Emmanuel Macron will be inaugurated as France's youngest ever president on

Sunday, facing daunting challenges to rejuvenate the economy and breathe new life
.into the beleaguered EU

Macron, a 39-year-old centrist, will take over from President Francois Hollande, the
Socialist whose five years in power were plagued by stubborn unemployment and
.bloody terror attacks, in a ceremony at 0800 GMT

After ascending the red carpet at the Elysee Palace in central Paris, Macron and
Hollande will have a private meeting in the president's office where Macron will be
.given the codes to launch France's nuclear weapons

Hollande is clearly delighted at the election of the former investment banker, who
.scored a clear victory over far-right candidate Marine Le Pen on May 7

The current president launched Macron's political career, plucking him from the
.world of investment banking to be an advisor and then his economy minister

I am not handing over power to a political opponent, it's far simpler," Hollande said "
.on Thursday

Security will be tight with around 1,500 police officers deployed near the presidential
palace and the nearby Champs Elysees avenue and surrounding roads will be
.blocked of

At the end of the ceremony, a 21-gun salute will ring out from the Invalides military
.hospital on the other side of the River Seine

After a formal lunch, Macron will visit Paris's town hall, a traditional stop for any new
.French president in his "host" city

He will be accompanied by his wife Brigitte, his 64-year-old former drama teacher
whose romance with the new president, and their 25-year age gap, has already
.generated media interest around the world

On Monday, Macron is expected to reveal the closely-guarded name of his prime

.minister, before flying to Berlin to meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel

It is virtually a rite of passage for French leaders to make their first European trip to
.meet the leader of the other half of the so-called "motor" of the EU

Pro-EU Macron wants to push for closer cooperation to help the bloc overcome the
.imminent departure of Britain, another of its most powerful members
 .He intends to press for the creation of a parliament and budget for the eurozone

Merkel welcomed Macron's decisive 32-point victory over Le Pen, saying he carried
"the hopes of millions of French people and also many in Germany and across
."Europe