The statement was made by the Parisian politician Nathalie Loiseau (57) after her return from Ukraine to the newspaper “Le Point”. She declared that the EU should not behave towards Moscow like a “fat, limp Switzerland”. She posted the link to the article, which bears this quote as the title, on Twitter. She didn’t explain exactly what she meant by that.
Loiseau belongs to the movement «La République en Marche!» on, i.e. the same party as President Emmanuel Macron (44).
The Swiss ambassador in Paris, Roberto Balzaretti (56), has intervened. He told the French news agency AFP that he agreed with everything the MP was asking for. Switzerland is doing exactly that: helping Ukraine and bringing Russia to the negotiating table. He could have given the same interview.
In terms of tone, however, Loiseau was pretty wrong. Your statement is very disturbing. He could not accept that, which is why a reaction had to be made, said Balzaretti.
Attempted apology
Balzaretti thanked the MP for mentioning Switzerland. Then he recalled that the country has been committed to peace and security in Europe and the world for decades. Switzerland is committed to its partners, including the EU and France, with determination and discretion.
Nathalie Loiseau tried to calm things down. She tweeted that she didn’t like the title of the article because it didn’t do justice to the central point of the issue. “But otherwise,” she wrote, “vive la Suisse.”
Harsh reactions
Both her statement and her apology cause waves to rise on Twitter. They are attacked by users from Switzerland and France.
The French lawyer Maxime Thiébaut, for example, writes: “I’m ashamed.”
“These insults deeply damage France’s image,” said Senator Alain Houpert.
And his Senate colleague Loïc Hervé says: “No offense, Madame, but as a good neighbor it is better to avoid such sentences.”
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Loiseau trusts in the “intelligence of the Swiss”
Nathalie Loiseau apologizes to the Swiss via Blick. When asked, she writes: “The interview has nothing to do with Switzerland, but everything with the Ukraine crisis. I regret that we focus on one sentence. If he hurts, I’m sorry.”
She had just returned from Ukraine and was concerned about a serious situation and the risk that Europe would not react decisively. «I am attacking the European Union, not Switzerland. Switzerland makes its decisions, which are sovereign and which I respect.”
The European Union, of which she is the elected representative, must learn to stand firm and prepare not only to find a diplomatic route but also to take decisive action if Russia were to engage in military aggression.
She continues: “I trust the intelligence of the Swiss to understand what I mean, beyond the hasty comments.”
Multiple insults
Nathalie Loiseau has been a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. From 2017 to 2019 she was Minister for European Affairs. She was noticed earlier by provocative statements. So she said in 2019 that she had renamed her cat “Brexit” because “every morning the animal meows loudly to be let outside, but refuses to go out when I open the door”.
After the 2019 European elections, she insulted potential Macron allies in a tirade, including then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel (67) and former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (68).
For Balzaretti, history is over. The former EU chief negotiator told AFP he didn’t want to blow things up and said he was willing to speak to Loiseau.