“The symbol of the election” of an anti-abortion “embarrasses” Clément Beaune

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“I tell you very sincerely, the symbol of his election bothers me”, admitted the Secretary of State for European Affairs, Clément Beaune, when he was questioned about the anti-abortion positions of the future President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. This 42-year-old Maltese MEP, who sits among the conservatives of the European People’s Party (EPP), must be elected to this largely honorary function, after a vote by her colleagues on Tuesday.

“There was an agreement” to support his election “with MEPs who belong to the presidential majority [membres du groupe Renaissance], also with the Socialists and with the EPP, the European right”, he explained. Majority MEPs “operate in coalition” with other MEPs, “so it’s not a French choice, a French instruction”, he assured. Moreover, “in this coalition agreement published last night, the elected representatives of Renaissance insisted, it is written in black and white and it was the condition of their support, that we make progress on women’s rights, on minority rights in Europe”.

This episode “is the opportunity, since this message is not good, to go further, to say that we will fight even more for the recognition of the right to abortion everywhere in Europe, to say that we will support the rights of women and minority rights throughout Europe, which the French Presidency [de l’Union européenne, qui a débuté le 1er janvier] will take additional initiatives to sanction breaches of the rule of law”, said Clément Beaune.

“That’s how, in substance and in my governmental responsibility, I want to demonstrate – afterwards we see that there is a political debate, Europe is imperfect – that in substance, there is no doubt: Europe will remain this political project and this continent which strengthens rights”, hammered the Secretary of State.


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