Angela Merkel to develop a European aircraft carrier with France would be a first. But the subject seems too sensitive and complex to open the door to advanced cooperation anytime soon. EURACTIV France's partner Bruxelles2.eu reports.

China’s new Silk Road gets bumpy as Xi visits Italy

Chinese President Xi Jinping kicks off a whistlestop European tour in Rome on Friday (22 March) amid growing Western unease over Italy joining the ever-expanding Asian giant's new Silk Road project.

EU country briefing: France

France spearheaded the European Project with its proposal for a European Coal and Steel Community in 1950, and its centrality to the project remains undiminished, with the French playing a key role in the creation of the eurozone in 1999.

Pascal Durand: ‘Sometimes you have to fight behind enemy lines’

The European election campaign will see French Green Party representative Pascal Durand joining forces with President Macron’s La République En Marche (LREM), a party not exactly known for its ecological sensitivity. EURACTIV France reports.

French defence minister: ‘It’s called Article 5, not Article F-35’

French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly said on Monday (18 March) that Europe was concerned about the United States’ long-term commitment to NATO and implicitly criticised US President Donald Trump’s approach toward the military alliance.

Mr Xi’s European tour is response to US-China rift

Since ascending to China’s top leadership, Xi Jinping has become well-known for his frequent overseas travels. Now that the annual session of the National People’s Congress is nearly over, the Chinese president can look forward to a busy international agenda, writes Philippe Le Corre.

Inauguration of the Franco-German assembly on 25 March

Tasked with implementing the so-called Aachen Treaty, the binational chamber is set to be launched amidst tense Franco-German relations.

France set to introduce new tax on internet giants

France will introduce a bill Wednesday (6 February) to tax internet and technology giants on their digital sales, and thus curb efforts to pay global levies in countries with lower tax rates.

Dutch increase Air France-KLM stake to counter French influence

The Netherlands announced on Tuesday (26 February) the surprise purchase of a stake in Air France-KLM, saying it needed to protect Dutch interests after a series of rows about the alliance's management.

The Franco-German proposal for a ‘eurozone budgetary instrument’, in detail

France and Germany tabled a joint proposal on Thursday (21 February) to establish a new "eurozone budgetary instrument" that would support national reforms and investments in the single currency bloc.

Brexit will be painful for the EU27 too. This is where it will hit hardest

As the deadline for the UK's departure from the EU approaches, EURACTIV.com looked at how Brexit will impact the rest of Europe. Ireland, France and Germany are likely to be the most heavily affected.

Allies fume at German ban of arms exports to Saudi Arabia

Germany said Wednesday (20 February) it would hold firm on its decision to halt weapons exports to Saudi Arabia, shrugging off British warnings that the embargo could hurt European credibility and efforts to bring peace in Yemen.

France rallies to denounce anti-Semitic insults at protests

Mass rallies are planned in Paris and other French cities Tuesday (19 February) to denounce a flare-up of anti-Semitic acts which culminated in a violent tirade against a prominent writer during "yellow vest" anti-government protests last weekend.

French debate on setting migration quotas reopened

The question of setting migration quotas in France has come back to the forefront through the 'great debate' initiated by Emmanuel Macron. EURACTIV France reports.

France, Spain condemn Venezuela’s expulsion of EU fact-finding team

The foreign ministers of France and Spain condemned on Monday (18 February) the Venezuelan government's decision to expel a group of EU lawmakers who had travelled there on a fact-finding mission and wanted to meet with the self-appointed but widely recognised interim president. EURACTIV’s partner EFE reports.

EU approves ban on electric pulse fishing from 2021

The European Parliament and EU member states clinched an agreement late last night (13 February) over new technical conservation measures for fishing, which includes an EU-wide ban on the controversial pulse trawling starting from mid-2021.

Italy’s 5-Star tries to undermine tunnel to France

Italy’s transport ministry insisted on Tuesday (12 February) that a planned railway tunnel underneath the Alps to France would be a waste of money, in what could ratchet up tensions between Rome and Paris.

France ‘steps on the gas’ in eurobudget talks

France made surprising back-and-forth moves on Nord Stream 2, which could be explained by the country's effort to secure German and Dutch support in a completely different dossier.

France now against Nord Stream 2

The gas pipeline has long been controversial and now majorities are shifting within the EU. Can the project still be stopped? EURACTIV Germany’s media partner Der Tagesspiegel reports.

Nord Stream 2 in dire straits after French U-turn

France plans to back an EU proposal to regulate Russia's Nord Stream 2 pipeline, its foreign ministry said on Thursday (7 February), potentially threatening its completion and dealing a blow to Germany which has been trying to garner support for the project.

‘Yellow vests’ cause diplomatic crisis between France and Italy

A meeting between the French ‘yellow vests’ and the Italian labour minister, Luigi Di Maio, has lit a fuse between Paris and Rome. The relationship between the two countries has deteriorated in recent months. EURACTIV Frace reports.