France takes EU reins with push for more sovereignty
By SAMUEL PETREQUIN
Associated Press
PARIS (AP) — French president Emmanuel Macron and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen paid tribute to a pair of leading European figures Friday as France formally took the reins of the 27-nation bloc for the next six months with big ambitions. They went together to France’s famed Pantheon to honor the memories of Simone Veil and Jean Monnet. France is in charge for the next six months of the presidency of the Council of the EU, which sets the political agenda of the 27-nation bloc. A leitmotif of the French presidency will be the need for greater autonomy for the EU.