Emmanuel Macron passes, Wednesday January 19 at the end of the morning, his great oral in front of the European hemicycle. For about twenty minutes, he will give his priorities and his vision of Europe. The exercise aims to present to the Parliament in Strasbourg, the orientations of the French presidency of the European Union. If the President of the Republic speaks on behalf of the 27 countries of the European Union, we must not see in the speech “an exercise disconnected from the concerns of the French”, specifies the Élysée from the outset, emphasizing the interdependence of national and European policies.
>> The article to read to know everything about the French presidency of the European Union, which began on January 1
Climate Transition, gender equality, migration crisis… Lthere are many expectations within the Union, even if some MEPs fear that the French electoral campaign will interfere with the debates over the coming months. After the speech, a question-and-answer sequence of more than two hours is planned between MEPs and Emmanuel Macron.
>> French Presidency of the European Union: what are the expectations in Italy and Hungary?
The point of view of five MEPs on the French presidency of the European Union:
Ana Deparnay-Grunberg (Germany): “Do not confuse the primary interests of France with those of Europe”
The German MP from the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance is worried about a program that is too “Franco-French” on the part of Emmanuel Macron. She deplores, in particular, the insistence of Paris on the place of nuclear energy in the energy transition.
Nicola Beer (Germany): “I want a Europe that is strong, we have to take the others with us”
German MEP from the Renew Europe group, Nicola Beer hopes a lot from the Franco-German duo to succeed in motivating all countries to take the destiny of Europe into their own hands.
Balazs Hidveghi (Hungary): “We must restore respect for legal migration”
The Hungarian MEP, non-registered from the far right, expects Europe to change its logic on the migration debate. Each Member State must be able to decide whether or not it wants mass migration.
Cristian Busoi (Romania): “France can bring a force that the European Union lacks”
The Romanian MEP, Christian Democrats, is a member of the European People’s Party (EPP) group. He expects a lot from France’s leadership on the green and digital transition.
Maria Arena (Belgium): “There is a kind of ‘realpolitik’ on the part of France which sells off the issue of human rights”
The Belgian MEP from the ggroup of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament says it is disappointed with France on the defense of fundamental rights. She expects France to make progress on the minimum wage and gender equality.