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NFF 10.09.Qxd A free monthly review of French news & trends VOL. 10.09 NOVEMBER 30 France Takes the Helm of the G20 Presidency France formally assumed the G20 presidency in mid-November. Created in 1999 at France's initiative, the G20 is an organization of leaders and finance ministers from 19 countries plus the European Union, representing nearly 80 percent of the planet's wealth. To foster an international framework of strong, sustainable, and balanced econom- ic growth, France proposes three major priorities for its presidency. The first relates to reform of the international monetary system: prevent excessive currency volatility, the accumulation of imbalances, and a lack of foreign exchange reserves for emerging countries. France advocates the strengthening of crisis manage- ment mechanisms, the fight against protectionism, the creation of an internationally administrated reserve asset, and better coordination of monetary policies between © Présidence de la République Française major economies. President Sarkozy laid out France’s priorities for its presidency of the The second priority is to address volatility in the prices of raw materials, including G20 at the Summit in Seoul on November 12. agricultural products, oil, and gas, by limiting speculation, promoting market trans- parency, and regulating storage policies. such as development and climate change — into the G20 agenda, and pursue The third objective for the French G20 presidency concerns global gover- broader reform of the World Bank, the IMF, and the UN. nance reform. Particularly, France supports the launch of a G20 secretariat to President Sarkozy is expected to hold a press conference in January 2011 during monitor the implementation of decisions, integrate new pertinent subjects — which he will elaborate on France's agenda for the G20 presidency. French City of Nantes named Euro "Green Capital" for tramways, high-quality bus service, and bicycle-friendly infrastructure. Urban planners have also redesigned the city center to minimize commuter depend- 2013 ence on automobiles and to provide pedestrians with safer walking conditions. The western French city of Nantes has been named laureate of the European These changes were made with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 25 Green Capital Award for 2013. The annual award percent before 2020. is a new European Commission initiative to rec- Nantes was among six finalists for the ognize the European city that is "leading the way award, which included Barcelona, Malmo, in environmentally friendly urban living." Nuremburg, Reykjavík, and Vitoria-Gasteiz. Nantes, France's sixth largest city, won the Cities were judged on their past environmen- award as a result of its commitment to an envi- tal records as well as their continuing com- ronmentally conscious transportation network. mitment to sustainable and eco-friendly Over the past ten years, Nantes has developed a urban development. The European number of sustainable policies that aim to Commission hopes that past and future improve citywide public transportation while award winners will "act as role models to pro- decreasing harmful CO emissions. These pro- mote the best [green] practices in other 2 The sixth largest city in France, Nantes is recognized grams include investments in new electric for its vast network of public transportation. European cities." President Sarkozy Appoints New Government dynamic, where the challenges are commensu- INSIDE rate with globalization and we must be capable of meeting these challenges," she stated, adding that 2 Current Events "our diplomacy must not be an abstract or Francophony Summit immutable concept, it must be dynamic, open, 3 France & America and imaginative, and this is clearly what [Bernard Eye for an Eye Kouchner has] set in motion and I am intent on pursuing." 4 In Depth Led by re-appointed Prime Minister François Natural Movement At the proposal of Prime Minister François Fillon, French President Nicolas Sarkozy Fillon, the new government assembled for the 5 Business & Tech appointed a new government on November 14,consisting ofa combination ofboth incum- first time on November 17. Mr.Fillon stated that Euro-hop Sweeps the U.S. bents and new appointees. Twelve out of the 30 ministers are women. after more than three years of "courageous 6 Society Among several notable shifts, Michèle Alliot-Marie replaced Bernard Kouchner as for- reform, carried out despite a severe global eco- Beaujolais Nouveau eign minister,while Xavier Bertrand assumed the post of labor minister,previously held by nomic and financial crisis, [he] begin[s] with Eric Woerth. Christine Lagarde remains the finance minister,a particularly important post determination,under the authority ofthe head of 7 Culture as France assumes the G20 