Sometimes the information pouring out of the European Union is overwhelming -- it's just more than my pea brain can handle at one time. That's the way it was yesterday. So, instead of posting a commentary yesterday, I just sat back in bewilderment and watched.

Now, here's what I've come to think:

That fateful day finally arrived. Yesterday the Accession Treaty was officially signed in Athens by an impressive gathering of European leaders. In May 2004, the EU will become a huge political and economic entity made up of 25 member states.

All across Europe the realization was the same -- something of immense historic importance had happened. The world had just witnessed the last vestiges of the old East/West dividing wall being removed and Europe was once again going to be united. However, although the realization across Europe was the same, the reaction was different.

While the 10 new accession states joyfully celebrated their long sought entry into the union, the 15 old member states quietly contemplated their new political environment. And, for some, their thoughts were not comforting.

Perhaps the old EU member state who has the most to lose politically when the 10 new states enter the union in 2004 is France. This is because France has always wanted to be the nation at the political center of Europe's integration process. With the addition of these 10 new member states, the EU's political center will shift away from France and toward France's old rival -- Great Britain.

For another thing, from the beginning France has championed the idea of creating a united Europe to act as a counter balance to the military and economic power of the United States. Once again, however, the addition of these 10 new, pro-American states into the union will hinder France from ever being able to achieving her ultimate goal.

So, while the 10 new member states are celebrating, France is frantically working behind the scenes to save what can be saved of her ultimate goal -- countering the US. How is France planning on doing this? By creating a "hard core" group within the EU before the 10 new member states arrive.

The first step in this direction was to bring Germany into the fold. Without Germany -- the most populace of all the EU member states -- the forming of a "hard core" group within the EU wouldn't be possible. So, France's first step was to rekindle the old Franco-German alliance -- which she did last year.

Since then, France and Germany surprised everybody by presenting a joint proposal for a new EU presidency to the Convention on the Future of Europe. The reason this was so surprising was because France and Germany were at opposite ends of a debate over which agency should have more clout in the new, super EU -- the Council or the Commission. France and Germany compromised and proposed a dual EU presidency -- one for the Council and one for the Commission.

And, sure enough, soon after this joint Franco-German proposal was delivered to the Convention, Germany also began calling for a "hard core" group to be allowed to rise within the EU. In fact, Germany, France and Belgium are having their own mini summit at the end of this month to discuss France's idea.

So, will France get her "hard core" Europe?

We'll soon see.

Stay tuned!