What Brussels expects from Macron
By Euronews Brussels bureau
You could almost hear the collective sigh of relief in Brussels when Emmanuel Macron was declared re-elected as French president on Sunday night.
Although polls had been consistently showing the incumbent leading the race, Marine Le Pen’s steady upswing made many observers think twice about their predictions. The far-right candidate has never hidden her distaste and mistrust for the European Union and its flagship policies. But once again, Macron managed to curb her rise.
“It’s a clear win. The main feeling is relief and is shared in France, where the majority of voters intended to avoid the far-right tension,” said Véronique Trillet-Lenoir, a French MEP from Macron’s group, Renew Europe.
“It is clearly a relief here, in the European Union. And it’s also a relief beyond France and Europe.”
Trillet-Lenoir was speaking in a post-election debate hosted by Euronews in partnership with Debating Europe. The debate gathered five lawmakers across the political spectrum to discuss what Macron’s second term might mean for the EU’s immediate future.
“I want him to be more precise and more active rather than having nice words. This is what I always combine with Macron: beautiful speeches, big announcements but then when it comes to delivering them, he does not. Especially when it comes to the environment,” said Delara Burkhardt, a socialist MEP from Germany.
“Will he be a partner of the European Green Deal? This is what I read from the election results. It’s a vote in favour of the Green Deal. French people want climate action to happen.”
With Angela Merkel out of the picture, Macron is poised to enjoy a more prominent and influential voice around the EU table. The president is spearheading diplomatic efforts to bring the Ukraine war to an end. Macron is one of the few leaders who remains in constant contact with President Putin of Russia, who many now accuse of being a war criminal.
Witold Waszczykowski, a Polish MEP of the ECR group, remains sceptical about Macron’s influence over Putin and thinks the French leader should have visited Kyiv by now.
“This Russian-Ukrainian war is not going to be solved by diplomatic means. Only by the defeat of Russia. So we have to help Ukraine right now to defend themselves,” said Waszczykowski during the debate.
“Any calls or appeals directly to Putin will not stop this aggression. Right now I expect some reflection after these months of the tragedy and lack of progress. We encourage him to take the lead.”
The conflict at the EU’s doorstep is fuelling calls for a stronger and more coordinated approach to the bloc’s defence policy, a project that, until now, was considered too divisive to move forward.
“We believe the European Union needs to have a stronger and more coherent defence policy,” said Petros Kokkalis, a Greek lawmaker from The Left, who brought to the debate the perspective of a neighbouring member state exposed to external threats.
“It’s a sad truth that the EU is spending way more money on its defence capabilities than Russia. We need more integrated, better Europe, more Europe, not only in health but also in defence.”
Whether Emmanuel Macron manages to bring these proposals to a successful conclusion will depend on how he leverages his political clout and gravitas to strike a balance between the divergent opinions and sensibilities of the other 26 member states.
But as the president kicks off his second mandate, doubts begin to emerge about what will happen after his exit: under French law, a president cannot serve more than two consecutive terms.
With no apparent heir to Macron in sight, the far-right of Marine Le Pen might have an even better chance to reach power once the incumbent leaves the Elysee palace for good. Le Pen’s strong focus on pocketbook issues, which is credited with bringing her the best electoral result to the date (41.5% of all votes), will likely serve as the blueprint for 2027.
“The French system should take in consideration [Le Pen’s] proposals,” said Marco Campomenosi, an Italian MEP from the ID group. “Even if next time could be the right one for her to win, it will be maybe too late because of these divisions inside the country.”
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