. French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe's new model for growth must include innovation, job creation and job security for the continent to remain competitive globally and be in line with climate harm reduction initiatives on the other side of the pandemic.
"This agenda for a sovereign Europe will be accelerated with the French Presidency. Europe must rise to the major economic, educational, migration and military challenges," Macron said in a statement.
Concretely, France hopes to promote an EU-wide minimum wage, a carbon tax and greater regulation of big tech
. The EU's presidency rotates every six months among the member states of the 27-nation bloc.
This will be France's 13th time at the helm of the rotating presidency.
