“Our Europe can die”, launched the Head of State in a long speech punctuated by several barbs against “nationalism”.
Dramatization to come to the rescue of a campaign in bad shape. Emmanuel Macron insisted Thursday on the “ existential risk » which would weigh on Europe, in a long speech delivered in front of 500 guests in the amphitheater of the Sorbonne. “ We must be clear about the fact that our Europe today is mortal. She can die and it only depends on our choices, but these choices must be made now », insisted the Head of State, quoting the famous phrase of Paul Valéry on civilizations “ deadly » at the end of the First World War.
War between Russia and Ukraine, commercial aggressiveness of the United States and China, the power of digital giants, demographic decline… The president listed the threats facing an Old Continent in “ encirclement situation » facing the great powers, and his proposals to respond to them. Presenting himself, implicitly, as a leader capable of taking these issues head on by drawing “ our European future, but which is by definition the future of France “. A double prism for someone who sought to speak both to his European counterparts and to national voters.
“We didn’t succeed at everything”
Returning to the prestigious Parisian university, where he had already given a speech on Europe in September 2017, Emmanuel Macron first highlighted “ accomplishments “. “ Rarely has Europe advanced so much », he welcomed, citing for example the joint loan during Covid or the attitude towards Russia. While conceding: “ We didn’t succeed “, particularly on the desire to “ make Europe democratic », he conceded. The low interest of the French in the European campaign seems to echo this, while all camps, starting with that of the president, fear a strong abstention on June 9.
Emmanuel Macron then formulated numerous proposals in many areas, calling for further action on defense, industry, research, control of borders or even the control of web giants, defending for example a “ digital majority at 15 years “. Even if the length of the speech (1 hour 50 minutes), dense and full of digressions in all directions, may have drowned out the clarity of the direction and the formulas intended to make an impression. Thus the Head of State focused on “ the free circulation of carbon-free electrons » or the revision of the rules « Basel and Solvency » on the equity of banks and insurance companies…
Allusion to number 3 of the RN list
Of course, officially, the speech was first addressed to the European partners, with a view to defining the Union’s priorities for the next five years, after the election of June 9. But Emmanuel Macron could not help but send a few barbs to the National Rally, without mentioning it. “ No one dares to offer outings anymore, neither from Europe nor from the euro “, he was careful to point out, while those around him see Marine Le Pen’s turn on this issue as an ideological victory. Targeting “ nationalisms ” across Europe, he felt that they “ no longer propose leaving the building or tearing it down, but no longer having co-ownership rules, no longer investing, no longer paying the rent “.
Emmanuel Macron again clearly alluded to the National Rally when he spoke of his ambitions for Frontex, the European border control agency. “ I continue to believe in it, even if sometimes those who served it begin to doubt it “, he blurted. A reference to Fabrice Leggeri, former director of Frontex placed third on Jordan Bardella’s list.
“Abstention from sanction”
The presidential camp was impatiently awaiting this descent into the arena of its gondola head, while the voting intentions for the list led by Valérie Hayer are not taking off: 17% against 31% for Jordan Bardella in the last wave of “rolling » Ifop-Fiducial for Le Figaro, LCI and Sud Radio. “ In our calendar, this is the moment when we switch to the campaignadvanced a government heavyweight as he left the Sorbonne. Even if the French are not at all in the Europeans. No one ever talks to me about it when I travel. »
The majority still intends to rely on speech to try to convince on the ground. A leaflet showing the faces of Emmanuel Macron and Valérie Hayer has a circulation of 4.5 million copies and must be distributed this weekend. The program and the complete list must be revealed by early May. With the hope of warding off the bad polls, where Renaissance is only a few points behind the socialist candidate, Raphaël Glucksmann.
“ This is not a flight from our electorate from the leftanalyzes a Renaissance framework. It’s because we’re not mobilizing our people, we’re not able to refuel. » In the presidential staff, we are racking our brains to ward off this phenomenon of “ abstention sanction », seeking to speak to the nearly ten million voters who voted for Emmanuel Macron in the first round of the 2022 presidential election. At the time, the head of state had benefited from the fears aroused by the shock of war in Ukraine. But despite the “ unprecedented conjunction of crises » which he insisted again on Thursday, the “flag effect” does not seem likely to be repeated.
