Following the humiliating defeat on the EU "Constitution" referrendum, Chirac has now changed course and indicated he'd accept compromise on the hotly debated agricultural subsidies issue.
The French President said he would after all accept the latest compromise to solve the deadlock, even though it would cost his country £6.6 billion. Last week's Brussels Euro summit collapsed when Britain refused to give up its rebate worth more than £3 billion a year unless France cut back farming subsidies worth almost £7bn a year.
If Chirac follows through (I'm somewhat skeptical that it's a negotiation ploy) and confronts the powerful French Agricultural Unions, who are fearful of competition from the Ukraine and elsewhere, this has to be good in the long term for France's economic health. Painful short term though.
Chirac signals compromise on EU agricultural policies