Is Macron sulking or harbouring last-minute EU plans?

By Sarantis Michalopoulos

The EU centre-right and the liberals – together with the socialists – have been broadly expected to form a pro-EU coalition in the European Parliament after the elections in June. However, it appears that there is trouble in paradise.

In the first three sentences of the draft manifesto of ALDE, part of the liberal-centrist Renew Group, the EU liberals attacked what they described as an “EPP-led” Commission for “neglecting” the EU single market under the Presidency of Ursula von der Leyen.

And when von der Leyen announced her bid for a second term, the radio silence in Paris was resounding. No public comment, no reaction from the Elysée or President Emmanuel Macron himself.

But, after von der Leyen’s election at the European People’s Party (EPP) congress in Bucharest this week, French Commissioner Thierry Breton openly questioned if she had the full support of the EPP.

“The real question now: Is it possible to (re)entrust the management of Europe to the EPP for five more years, or 25 years in a row? The EPP itself does not seem to believe in its candidate,” Breton posted on X.

Earlier today, EPP Secretary General Thanasis Bakolas lashed out at Breton, saying that EU liberals have “no relevance”.

“I know that things are particularly difficult in France for Renaissance, as they are squeezed by the extremes they helped to grow by weakening the traditional centre-left and the centre-right,” Bakolas said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday she expected a maritime aid corridor to start operating between Cyprus and Gaza this weekend, taking desperately needed aid to besieged Palestinians.

With Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán due to met former US president Donald Trump in Florida on Friday, a liberal Hungarian opposition MEP voiced fears that this does not bode well for the outcome of the war in Ukraine and NATO in general.

As the EU moves to extend trade liberalisation with Kyiv, Ukraine’s trade representative Taras Kachka told Euractiv that talks with Warsaw will soon lead to safeguard measures to protect Polish farmers from the influx of Ukrainian agricultural imports.

Twenty-two European countries wrote to the Commission calling for immediate initiatives to respond to the agricultural crisis, with the bloc’s executive confirming its intention to table measures next week.

As EU ambassadors were due to meet on Friday (8 March) to try to agree again a provisional deal on the platform work directive, France circulated a set of changes it wants to make to the text, throwing another spanner in the works for the ill-starred file.

To understand the obstacles women face when participating in politics, national authorities need to generate more gender-disaggregated data, Policy and Campaign Officer for the European Women’s Lobby, Jéromine Andolfatto, told Euractiv.

The centre-right European People’s Party is eyeing a pro-EU coalition with the socialists and liberals after June’s EU elections, an EPP source told Euractiv, adding that the Greens are not on their radar, while cooperation with some parties on the right who want to distance themselves from extreme rhetoric is not ruled out.

For more policy news, check out this week’s Tech Brief, Agrifood Brief, and Economy Brief.

Look out for…

• Commissioner Ylva Johansson in Madrid, speaks at New Economy Forum on Monday.
• Eurogroup meeting on Monday.
• .Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council on Monday.

Views are the author’s

[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic/Alice Taylor]