Fresh from the election campaign, president-elect Francois Hollande faces a new battle with France's European partners, in particular Germany, to add a growth pact to balance the EU's new compact on strict budgetary discipline.
The handover of power by Nicolas Sarkozy should take place by May 15 at the latest, but the Socialist will immediately begin consultations with EU partners on his emblematic campaign initiative, according to his advisors.
The goal is to advance the proposal on a growth compact to the stage of a memorandum that would be transmitted to European capitals for consideration by the end of the month.
The fiscal compact treaty requiring cutting deficits and debt was signed at the beginning of March by 25 EU states and has already been ratified by several.
Once sworn into office Hollande will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, where they are expected to lay the groundwork for an informal summit of EU leaders on growth to be held at the end of the month or June, and a formal summit on June 28 and 29.
For Merkel, the main advocate of austerity in public finances, it is out of the question to reopen debate on the fiscal compact.
Will the new French president clash with the German leader?
During the campaign Hollande vowed repeatedly to "renegotiate" the fiscal compact or to "complete" it with measures to achieve economic growth, which would ease the task of cutting deficits.
It remains to be seen on which Hollande will now place the emphasis, but his advisors sound a reassuring tone.
"In reality, we're satisfied overall with the budget discipline rules," a confidant of the president-elect told AFP. "We'll ratify the treaty, on the condition it is included in a balanced package with a real section on growth."
According to another confidant, Berlin will be little surprised by Hollande. While there have been no direct contacts, "the German embassy in Paris has worked to understand our positions."
Francois Hollande appears confident, knowing he has already shifted the terms of the debate.
"There will be a growth compact," he said before the election.
One after the other, European leaders including Merkel have begun talking of the need to make growth a priority, even if their language and proposals sometimes differ from Hollande's.
"The general impression is that, despite points of disagreement, it is possible to talk" with the Germans, said Karine Berger, an economist who was a member of Hollande's campaign team.
For her, "the points advanced by Francois Hollande are very pragmatic, we should launch projects favouring growth."
A number of his proposals have already found support, including boosting the capacity of the European Investment Bank and EU funds to invest in infrastructure and renewable energy.
The proposals, several of which including a financial transaction tax have been languishing in Brussels, "could get a second wind from Hollande's election," said a European diplomat.
Finding an acceptable solution may not be so easy as Hollande won't be content with just a declaration of intentions or a non-binding agreement, said one of his advisors.
"The uncertainty should be removed as quick as possible, including to reassure the markets," said the advisor.
And controversial points could resurface as well. Hollande hasn't totally excluded the pooling of the debts of eurozone states via eurobonds or pushing the European Central Bank to take on a greater role, two ideas that Berlin strongly opposes.