Brussels / Paris Emmanuel Macron began the presentation of his program for the French presidency of the European Union with a warning: The continent is facing “existential questions”, said the French head of state. The challenges are great, in the fight against climate change, in digital change – and in geopolitics.
In response, Macron outlined the “Agenda 2030” for the EU in the Élysée Palace on Thursday. The President also explicitly called for a reform of the European budget rules in order to give the member states more leeway in investing in the future.
France will take over the six-month presidency on January 1st. Macron is – as always – extremely ambitious. The coming months will not only be about the future of Europe, but also about its own political fate: The presidential elections are due in France in April.
Macron must be present as an election campaigner in his home country and as a leader in Europe at the same time. Can that go well?
Macron painted a clear picture of how he imagines “Europe in 2030”. It is a matter of defining a “new European growth model”. To this end, he will hold a special summit in March. On the sidelines of the meeting there will also be “strategic considerations” on how the budgetary rules in the European Union can be adapted.
Given the investment required in a greener and more digital economy, “we cannot go back to budgetary rules that date back to the early 1990s,” said Macron.
The Franco-German friendship between Merkel and Macron was strengthened. Macron also welcomes the new coalition agreement.
(Photo: dpa)
In Germany, the President will still have to do a lot of persuading: The new Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), who is coming to Paris on Friday for his inaugural visit, has so far expressed skepticism about a restructuring of the debt rules.
The French government now considers the 60 percent limit for national debt to be obsolete and is also toying with the idea of not counting future investments against the three percent limit for the budget deficit.
The Macron camp is hoping for a compromise. Pascal Canfin, one of the most important MEPs from France and a member of Macron’s LREM party, said: “The coalition agreement in Germany has brought us closer to an agreement with Berlin.
If this succeeds, it can be a good basis for a reform that all euro countries support. “
Macron also puts the question of European sovereignty at the heart of the French Presidency. In addition to closer cooperation in defense policy, this also means that
Europe controls immigration and controls its borders better. The President announced that he would initiate reform of the Schengen area in the next few months. He also has a new EU neighborhood policy in mind. In February he is planning a joint summit with the African Union in Brussels.
Climate package will have priority
The main task of the rotating presidency is, however, to promote ongoing political projects in the EU. “France is not going to reinvent the wheel. The major dossiers have already been defined, ”says Alberto Alemanno, Professor of European Law at the HEC University of Applied Sciences in Paris.
Above all, this includes the large climate protection package with the aim of the member states reducing their emissions by at least 55 percent by 2030. The EU should then become climate neutral by 2050. The CO2 border adjustment is also high on the agenda of the French. Its purpose is to ensure that climate protection in Europe does not lead to entire branches of industry moving away.
For this purpose, imports of energy-intensive goods are to be subject to a tax. A proposal has been made, now it is important to convince the European Parliament and the member states of the project.
France must also moderate the European legislative process with the Digital Markets Act and the Digital Services Act and, if possible, bring it to a conclusion. The two laws provide rules for digital corporations like Amazon and Facebook to limit their power over society and smaller businesses.
The most recent proposal by the Commission for punitive trade policy measures that the EU should be able to use to defend itself against third countries is also entirely to the taste of the French.
Macron does not have much time to prepare his extremely ambitious program. “Because of the presidential election, French activities will concentrate very much on the beginning of the year,” said Georgina Wright, head of the EU department at the Paris think tank Institut Montaigne.
The former French head of state Jacques Chirac also had to agree on the 1995 election campaign and the EU Council Presidency. Since then, however, not only has the number of member states grown, but also the extent of the European crises.
The French president will have to defend his post in the 2022 election. Possibly against Marie Le Pen again.
(Photo: AP)
Macron is particularly concerned about the erosion of the rule of law in Poland and Hungary. He made it clear on Thursday: The basic European values are “non-negotiable”; they are “the foundation of our contracts”. Therefore, during the Presidency, he will consider “new tools” for dealing with political forces that undermine these values.
The conflict between supporters and opponents of stronger European integration is likely to occupy Macron very much in the domestic election campaign as well.
Opinion polls in France indicate that there will be another runoff between Macron and right-wing populist Marine Le Pen in the spring.
Le Pen, in turn, is looking for an alliance with Macron’s opponents on a European level. Recently, in Warsaw, she discussed closer cooperation with right-wing populists from other countries, including Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
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