Section7.France

** 1.History/Background of E.U. Country **

Click on the gargoyle and he'll take you on a tour of Notre Dame Cathedral. || France, though one of the biggest countries in Europe, is only a bit smaller than Texas. It is 211,208 square miles. This country has a hexagonal shape and three of the six sides are touching water. The capital of France is Paris, the home of the Eiffel Tower. The currency of France is the euro and the population is 64,057,792. The French president is Nicolas Sarkozy, and the first lady is Carla Bruni. Nicolas Sarkozy was elected president of France on May 6, 2007. His 5 year term began on May 16.
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The French republic has 22 regions subdivided 96 departments, not including overseas territory. France has one of the largest economies in the world. French is an important language that is spoken internationally. Almost everyone resided in France speaks French. Students in France also learn English, Spanish, and German. Most French people have a Celtic background along with a mix of other origins. Immigrants from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Poland, and southeast Asia.

France has an exquisite environment that many people travel to see. The southern climate is Mediterranean, while the northern climate is Temperate. The tallest point in France and in Europe is Mt. Blanc. It stands 15,771 above sea level. France has ten island that are off the coast of the Atlantic ocean. Thousands of tourists come to visit France every year to see the many different monuments and historic sites that France holds. France has a fast moving transportation system called the Chunnel that travels from the coast of France to the United Kingdom underneath the English Channel. France is also the home of a famous cathedral named Notre Dame. This Ancient cathedral once was a highly respected catholic church. Paris is the home of the Arch DE Triumph, as well as the Eiffel Tower, which was originally just an art contest entry. The French people gave the United States of America the well-known Statue of Liberty, as a gift of peace and truce between the two countries. ||


 * 2. Year of Admission to E.U. History and General Information about the E.U.**
 * || The E.U was started in 1950 by a man named Robert Schumann. He made a speech saying that he wanted Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, Italy, and France to share a common market for steel and coal products. Those six countries agreed in 1952. Soon after, in 1958, they started a common market for all goods, blocking tariffs and taxes on all goods while crossing borders. By 1993, twelve countries had joined the common market and were starting to form the European Union.

Now, in 2010, the E.U. has successfully united twenty-seven of the forty-six countries in Europe. The European Union is a supranational organization that unites many countries in Europe. Now, there is not only a common market but also trade blocks, saying that if one country like the U.S.A trades with one of the E.U countries, it would have to trade with all of them. The E.U. has many other rules and laws. The E.U has its own flag and anthem. The Flag is blue with twelve yellow stars.

France is one of the original countries to join in the European Union. It joined in 1952, along with the five other original members. France is one of the ten countries in the European Union that use the Euro, a form of money that the E.U. uses so that you do not have to switch currency while crossing borders. France has seventy-eight representatives who come to the E.U. meetings. ||

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 * 3. How does the E.U. and your country feel about global temperatures/climate change? (//environmental issue)// **
 * || France is very Eco-friendly and it has some of the largest forests in Europe, but the amount pollution in the country of France is increasing. The forests cover almost twenty-five percent of France. At the end of 1999, a severe storm of acid rain destroyed some of the forests and killed a few people. We do not want any more pollution related destruction and loss inflicted upon our country. France has joined most international agreements concerning industrial hazards and general pollution. France also does some things that have a negative effect on global warming. Each French house produces over twenty-four million tons of waste, double the amount thirty years ago. In July, 1997 at a meeting in Bonn, Germany, representatives from 178 nations agreed to a new set of rules to fight global warming. The U.S. was the only country to oppose this agreement. This international treaty on global warming was agreed to by more than 150 countries, including France. France signed the protocols of the Rarotonga Treaty in march, 1996, effectively establishing a nuclear free zone in the south pacific. France has about 60 nuclear power plants which generate about eighty percent of France's energy. Though this energy is efficient, there is not much room to store the toxic waste effectively.

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 * 4. How does the E.U. and your country feel about supporting the war in Afghanistan? //(political issue)// **
 * || Representatives from the E.U. are asking for more police men to train other to work as police in Afghanistan. The E.U. is also looking for more peacekeepers between Afghanistan and Europe. E.U is the biggest donor for soldiers in the E.U. August 18, a bombing killed ten French soldiers in Afghanistan and the country of France is still considering this in the process of deciding whether to stay or not to stay. A meeting was held on the twenty-second of September in two thousand and nine to discuss whether France should stay in the war with Afghanistan. Nicolas Sarkozy recently sent 700 soldiers to the war along with the ones that are already there. Fifty percent of the people say to withdraw from the war, the rest do not. The French people would not like the war to travel to the French territory. Even though the majority of France would like to pull out from the war, France will have to stay because the E.U is. In this case, France will have to stay because when it is part of the E.U. it has to agree with the supranational organization, it's the rules.

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 * 5. What is the economic background of your country and how does your country feel about supporting the economies of weaker countries in the E.U? //(economic issue)// **
 * || The country of France has one of the strongest economy's. France officially replaced the Franc, the old French currency, with the Euro because it is part of the E.U Recently France has formed a thirty-three billion dollar stimulus package. The country of France has gained much money from major products that it sells and major industries. Major industries of France include steel, motor vehicle, aircrafts, textiles, chemicals, and food processing. France is a world leader in production of wine, milk, butter, cheese, barley, and wheat. Because of these industries and products, France is a fairly wealthy country and is not opposed to give away some money to weaker E.U. countries. Eighty percent of Frances power is nuclear power. For all of these reasons France is open to help the weaker countries of the E.U.