On 1st July, France takes Slovenia's place at the head of the EU Council of Ministers, launching a new trio of Council presidencies alongside the Czech Republic and Sweden. France had dreamed of another political context. The Irish "no" to the Treaty of Lisbon has triggered a new continent-wide crisis which the EU could have done without, at a time when it is struggling to recover the dynamism and confidence already damaged by the failure of the Constitutional Treaty. France nonetheless begins with an ambitious programme and four declared priorities: climate and energy, immigration, agriculture and defence. The Union for the Mediterranean is a further project close to the heart of President Sarkozy. During this presidency, Notre Europe will share its analyses, reactions and contributions in the media. Two of its publications, directly relevant to the French presidency's programme, are already gaining attention: the Think Global Act European report, which contains the recommendations of thirteen European think tanks for the trio of presidencies, and a set of propositions for a reform of the common agricultural policy.