Potential far-right victory seen as threat to EU

STRASBOURG (AP):

The thought of an extreme-right leader standing at the helm of the European Union (EU) would be abhorrent to most in the 27-nation bloc. But if Emmanuel Macron falters in the April 24 French presidential elections, it might be two weeks away.

Experts say a win for far-right candidate Marine Le Pen would have immense repercussions on the functioning of the EU. Not only would her coming to power damage the democratic values and commercial rules of the 27-nation bloc, but it would also threaten the EU’s common front and sanctions that have been built in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Macron, the incumbent president with strong pro-European views, and Le Pen, an anti-immigration nationalist, couldn’t have more radically opposed visions of the EU.

Macron headed on Tuesday to Strasbourg, the seat of the EU parliament, to speak about France’s role in Europe. All polls show he is the favourite in the vote, but Le Pen has significantly narrowed the gap compared with the last presidential election five years ago.

France has always stood at the heart of the EU – a founding member that has partnered with neighbour and historical rival Germany to turn the bloc into an economic giant and an icon of Western values. To hand that vaunted perch to a far-right politician would be bad enough. But, as coincidence would have it, France also holds the EU’s rotating six-month presidency this spring, which also allows it to speak with the power of the 27.

It is a pedestal few want to offer to Le Pen. The National Rally leader wants to establish national border controls on imports and people, reduce the French contribution to the EU budget and cease to recognise that European law has primacy over national law.

She has proposed to remove taxes on hundreds of essential goods and wants to reduce taxes on fuel – which would go against the EU’s free market rules.

Although Le Pen has excised Frexit from her platform, her hostility toward the EU is still clear. Speaking to France Inter radio, Le Pen said Tuesday that “a large majority of French people no longer want the European Union as it exists today”. She accused the bloc of acting “in an absolutely anti-democratic way, moving ahead with threats and blackmail”.

She refuted critics’ charges that her policies would amount to a French exit from the EU in disguise. Instead, she said the EU can be changed “from within”.

Oppositely, Macron told reporters during a stop in the eastern city of Mulhouse that he “believes in Europe”, praising EU action that “changed the lives of our fellow citizens” such as the collective purchase of vaccines amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

He accused Le Pen of speaking “nonsense”.

“She explains that she won’t pay the bill for the (EU) club, that she will change the rules, but will change the rules alone” Macron said. “It means she wants to get out (of the EU) but doesn’t dare say it any more.”