European elections: French Prime Minister admits EU is BREAKING and must be re-built
FRENCH Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has framed this week’s European parliament elections as a stark choice between breaking or rebuilding the EU, as the ruling République en Marche (REM) party struggles to contain the far-right in the final sprint to election day.
EU elections: French implications outlined by expert
The parliamentary vote is shaping up to be a bitter battle between eurosceptic parties and pro-EU liberals, and will be critical in defining the course of the EU for the next five years. Mr Philippe told a rally in the southern French town of Toulouse on Friday: “This question – whether we want to preserve the gains we have made from being in Europe or whether we want to break them – is a very important one.” In a thinly veiled warning to the bloc’s far-right populists determined to shake up the bloc, he continued: “Do we want a Europe that we can rebuild and revive, or do we want to break its perimeter? Those who believe in Europe should have the final word.” During a question-and-answer session on Facebook on Sunday, the French premier reiterated his call to fight nationalists bent on “weakening Europe”.
In France, far-right leader Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement national (RN) party – formerly the Front National – is polling neck-and-neck with President Emmanuel Macron's centrist REM group. Although, most polls show a slight edge for Mrs Le Pen’s “Prenez le pouvoir” (Take Power) list.
A fervent europhile, France’s 41-year-old leader hopes to redraw the European political landscape by tapping into growing disaffection among the mainstream alliances on the left and right.
A power-broker role would give Mr Macron greater influence over shaping EU policy and the filling of key upcoming jobs, such as the European Commission presidency.
However, if Mrs Le Pen’s party wins the biggest number of French seats in the EU parliament – a result which seems increasingly likely –, it will badly dent his authority and credibility among EU citizens as he pushes for deeper integration and radical reform.
In addition, RN candidates have repeatedly urged French voters to turn the upcoming vote into a referendum on Mr Macron’s policies, something which could further destabilise the young leader.
More than 400 million voters will be called to vote between May 23-26 to set the stage as Brussels debates its post-Brexit landscape and grapples with rising populism.
Eurosceptic forces are poised to win more than one-third of the seats in the EU parliament, buoyed by popular concerns about illegal immigration, slow economic growth, and the ongoing terrorist threat, even if few parties actually want to follow in the UK’s lead and quit the bloc.
Under this scenario, the RN and anti-Europe, anti-globalist parties in other EU states are widely expected to band together to block or curb EU legislation.
In Britain, Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party has kept a big lead over both the ruling Conservative Party and the opposition Labour Party.
According to a recent Opinium poll for the Observer newspaper, Mr Farage’s party is expected to win 34 percent of the vote, while the Labour party is poised to win 20 percent and the Conservative party 12 percent.