.@EmmanuelMacron may not be the leader of France after April but he spoke today as if he planned to be the leader of Europe for the next decade or more 1/
https://twitter.com/emmanuelmacron/status/1468964927939350535
The French President just gave a big press conference on Europe. Let's be clear: This was not an narrow look/agenda for French EU Presidency in the first half of next year. This was a plan to completely transform the EU. Contrary to my expectations, there was lots of big stuff 2/
He set out a sweeping agenda for EU reform – ranging from abolishing the 3% of GDP Maasticht “ceiling” on national budget deficits to reconstructing the Schengen free movement zone by strengthening external borders and creating new policies on asylum and migration 3/
He was supposedly presenting his agenda for France’s EU Presidency from January 1 but he set out a bizzard of proposals – partly familiar Macron themes, partly new ideas – to create a more “sovereign” and more “protective” and more democratic Europe 4/
It was time, he said, to move from a “Europe of cooperation to a Europe of power”. His press conference – only his second in Elysee in his 4.5 years as Pres – began with an hour long speech in which he set out an avalanche of ideas & conferences & special summits for the Fr Pres
This was not at all what was imagined in the Elysée only a couple of months ago when there was talk of a relatively low key French EU presideny because its first 4 months coincided with the French presidential election campaign. What has changed? 6/
Although Macron denied it during questions from journalists, it seems evident that yesterday’s oration was the first big speech of a the president’s as yet unannounced re-election campaign 7/
Rather than soft pedalling on European issues, Macron has evidently decided to make a “strong France in a strong Europe” the core of his campaign, as it was in 2017 8/
He appears to have decided that a positive, if rather vague, vision of this kind is the best way to respond to the miserabalism & defeatism of the two far right candidates, Le Pen & Zemmour but also.. 9/
...the best way to distinguish himself from the recently selected centre right candidate, Valérie Pécresse, a strong European with few ideas on Europe’s future, a strong European with few ideas on Europe’s future 10/
Macron’s extraordinary EU wish-list went far beyond what can be even started, let alone finished, in France’s 6 months presidency of the EU council of ministers (actually a rather limited role these days) 11/
The top lines include: initiating a reform of the Schengen free movement of area, including stronger control on external frontiers; starting a discussion on future EU & national budgets, including the abolition of the “obsolete” 3% of GDP limit on annual national deficits 12/
Macron also wants to push forward talks on a European defence and security policy. He wants to move towards a new high wage European economic model, including “progress towards a minimum European wage”. He wants to start a new partnership between the EU and Africa 13/
He also – coming close to parodying himself at this stage – wants to “refound the humanist vocation of Europe”. This mostly seems to mean reinforcing the EU's commitment to the rule of law and democracy. Phew. ENDS
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