The head of state caused an outcry on the left, saying that the European Union already had strict regulations and therefore should not create new rules in the future.
The sentence made his opponents wince, forcing the Elysée to clarify the words of the head of state. Thursday, May 11, Emmanuel Macron said he wanted a “break” in the creation of European environmental rules. The president spoke on Thursday, May 11, to present his strategy for the reindustrialization of France in front of an audience of ministers and guests – elected officials, business leaders, associations … This Macronian exit annoyed the left and environmentalists , who see it as a sign of the French president’s lack of environmental ambition.
It was at the end of his speech that the Head of State uttered the angry words. “We have to assume the fact that we don’t just want to be a green market but to produce green on our soil”he attacks. “We have already passed a lot of regulations at European level, more than all the neighbors”he continues, assuring that the European Union has more stringent regulations than “the Americans, the Chinese, or any other power in the world”.
Hence this wish: “I call for a European regulatory break. Now we have to execute, not make new changes to the rules, because otherwise we will lose all the players. We need stability. (.. .) Otherwise the risk is to be the best bidder in terms of regulation and the lowest bidder in terms of financing.”
A sign that the presidential sentence was subject to interpretation, the Elysée Palace provided details on Thursday evening, assuring AFP that Emmanuel Macron had not requested either a suspension, a moratorium or a repeal. “current standards under discussion”.
“The president is not talking about suspension, but about executing the decisions already made before making new changes.”
For the presidency, “the decisions already taken constitute the most ambitious in the world to date” and Emmanuel Macron “said that it was above all necessary that these standards should already be applied in a homogeneous manner in Europe.”
The left castigates “irresponsible” remarks
These clarifications did not prevent criticism from the left and environmentalists. MEP David Cormand expressed his concern to AFP. “As part of the Green Deal, we are continuing to vote on regulatory packages. If the President of France says: ‘We stop the standards, we stop advancing’, we are sending a contradictory message”, believes the elected representative of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts. And to recall that Germany recently questioned the ban on the sale of new thermal engine vehicles in Europe.
“The French are asking for a break on the implementation of the pension reform… Macron offers them a break on ecology”for his part tackled Marine Tondelier, the national secretary of EELV, on Twitter.
Still on the side of Europe Ecologie-Les Verts, MP Sandrine Rousseau castigated Friday on franceinfo remarks “absolutely irresponsible”. An adjective that also comes up in the tweets of several deputies from La France insoumise, such as the elected representative of Bouches-du-Rhône Manuel Bompard.
Friends of the Earth also criticized a statement “irresponsible” and one “serious admission of failure”. “When we talk about environmental standards, we are talking about standards that are intended to protect the health of Europeans from the consequences of climate change”denounces Lorette Philippot, campaign manager for the organization, guest of franceinfo. “The climate does not take a break”she insisted, recalling that France had been condemned twice for “climate inaction”.
The CGT is no exception. Sophie Binet, the general secretary of the union, believes that this “break” desired by Macron is “very serious”. “It’s the exact opposite that needs to be done to reindustrialise the country. Social and environmental standards need to be harmonized from above, therefore on a European scale, because the first dumping and the first relocations are within Europe”reacted the union leader on franceinfo.
The government persists and signs
In the presidential majority, Bruno Le Maire took up the arguments of Emmanuel Macron. “Pause does not mean going back”justified the Minister of the Economy on CNews. “I think the President of the Republic was right to say: ‘Let’s stop always wanting to add standards, let’s check that those that exist are actually applied'”continued the Bercy tenant.
The Minister Delegate for Industry Roland Lescure has gone a little further, hoping that this “break” lasts five years. “To set up in France, manufacturers need to know what sauce they will be eating in the next 5 to 10 years”he explained on franceinfo, assuring that the government was going “bring this subject to Brussels”.