Tête de l’armée

Make no mistake ..........the Lisbon treaty and Dublin hang heavy over Paris and the French six-month rotating European Union presidency which starts today.

Ambitious French plans for a 60,000-strong European defence force, with a Brussels HQ and greater military co-operation among European Union member states has hit an obstacle.

The defence issue has been very sensitive in neutral Ireland and French proposals could be seized upon by Irish No campaigners, making the job of salvaging the Lisbon Treaty even more difficult.



Forget the elegant, understated events which will take place in Paris today to impress the political elite's of the European Union. It is all in sharp contrast with the rowdy joy that was celebrated in Dublin three weeks ago, when 'No' campaigners greeted the result of the Irish referendum on the Treaty of Lisbon with a blast of smoking cigarettes in public places and more than a few pint of Guinness.


The US presidential election in November has complicated things even further because Sarkozy needs American approval for his defence plans before he takes France back into Nato's military command structure. He also faces opposition from Great Britain over long-standing French calls for a European Union military headquarters in Brussels
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