Macron, the visionary of Europe

All indications are that Emmanuel Macron will be re-elected in the French presidential election in early April. What does this mean for Europe and Greece?

He suddenly appeared in French politics as an adviser to Socialist President François Hollande, in 2014 he became Minister of Finance and just three years later President of France. In the 2019 European elections, he “adopted” the political family of the Liberals, which he renamed “Renew Europe”, embracing the traditional political forces. Emanuel Macron’s course was unexpectedly impressive, as will his re-election in the April presidential election. His main opponent, according to opinion polls, is once again the far-right National Alarm of Marin Lepen.

Sophie Inetfelt, MEP of the Dutch liberal and traditionally pro-European party D66, is one of the most experienced members of the Renew Europe political group. “One of the things I really appreciate about President Macron,” she told Deutsche Welle, “is that he is currently the only European leader who speaks passionately about Europe. And you have to admit that, whether you agree or not. “The way a leader talks about Europe also creates the context for dialogue for ordinary citizens, for public opinion.”

“Change example“ the presence of Macron

For Maria Spyraki, France, but also Europe, needs the “Macron model” to take the next step. The MEP of N.D. notes that the French president is signaling a “paradigm shift” in politics, for a number of reasons. “First of all, he is a person who does not come from the deep party system,” he points out. “Secondly, he is a person who has appeared in public life while putting on the agenda, which has all the characteristics of modern challenges, whether it is climate change, immigration or the EU’s defense autonomy. Third, it is a a person who proceeds to change the example because with his behavior, with his mistakes and omissions, he collides head-on with populism “.

At the end of 2021, the center-right Republican party announced the candidacy of Valerie Pecres, who for a while seemed to threaten Macron in the polls, aspiring to become the first woman president of France. The eloquent former journalist Eric Zemour also had some flashes. But as the “mini-debate” Pekres-Zemour showed last Thursday, both do not have the special weight they would need to threaten Macron. Can the French president, with his re-election, build a bulwark against the populist, anti-European forces?

“Macron has a lead over his populist opponents, mainly because they lack knowledge, lack serious political proposition and experience, and rely on conspiracy theories and stereotypes that do not solve the modern world,” Maria Spyraki told Deutsche Welle. “The question is how he will be able to deal with the problems of the middle class and the rural class. And of course the second question is how he will achieve his vision, his plan for France to establish it in the EU as a whole. “The French presidency in the EU coincides with the election campaign. It does not favor him to be called on as chairman of the Council to handle an unprecedented post-World War II crisis with an unreliable interlocutor, such as Putin.”

Review on national governments

Few people know that in his first term as finance minister, in 2014, Emanuel Macron was at the Airbus facility in Hamburg and there he had the opportunity to meet the current chancellor Olaf Soltz, who at that time was mayor of the “big port”. of Germany. Eight years later, Macron and Soltz are trying to revive the Franco-German axis by pushing for much-needed reforms in the EU. “In addition, we have had to deal with the effects of Brexit. We now have a new government in Germany, which I find particularly interesting. policy”.

And yet, most of the announcements from the famous “speech of the Sorbonne” by Emanuel Macron, in September 2017, remain announcements. What is different about a Macron re-election in 2022? “Look, I have been an MEP for 18 years and I have learned that the mills of European integration are grinding very slowly,” said Sophie Inetfelt. “But you have to propose something, to have a vision for Europe, to set a goal to know where you are going. That is exactly what Macron is doing. At the same time, of course, as President of France, he is part of the European Council and we have to “We admit that many times the European Council is not capable of drawing up a strategy. Because European leaders want to keep Europe as small and powerless as possible.”

Greece-France-cooperation

Greece and France developed particularly close relations during Macron’s first term, which were sealed with the purchase of Rafale fighter jets from Greece. Other armament programs follow. Some speak of a precursor to a common European defense alliance, others criticize the fact that Greece spends billions, of course not too much, on armaments.

The comment from the MEP Maria Spyraki: “The increase of the deterrent capacity of our country with the supply of Rafal and the strengthening of the navy gives Greece the opportunity to increase its role as a force of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The fact that Kyriakos Mitsotakis has such a strong personal and political relationship with Emanuel Macron gives Greece the opportunity to expand its relations with France in all fields and at the same time, politically, to become part of the great European project planned by France and Germany, in order for Greece to move to the next track “.

Giannis Papadimitriou, Strasbourg

Source: Deutsche Welle