For months, ministers and officials in Paris have been promising to conduct France's six-month presidency of the European Union with modesty and determination. Somebody clearly forgot to tell President Nicolas Sarkozy about the first bit.
The beginning of his turn in the hot seat has been a disappointment. It is hard to fault France for its preparations. But Mr Sarkozy in this early phase has so far not lived up to the standards of leadership that the rest of the EU expects.
Rather than display the poise and impartiality necessary for this role, Mr Sarkozy launched France's presidency last week with unwarranted attacks on the European Commission and European Central Bank, blaming them for exposing people to the pain of globalisation.
Mr Sarkozy said a deal backed by Peter Mandelson, European trade commissioner, would cut EU agricultural production by 20 per cent and cost 100,000 jobs. He also criticised the ECB, saying it should not raise interest rates because this would not reduce the price of oil.
By speaking his mind and saying things others dare not, Mr Sarkozy believes he is restoring political substance to an EU system hollowed out by faceless bureaucrats.
But whatever the validity of his arguments - and they are questionable - it is not the job of the president of the European Council to berate other EU institutions like some high-level heckler.
The French leader's outburst on trade has triggered concern in diplomatic circles that France could even try to scupper the EU's agreed negotiating position before ministers resume talks at the World Trade Organisation this month.
Even if Mr Sarkozy's confrontational approach to trade liberalisation and monetary rigour is intended for domestic consumption - part of his campaign for a "Europe that protects" - it risks further souring French opinion by blaming institutions for policies that France has itself signed up to.
So does the French drive to persuade its sceptical partners to cap VAT on fuel when the oil price reaches a certain level. If France really wanted to help its citizens cope with rising prices it could simply cut domestic fuel duty. The fact that it has little money to do so may explain why it has chosen to fight a losing battle in Brussels instead.
Mr Sarkozy deserves credit for trying to normalise France's place in Europe, ditching Gaullist illusions of grandeur and eschewing federalist rhetoric about economic government and political union. He is a pragmatist who wants to get Europe moving again. But grandstanding will not help.
