It was three hours instead of the planned 50 minutes: the speech and the subsequent debate on Wednesday exceeded all time limits of the EU Parliament. French President Emmanuel Macron outlined in Strasbourg what he intends to do in the first half of 2022. France will hold the presidency of the Council of EU States until the end of June.
Right in the middle of this phase – in April – are the presidential elections in France. Therefore, the election campaign flashed several times. Macron’s speech revolved around Europe’s promises of democracy, progress and peace. Again he invoked the need for Europe to become a global player in its own right. With regard to Ukraine, he called for a dialogue with Moscow – against the background of a new “European security order”. The EU would have to work this out quickly. Without naming Moscow’s demands that no other states should become NATO members, Macron made it clear: the right of sovereign states to choose their alliances should not be shaken.
Macron’s push for an extension of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights was new. It should “go more explicitly on the protection of the environment and the recognition of the right to abortion”. The day before, the Renew faction, to which Macron’s party belongs, had elected Maltese conservative and anti-abortion activist Roberta Metsola as speaker of parliament. Wherein Manon Aubry from the left saw a contradiction.
MPs have repeatedly criticized the gap between Macron’s words and deeds. The French Green Yannik Jadot accused him of lacking credibility in climate protection because of his advocacy for nuclear energy. He also blamed his migration policy for deaths in the English Channel. That was not only too much for the Liberals, but also for the Social Democratic faction leader Iratxe Garcia Perez. The Spaniard urged respect and the renunciation of French election campaigns. EPP parliamentary group leader Manfred Weber, who hoped that the conservative Valerie Pecresse would replace Macron, also went to these. Weber still has a score to settle with the Frenchman: he prevented him from becoming Commission President in 2019.
Source: Nachrichten