June 11, 2007: Newly elected French President Nicolas Sarkozy appears to favor a different approach on the tough questions facing the European Union Jacques Chirac. In May 2005 Chirac had the French people vote on the proposed EU constitution. By contrast, Sarkozy wants to have to EU constitution issue settled soon and prefers to have the French parliament decide what France's position will be on the matter. With Sarkozy's party having won a decisive victory in yesterday's first round of parliamentary and apparently headed for a clear majority, approval of any new proposal would be virtually assured.

Jacques Chirac had also indicated a willingness to hold a referendum on the question of whether Turkey should become a full member of the European Union. Here agin, Sarkozy sees things differently and has already ruffled feathers with his very direct comments on the issue. "I haven't changed my opinion. Turkey has no place in Europe," he declared in an interview with the French daily newspaper "Le Figaro" (June 6, 2007).

"After the EU Council meeting in June I will propose a strategy that will open a way for us to drop the strategy of pursuing membership without dividing Europe," Sarkozy added. He intends to have his proposal on the agenda for discussion at the EU summit meeting scheduled for December 2007.

Just one week after assuming office, Sarkozy had expressed his views on Turkey during his inaugural visit as French President to the European Commission in Brussels. Sarkozy envisions some kind of "mediterranean union" with Turkey involving a "privileged partnership," but short of full membership.

European commission president José Manuel Barroso restated the official EU position that any decision on whether to admit Turkey will only be made when negotiations have been completed, which are expected to last at least ten years. Under the existing EU framework which permits any nation to veto treaties or proposals, observers have speculated that France could block negotiations with Turkey anyway at any time by simply exercising its veto right.

With his direct approach on the question of EU membership for Turkey, Sarkozy has taken the lead in the Franco-German EU alliance, at least on this particular issue. German chancellor Angela Merkel and her party, the Christian Democratic Union, are known to favor a "privileged partnership" for Turkey instead of full membership.

However, Merkel's grand coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), has long supported full EU membership for Turkey. As part of the coalition agreement with the SPD, Merkel is obligated to abide by the official EU position that a final decision can only be made when negotiations with Turkey are completed. Sarkozy is under no such restraints and is free to present his position without any domestic political considerations.