France and the EU

Latest business news about France and the European Union

• France country profile

GMO corn: France rejects report by EU food agency — 03 July 2009, 19:55 CET

France on Friday rejected a report by the European Union's food safety watchdog that said a controversial strain of genetically-modified corn was safe.

Sarkozy arrives in Sweden for talks on Europe — 03 July 2009, 16:43 CET

French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived in Stockholm Friday for talks on Europe with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, whose country has just taken over the EU presidency.

France takes 100 refugees from Malta — 26 June 2009, 16:53 CET

France on Friday said it will offer homes to 100 boat people from Iraq, Ivory Coast, Somalia and Sri Lanka, including 20 young children, who were picked up in seas off Malta.

France to face EU court over great hamster disappearance — 25 June 2009, 17:16 CET

The European Commission plans to take France to Europe's highest court for failing to protect the great hamster of Alsace, a species threatened with extinction, an official said Thursday.

France's new Europe minister says no to Turkey EU membership — 24 June 2009, 19:29 CET

France's new minister for Europe, who has previously said he wanted Turkey to join the EU, said Wednesday he would carry out his government's policy of keeping Ankara out of the bloc.

France drums up A350 funds, denies state aid — 15 June 2009, 16:36 CET

France argued on Monday for advance state financing for the Airbus A350 project from other European governments, saying such funding did not break European Union rules on state aid.

EU drops plans to allow mixing to make rose wine — 08 June 2009, 20:31 CET

The European Commission announced on Monday that it had dropped plans to allow rose wine to be made by mixing red and white wines, a victory for producers in France and Italy.

French Socialists humiliated as Sarkozy romps home — 08 June 2009, 12:25 CET

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's ruling right-wing UMP party won a handy victory in European parliamentary elections against the opposition Socialists, who were almost caught by a Green advance.

Sarkozy's party trounces Socialists in EU vote: estimates — 07 June 2009, 23:37 CET

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's rightwing UMP party romped home Sunday in EU parliamentary ballots, leaving the opposition Socialists trailing in a vote marked by a record low turnout, estimates said.

Sarkozy's party trounces Socialists in EU vote: estimates — 07 June 2009, 21:12 CET

French President Nicolas Sarkozy's right-wing UMP party romped home Sunday in EU parliamentary ballots, leaving the opposition Socialists trailing in a vote marked by voter apathy, estimates said.

Obama disagrees with Sarkozy on Turkey EU bid — 07 June 2009, 00:11 CET

US President Barack Obama urged Europe on Saturday to reach out to Muslims around the world as he again disagreed with French President Nicolas Sarkozy over Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

Paedophile taunt fires up French euro campaign — 05 June 2009, 23:04 CET

The European parliamentary election campaign may not have fired up voters, but it has triggered an ugly debate among French political chieftains, who traded bitter insults at a televised debate.

Far-flung islands make up EU's largest constituency — 05 June 2009, 08:24 CET

From Amazonian rainforests to South Pacific atolls, on a foggy North Atlantic archipelago and a balmy Indian Ocean island, voters in the world's farthest-flung constituency are going to the polls.

French Euro-candidate in anti-Semitism probe — 04 June 2009, 18:46 CET

French prosecutors launched an investigation on Thursday into comedian Dieudonne Mbala Mbala, leader of an "anti-Zionist" party in this week's European elections, after he was filmed insulting Jews.

Germany rejects French proposal on deficit rules: report — 04 June 2009, 12:20 CET

Germany rejects any changes to EU rules on national deficits, a deputy minister said in comments published Thursday after France called for spending limits to be relaxed due to the financial crisis.

Relax EU budget rules due to crisis: French minister — 02 June 2009, 11:37 CET

Rules restricting budget overspending by EU countries should be relaxed because of the financial crisis, French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde was quoted as saying on Tuesday.

EU's Barroso expresses sympathy after French jet vanishes — 01 June 2009, 23:20 CET

European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso sent a message of solidarity to the French and Brazilian presidents after an Air France plane with 228 people on board disappeared over the Atlantic.

Sarkozy exiles glamorous Dati — 31 May 2009, 15:46 CET

The outfits are still elegant, the heels still vertiginous, but Rachida Dati's flashing smile seems just a little more forced since she found out she was being exiled to the European parliament.

Rose wine makers oppose EU mixing plans — 26 May 2009, 18:45 CET

Wine producers from France, Italy, Spain and Switzerland were holding firm on Tuesday against European Union plans to allow rose wine to be made by mixing red and white wines.

Comedian not in EU vote for laughs — 24 May 2009, 15:41 CET

A black comedian has allied himself with France's far-right in a bid to exploit the European elections to get his Anti-Zionist Party's message across to a public increasingly frustrated with established politicians.

Natixis posts huge Q1 loss, gets EUR 3.5bn injection — 14 May 2009, 00:26 CET

French bank Natixis posted Wednesday a loss of 1.8 billion euros (2.5 billion dollars) in the first quarter and announced a capital injection of 3.5 billion euros from its two biggest shareholders.

France's Lagarde laughs off report of EU post — 14 May 2009, 00:13 CET

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde on Wednesday shrugged off a German newspaper report that she is about to become Europe's competition commissioner.

France's Lagarde tipped for EU competition post: report — 13 May 2009, 23:48 CET

French Economy and Finance Minister Christine Lagarde is poised to become the European Union's Competition Commissioner in November, German daily Die Welt reported on Wednesday, citing diplomatic sources.

Czech-French ties 'a lot to handle,' says Topolanek in book — 13 May 2009, 00:00 CET

Former Czech Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek said Czech-French relations were "quite a lot to handle" in a book on the Czech European Union presidency that was published on Tuesday.

France seeks ban on 'anti-Semitic' election candidates — 04 May 2009, 12:16 CET

French authorities were hunting Monday for a means to ban a stand-up comic turned "anti-Zionist" militant from fielding lists of candidates in European elections next month.