Emmanuel Macron, in 2017, won the presidential election, in part on his European convictions. On the eve of the April 2022 election, the President of the Republic knows that, more than ever, he needs the voters he had then gathered on this commitment. On Tuesday 9 November, during his televised address, he once again placed his action within the community framework by recalling that France would take over the presidency of the European Union (EU) in January. “The stakes are such, in the shock of the continental powers which is unfolding before our eyes, that only a European, united and voluntary agreement, can provide each of our European countries with a relay and a strike force”, did he declare.
Emmanuel Macron’s future campaign will also be a campaign for Europe. Bruno Le Maire, who was in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday to meet his European counterparts, has integrated it perfectly. “After two years of crisis, says the Minister of the Economy today, The conclusion is clear. The European Union has been there, the EU has been efficient, the EU has been quick, the EU has been lucid [et] it must be a source of pride. “
Forgotten the criticisms on the slowness of the implementation of the European recovery plan or on the failures of the beginnings of the vaccination campaign on the Old Continent. Now is the time to take stock. “Without Europe, it was the collapse of the economy”, continues Mr. Le Maire, who has so often criticized the slowness, blockages and inadequacies of community building. Before adding: “I will hammer that in the face of opponents who want to kill the European construction. “
Do not stir up debates
Apart from Yannick Jadot (Europe Ecologie-Les Verts) who claims his Europhilia and Anne Hidalgo (Socialist Party) who has so far remained discreet on the subject, the candidates (declared or not) for the presidential election all denounce – with more or less force – community institutions that threaten national sovereignty. The conflict between Warsaw and Brussels on the primacy of European law gave them the opportunity to put forward their arguments.
In this context, Mr. Macron wants to make a difference and represent these pro-European voters that other contenders for the Elysee neglect. Hoping that the next few months will not come to deny these virtues of Europe of which Mr. Le Maire is now the cantor and that the Franco-German couple will remain the driving force, despite the departure of Angela Merkel. “Within the EU, goes so far as to say the minister, all the debates have become constructive. Everyone is looking for a solution that suits others. I don’t want to break this state of mind. “
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