Compatibility issues
Paris is set to lose its clout on the EU stage if the National Rally gains an absolute majority in Sunday’s election runoff. That would force Macron into a so-called cohabitation with Jordan Bardella, the 28-year-old rising star of the far right, as prime minister.
Although that prospect now looks less certain after candidates pulled out of the race in order to consolidate votes against the far right, Macron could still find it difficult to form a stable government. With his own moderates doomed to a distant third place, he will find it hard to reappoint Junior Trade Minister Franck Riester in his next government.
France’s next government will represent Paris at the Council of the EU, a forum for government leaders from the 27-nation union. And, regardless of who moves into the prime minister’s Matignon residence, that means France won’t be able to speak with one voice.
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“If we were to move toward a cohabitation, it’s clear that at the level of the various Council of the EU formats, the participation of RN ministers could obviously disrupt the negotiations of the 27,” said Elvire Fabry, senior research fellow at the Jacques Delors Institute in Paris.
Mind the gap
Germany, which is often at odds with France on EU trade policy, is already trying to fill the vacuum.
In a dig at Paris and Brussels days before French voters headed to the polls, Chancellor Olaf Scholz blasted the EU’s trade policy. He called for the bloc to strike “EU only” trade deals that wouldn’t be subject to ratification by national and regional parliaments — a process that can take years.
Source link : https://www.politico.eu/article/protectionism-emmanuel-macron-loses-clout-to-european-free-traders-eu-trade-election-mercosur/
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Publish date : 2024-07-04 08:04:00
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