On May 9, Europe Day, Emmanuel Macron returns to this theme which is dear to him.
The Head of State is launching in Strasbourg, surrounded by EU leaders, the Conference on the Future of Europe.
Objective of this forum proposed to the Twenty-Seven by France?
"That the citizens of each Member State try to imagine the Europe in which they wish to live in 10 or 15 years," answers the Élysée.
The proposals could range from the social regime for platform workers to space Europe.
"
Vast program, the conclusions of which will be presented at meetings with representatives of the EU, trade unions, political parties, associations, etc., in March 2022. Either in the midst of the French presidential campaign.
If we add that Paris will take over the rotating presidency of the EU at the same time, we understand that Macron intends to make Europe, despite Brexit and the Covid crisis, a campaign theme.
A risky bet?
As proof, he symbolically sends this Sunday a video of encouragement to "European Renaissance", an association just created on the initiative of the MEP (Renew-LREM) Stéphane Séjourné, close advisor to the Head of State.
“I invite you all to join this initiative, to integrate this ambition of thoughts, of projects for the future.
Europe should not simply be in the hands of a few leaders [...] We must think about it in the open, ”Macron launches to the 4,000 (free) members already claimed by the association, who take pride in spreading the good news word across the territory, in the spirit of the 2016-2017 Volunteer Walkers.
See also Europe: Can Macron take advantage of the French presidency to "reform the institutions"?
Playing the European card, a risky bet?
“In 2017, the communicators who marched to the campaign HQ warned us that if we wanted to talk about Europe, it was better to do it badly, that we would never win a presidential election from a European perspective, testifies Stéphane Séjourné.
It hasn't really changed since, and yet, between sovereignty and sovereignty, there is room for a real debate ”.
In fact, among the potential candidates on the starting line, left and right alike, Europe has more patent despisers - even if none more question the euro or membership of the EU - than of ardent defenders.
The
hiccups in the management of the pandemic
of Covid-19, in particular on the vaccination campaign or the delay of the Old Continent, are cruelly underlined by the comparison with Boris Johnson's England, in addition to the traditional grievances against a Brussels machine considered too "techno "And" ultraliberal ".
Harmonize north and south
To rectify the situation, the president "carries a European social model", we assure you at the Elysee.
Has he not already obtained from the Brussels Commission the
Directive on posted workers - admittedly incomplete - a campaign promise from candidate Macron.
At the social summit which has just been held in Porto (Portugal), he advocated a project for European minimum wages.
In the plural, because it is not a question of taxing the same income in economies as disparate as those of Bulgaria or Sweden, but of common guarantees.
Other ideas are on the table, but it is not won, because it is necessary to find a harmony between a northern Europe where social dialogue is king, and Latin Europe - France included - where the State governs everything. or almost.
On this file, as on many others, Macron wants to end up with Vingt-Sept during the French presidency ... just to show, for the (probable) presidential candidate, that “his” Europe is moving forward.