Return to the benches of the Sorbonne. Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe this Thursday, November 25 at 11 a.m., from the large amphitheater of the Sorbonne in Paris, seven years after a speech delivered at the same place, on September 26, 2017. At the time, he had long outlined his vision of Europe.
This time, the Head of State should return to his European assessment but also outline future prospects on the theme of “powerful Europe” in an uncertain international context, particularly due to the conflict in Ukraine. According to Le Parisien, the President of the Republic should also formulate around ten proposals. The newspaper Les Echos mentions a pooling of resources for the development of a vaccine against cancer and a treatment against Alzheimer’s disease.
The timing chosen by the Head of State for this intervention, described as “institutional” by the Elysée, caused opposition to surge. Less than 50 days before the European elections, and while the majority candidate, Valérie Hayer, is struggling to take off in the polls, where she is ahead of around ten points by the National Rally list, led by Jordan Bardella, but also closely followed by that of Raphaël Glucksmann (PS-Place Publique).
Emmanuel Macron’s speech, in front of an audience of European ambassadors, parliamentarians, a delegation from the European Commission, business leaders, students and researchers, could mark an acceleration in a campaign which, until at present, is of little interest to the French. Only 8% of them know the exact date of the vote, scheduled for June 9, according to a Eurobarometer survey commissioned by the European Parliament.
