“Europe carries three promises: democracy, shared progress, and peace”: Emmanuel Macron graced the European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg with a speech of grand occasion.
The speech was followed by a heated debate with French opposition members of the parliament, who took the opportunity to direct a wave of criticism at the Head of State, purely in a manner of typical French electoral politics. It would be interesting to know what their colleagues thought …probably that they had mistaken the place and session!
From climate to the digital revolution, and from common defense to the rule of law, Emmanuel Macron outlined the priorities for Europe at the beginning of the French semester of the presidency of the EU Council. Firstly, he announced the agreement with Germany for the Conference on the Future of Europe to “propose granting the European Parliament legislative initiative power.” A thunderous applause followed.
Emmanuel Macron, claiming these “values that, by being taken for granted, have become fragile,” called for a revision of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, 20 years after its promulgation, including more explicit references “on environmental protection and the recognition of the right to abortion.”
For the President of the European Council, the goal is to “together find a Europe that is a power of the future,” emphasizing the urgency of gaining independence from international powers with a “strong strategy for the defense industry” and continuing the “progress made with the approval of the strategic compass, in complementarity with NATO.”
It is clear that the French semester intends to bring about changes, and it will be a crucial semester, influenced by the results of two electoral rounds: the French presidential elections in April and the legislative elections in June.
