The new French government faces many challenges, including questions about its democratic legitimacy, and a public debt which has worried France’s EU partners. We discuss the economic outlook with former Spanish foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya, who is now dean of the Paris School of International Affairs. We also look at Ursula von der Leyen’s new line-up at the European Commission, and the current geopolitical challenges that the EU is facing including migration and the conflict in the Middle East.