presidency. state, this new stage." Food Tourism Heading France's Ministry for Foreign and European Affairs, Ms.Alliot-Marie assumed For a list of the new government, please visit: 8 France in America her new role during a handover ceremony on November 16. "France is part of the global www.ambafrance-us.org. France Magazine En bref [ Current Events ] FRENCH EMBASSY HOSTS LEGENDARY JAZZ PIANIST CECIL TAYLOR Francophone Countries Address Common Goals at Summit L'Organisation internationale de la and education amid globalization. The Francophonie (OIF) celebrated its 40th delegates also passed several resolutions, anniversary with the 13th Sommet de la pledging cooperation in the reconstruc- Francophonie (Francophony Summit) tion of Haiti and the fights against terror- from October 22 to 24. Consisting of ism, organized crime, and piracy. 56 participating members and 19 Additionally, the organization admitted observing states, the organization pro- five new observing states: Estonia, Bosnia, © Stephanie Joyale motes democratic, humanitarian, and the United Arab Emirates, Montenegro, Cecil Taylor performs in D.C. linguistic cooperation among French- and the Dominican Republic. for the first time since 1979. speaking nations. This year, approxi- The Summit also welcomed the gen- The 13th Francophony Summit Jazz legend Cecil Taylor performed mately 3,000 representatives gathered convened in Switzerland last month. eral public to roundtable discussions, as at the Embassy of France on in Montreux, Switzerland, to discuss well as the "Village de la Francophonie," November 10, marking the musi- the mutual goals and interests of Francophone countries. an outdoor cultural exhibit in Montreux that included food, cian's first live performance in During the summit, the OIF adopted the Montreux drink, and music from Francophone countries throughout the Washington, D.C., since a White Declaration, defining common objectives for Francophone coun- world. House concert for the Carter tries in three major categories: world governance and interna- The next Sommet de la Francophonie will take place in the administration. Taylor began play- tional relations, sustainable development, and French language Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2012. ing club jazz in the 1950s, but soon moved away from more structured musical formats toward a free-form approach that would forever char- Interview with Jack Lang, Special Advisor on Piracy to the UNSG acterize his playing. The pianist, A total of 406 incidents of piracy and international community and exercised 'universal compe- now 81 years old, is one of the jazz armed robbery have been reported tence.'" musicians credited with inventing in the 2009 annual piracy report the musical genre of "free jazz," an issued by the International Chamber Despite progress resulting from financial and legal efforts to pros- eclectic arrangement of notes and of Commerce's International ecute pirates, challenges in these arenas continue to exist: "When rhythm that places great emphasis Maritime Bureau. The total number naval forces seize pirates who are arrested in accordance with on performer improvisation. Taylor's of incidents attributed to Somali international law, in 70 percent of cases, [naval forces] are obli- performance at the embassy fea- pirates stands at 217, with 47 vessels gated to set [the pirates] free. Because, despite the efforts of some tured several pieces ranging from 10 hijacked and 867 crew members States, [some countries will not prosecute the pirates]. So, they to 25 minutes in length, accentuated taken hostage, according to the are set free, and it thus creates a sentiment of impunity." by readings of some of the artist's report. own original poetry. After the show, When asked about the international community's ability to find the musician/poet warmly greeted For two months, the former French minister of Culture and a solution to piracy,Minister Lang responded, "The meetings I audience members in the gallery of Education — and expert in international law — has been con- had with the American administration made me even more opti- the Maison Française. ducting a comprehensive investigation on piracy off the coast of mistic. Along those lines, the new doctrine of the U.S. — the two- Somalia, as well as meeting with high-level representatives from track strategy relating to Somalia — appears to me to be excellent. 2010 PRIX MARCEL DUCHAMP the U.N. and countries actively combating the piracy. It is important to think about a political plan between the north Conceptual artist Cyprien Gaillard and the south." recently received the Prix Marcel Mr. Lang has met with over 100 experts and visited countries in Duchamp at the Foire Internationale the region affected by piracy, including Kenya, Mauritius,
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