The French presidential campaign caught up with Emmanuel Macron in the Parliament of Strasbourg on Wednesday: his defense of the rule of law within Europe provoked strong reactions from the RN and Éric Zemmour, while the environmental candidate Yannick Jadot reproached for its “climaticidal” action.
The debate which followed the Head of State’s speech in the hemicycle to mark the start of the French Presidency of the Council of the European Union quickly turned into a contest with the French MEPs present, who attacked the French president.
Especially since the period is now beginning during which Emmanuel Macron, still not a declared candidate, could take the plunge, majority officials having indicated that he would not do so before this highly anticipated speech.
It is not by saying anything methodically that we can say at the end of the truths
To the MEP and President of the RN Jordan Bardella who accused him of “making Europe Washington’s backyard, Beijing’s prey, Erdogan’s doormat and Africa’s hotel”, Emmanuel Macron retorted that “it is not by methodically saying anything that can be said at the end of the truths”.
“You said that the European Union should not be an electoral stepping stone and I think you are right”, he also launched, ironically, to the MEP LFI Manon Aubrey.
Macron’s priorities tackled
Shortly before, he had immediately warned in his speech against attacks on the rule of law, and underlined the need to “everywhere reconquer the peoples who have moved away from it”.
Integration of the right to abortion and environmental protection in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU but also “new security order” with NATO against Russia, reform of the Schengen area, ” digital revolution”: he set out his priorities for a Europe having “the means to decide for itself its future”, before a press conference in the afternoon.
The reaction of the extreme right was not long in coming.
“The rule of law has today become the screen of the government of judges”, counter-attacked the far-right candidate Reconquête! Eric Zemmour, traveling to Calais, accusing Emmanuel Macron of wanting to “impose the values of Western progressivism” on countries like Poland and Hungary.
“What bothers” Emmanuel Macron is that these countries “refuse the dictates of Brussels, mass immigration and LGBT activism”, added the MEP RN Nicholas Bay, while the RN candidate, Marine Le Pen, wants to enshrine the primacy of French law over European law in the Constitution.
You will go down in history as the president of climate inaction
Yannick Jadot
The environmentalist Yannick Jadot, the only presidential candidate to sit in Strasbourg, slammed the head of state on climate change: “You are promoting gas to save a nuclear power plant condemned to bankruptcy” and “you will go down in history as the president of climate inaction”.
He will hold a meeting in the evening in Strasbourg, as will the LFI candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who said he was “disappointed” by the intervention of Emmanuel Macron, “a worn-out speech from a worn-out man”, “poor in the content, “at the non-existent social level and at the climatic level about as much”.