French MEPs deplore the date chosen by Emmanuel Macron

Emmanuel Macron delivers his speech on Europe at the Sorbonne on Thursday. French MEPs are invited, but many react to the dilemma that presents itself: the speech takes place at the same time as the last votes of the parliamentary session in Strasbourg.

From RN to LFI via LR and environmentalists, all French MEPs are invited to Emmanuel Macron’s speech on Europe at the Sorbonne on Thursday April 25. Problem: this speech by the Head of State will take place at 11 a.m., exactly at the same time as the very last votes of the parliamentary session in Strasbourg, which take place from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.

In the opposition, many will therefore “skip” the Sorbonne. The timing is “dingo” torpedoes an environmentalist who denounces a “aberration”. In the RN, some believed in “a joke” upon seeing the invitation card. Jordan Bardella, often accused of not being very present in Parliament, is more into the idea “to exercise his mandate” in Strasbourg, assures one of his colleagues. The RN will still carefully follow the speech which it describes as “Launch of the Renaissance List campaign”. What an Elysée advisor is defending: “It will be the speech of a president who wants to influence the agenda of the future European Commission.”

Not all Macronists will go to the Sorbonne either

The opposition prefers to vote in Strasbourg rather than return to Paris to listen to the head of state. “Voting against the CAP that the Macronists want to deregulate is much more important”, confides the rebellious Manon Aubry. The ecologists of Marie Toussaint also want to fight against this project. “planning of environmental criteria”. The LR delegation of François-Xavier Bellamy also prefers Strasbourg to the Sorbonne, just like the head of the PS list Raphaël Glucksmann and his comrades.

The calendar also poses a concern for Macronist MEPs. Their adversaries are already ready to accuse them of failing in their “duty of parliamentarians” For “rush to listen to the leader”. But not all Macronists will go to the Sorbonne either. It is “too bad to have to choose“, squeaks an elected official from the majority who will remain in Parliament for the votes, like one of his colleagues who puts things into perspective: “We will listen to the president on replay as soon as possible!” Others still hesitate. Nathalie Loiseau confides that she is “a little torn” between Emmanuel Macron’s speech and his resolution to vote in Strasbourg against Russian interference. A dilemma also for the head of the list Valérie Hayer, who is group president: “the arbitration is underway”, according to those around her… even if someone close to Emmanuel Macron would welcome her being at the Sorbonne.

Think thanks at the Élysée

In the meantime, to finalize his speech on Thursday, Emmanuel Macron receives, Tuesday April 23 in the morning, around fifteen representatives of pro-European think tanks, such as the Jacques-Delors Institute or the Jean-Jaurès Foundation. The objective according to an advisor: “collect their ideas and test your intuitions on them”. The president then invites the leaders of the majority parties to lunch, Stéphane Séjourné (Renaissance), François Bayrou (Modem), Édouard Philippe (Horizons), the campaign team and some government heavyweights, just to get their opinion on the main directions of the discourse.