It’s the return of Macron the European! With the ambition to open a dozen major projects, including a new revision of the treaties, a reform of the functioning of the EU to extend the areas governed by majority voting rather than unanimity , or even the creation of a European political community alongside the EU to welcome Ukraine in parallel with its long accession procedure.
A European project therefore, but also national ulterior motives. Besides, Emmanuel Macron almost admitted it a little later, in Berlin, where he went to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz. The Head of State explained that during the presidential election, by re-electing him, the French had made the choice of Europe against the nationalist project of Marine Le Pen, which resulted in a kind of implicit Frexit.
However, after the presidential election, the legislative campaign begins and an opponent, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who advocates “disobedience” to European treaties in certain circumstances. A line on which the rebellious attracted, not without difficulty, the whole of the left. By advocating dialogue rather than conflict to try to change Europe, Emmanuel Macron hopes to seduce social democrats and environmentalists who are struggling to digest the sovereignist inflection of the unitary agreement of the left.
It is obviously a very long and very complicated process, especially since 13 out of 27 states are currently hostile to it. The left, which denounces the liberal course of Europe, can easily criticize the speeches not always followed by effects of Emmanuel Macron. As soon as he was elected in 2017, at the Sorbonne and then in Athens, the Head of State had delivered solemn speeches which already promised to “refound Europe”. He sometimes pleaded in the desert and had a hard time convincing his partners, especially Germany.
Europe has nevertheless moved forward in recent years, in particular by pooling its debt to deal with the health crisis. Moreover, on the budgetary level, as in terms of economic or defense policy, the Union has undoubtedly, paradoxically, made more progress because of Covid-19 and Vladimir Poutine, than thanks to the speeches of Emmanuel Macron. .