PARIS, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Talks between the French government and the European Union on a restructuring of French state-controlled power group EDF are difficult, said French environment minister Barbara Pompili, although she hoped to reach a deal as soon as possible. The French government is working on a project, called “Hercules”, to ringfence EDF’s nuclear arm from the rest of the power giant. Talks with the European Union have been going on for months but no agreement has been announced so far. French trade unions have asked President Emmanuel Macron to drop the project, fearing it could result in job cuts.