French President Nicolas Sarkozy may be “right wing” by French standards, but that still puts him on the left side of the spectrum on economic issues. In a recent speech, he again embraced protectionism and said Europe should avoid “untrammelled capitalism.” But since Europe has avoided so-called untrammeled capitalism for the past 100 years or so, he can probably put his mind at rest. The EU Observer reports:

French president Nicolas Sarkozy has outlined a vision for Europe that would see “untramelled” capitalism pushed far down the political hierarchy to be replaced by a focus on cultural and spiritual issues with more than a hint of European protectionism. …Noting that “economic values seem to win the day over other values,” Mr Sarkozy said that it is a mistake to overlook culture. …The French leader gave a lot of time to protectionism - a concept that has fallen out of favour in the EU since the more market-oriented eastern member states joined the bloc in 2004, coupled with the current European Commission with its strong liberal profile. “The word protection should be not be outlawed,” said the president adding that “we must be able to protect ourselves as much as others do.” …He went on to say that while Europe has chosen a market economy and capitalism, this should not give rise to “untrammelled capitalism.”