French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Monday that the election of Jean-Luc Mélenchon or Marine Le Pen as president would bring an end to the European Union as it currently exists. Speaking at the World in Progress congress in Barcelona, he argued that the two candidates’ projects were built around dismantling the present European framework.
“There will always be a European continent and countries that speak to one another, but there will be no European community,” Darmanin said. He called for a strongly pro-European candidate to win the presidential election and said France’s priority should be to turn Europe into a “power” rather than a forum focused mainly on discussion.
Darmanin also warned that Europe was losing ground globally and that France was weakening within Europe. He criticised the country’s focus on what he described as “old debates”, including pensions, while pointing to quantum physics, artificial intelligence, climate policy and green industry as issues requiring greater attention.
Édouard Philippe, whom Darmanin supports, had issued a similar warning earlier at the Barcelona forum. Philippe said the far right and radical left converge in their opposition to the European Union, and argued that proposals from the National Rally and La France Insoumise could undermine European integration.
According to Philippe, neither side explicitly advocates leaving the European Union because French voters do not want a rupture with the bloc. He noted that Marine Le Pen has stopped referring to “Frexit”, a proposal she had considered after the Brexit vote but later abandoned.
Philippe said that reversing France’s budget commitments and financial contribution to the EU, or refusing to apply parts of European law deemed inconvenient, could damage the agreement linking France to its European partners.
Sources: Le Monde International.