Emmanuel Macron is not the only European head of state and government to have been disowned by the European elections on June 9. The social-democratic German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, to name just one, also suffered a serious setback. But his counterparts, with whom he is due to dine in Brussels on Monday June 17 for the first time since the election, are keen to hear from him on his decision to dissolve the National Assembly and call early elections on June 30 and July 7 .
Of course, this is a question of national policy, which the Twenty-Seven avoid discussing when they meet for a European council – after all, everyone has their problems. But, in this case, what happens in Paris will not be without influence on the progress of community affairs.
In this context, before discussing on Monday evening the various nominations for the presidency of the Commission, that of the European Council and the post of high representative, the Twenty-Seven planned an exchange on the results of the European elections. “We expect Macron to explain his decision. This will be the elephant in the room”, confides a European diplomat. Before adding: “The success of the far right in France is the major element of the European election. » “If we have a problem in Belgium or Slovenia, that’s fine. If we have a problem in France, it’s something else”confides another European source.
“There will be an explanation of the text”, confirms a close friend of the president. What form will it take? Will Emmanuel Macron speak? Will he discuss the situation during discussions? “Nothing has been decided yet but it is likely that the president will return to the situation in France”, replies the Elysée. In asides, on the sidelines of the council, the subject will undoubtedly be at the heart of the discussions.
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“In Berlin, they are paralyzed”
Among other questions, from Rome to Riga, via Warsaw and Berlin, we wonder, for example, whether a government led by Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally (RN), would continue to finance aid to Ukraine . “That’s my biggest worry.”confides a European diplomat from an Eastern country. “With cohabitation in France, enlargement to Ukraine is dead”, adds one of his colleagues. Others fear the economic consequences of such a scenario.
“In Berlin, they are paralyzed by the possibility of the far right taking power in France, in addition to the war and economic decline”says a European source. “How ironic if Macron – the champion of an EU [Union européenne] and a strong Ukraine – was to be responsible for the weakening of both”commented on X, Mujtaba Rahman, Europe specialist for the consulting firm Eurasia, on June 11.
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