Philippe Ricard
Philippe Ricard is Le Monde's correspondent in Brussels.
Author
Articles by this author
-
Debt crisis
Euro – what Brussels will do next
23 June 20112Le Monde Paris -
Institutions
What action, Lady Ashton?
28 January 20112Le Monde Paris -
Agriculture
EU puts GM crops on the menu
10 June 20101Le Monde Paris -
Institutions
Seek them here, seek them there...
28 January 20101Le Monde Paris -
European Parliament
Where consensus is king
28 May 20091Le Monde Paris
With the single currency at risk of collapse, the leaders of Europe’s 27 member states are set to meet for a European Council summit to finalise the details of a mechanism that is supposed to prevent a repeat of the Greek crisis. 
Catherine Ashton was cast as Europe’s international voice, the head diplomat of an EU full of world-wide ambitions. Unfortunately, she is not making her voice heard, is nearly invisible and has already lost the confidence of most of the member states. 
The European Commission intends to authorise more and more genetically modified crops (GMCs), leaving it up to member states to ban them as they see fit. That should satisfy biotech-friendly nations – while allowing those opposed to keep GMCs off their soil. 
Catherine Ashton off the radar, Herman Van Rompuy vanished from view, and José Manuel Barroso defending his prerogatives as European Commissioner : the new institutions established by the Lisbon Treaty, which were supposed to simplify the action of the European Union, are clearly undergoing some teething problems, says Le Monde. 
The European Parliament is distinctive for its very strong culture of compromise. In order to have pull with the Commission and Council, MEPs seek to make agreements before voting, and traditional political divisions are glossed over.