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While in 2000, the French presidency of the EU was weakened by cohabitation, the one beginning in July 2008 is in keeping with a more favorable context. Today, France is able to speak with a single voice, and to formulate a clearer vision of the future of the EU. Nonetheless, certain initiatives and declarations of Nicolas Sarkozy, concerning for example the European Central Bank or the Mediterranean Union, have irritated European partners, in so much as they were not consulted. France thus needs to convince other members of the EU that its plans are not only in France’s interests, but also in the interests of the 27 other member states. German support concerning the priorities of the French presidency in the EU remains essential for assuring the success of new initiatives.