This year, May 9, is a day of celebration in Russia of the victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 and a military parade in Red Square of Moscow In the midst of the war in Ukraine, “two models will stand against each other,” the French presidency said.
On the one hand, in Strasbourg, the closing of the Conference on the Future of Europe will be “a confirmation of the power of liberal democracies, their pluralism and freedom of expression”. In Moscow, on the other hand, there will be “confirmation of the validity of a model of historical revisionism, for which blood is being shed on Ukrainian soil today.”
The newly elected President of France is expected to take advantage of the symbolic date of May 9 and his visit to Strasbourg today to praise a stronger Europe that is ready to reform to meet the expectations of the people.
Then it will go then in Berlin, making, as tradition dictates, the first official visit since the re-election of German Chancellor Olaf Solz. This move in support of Franco-German friendship acquires “a stronger symbolism due to Europe Day”, underline the Elysee.
In the European Parliament semicircle, Emanuel Macron’s speech “aims to welcome the proposals of the people and to raise a number of challenges in the context of the war in Ukraine”, again according to the Elysee.
“Democratic breath”
The Conference on the Future of Europe, which was born on the basis of the French President’s original idea, made a very painful start a year ago, amid very limited enthusiasm on the part of some and the health crisis from the new coronavirus pandemic that complicated discussions and meetings.
Finally, through a huge process of committees and thematic working groups, in which 800 citizens, elected officials and various representatives of civil society participated, 325 meters were approved on April 30, covering 49 proposals.
The Elysee believes that this consultation was “a moment of democratic breath”. And this despite the limited response and criticism of the position of the citizens, which is considered by some to be superficial, as well as for, as denounced by political parties that despise the EU, its overly pro-European character.
The final report of this citizens’ consultation will be formally delivered today at a ceremony starting at noon with the Presidents of the three European Institutions: Roberta Metzola of the European Parliament, Ursula von der Leyen of the European Commission and Emanuel Macron, as France rotating presidency of the European Council until the end of June.
It will then be up to EU leaders to decide whether or not to follow up on these citizens’ demands for a wider, more participatory and more social Europe.
European treaties
Hoping to increase its political weight, the European Parliament has already been active since last week, calling for a process to change the European treaties. This is a risky stage, but it is necessary for some proposals, such as granting the European Parliament the right of initiative or extending Brussels’ responsibilities in the field of defense or health.
The unanimity of the Member States, which is necessary on a number of issues, especially taxation, and often a source of exclusion, is also questioned.
For their part, the governments represented by the European Council put “less resistance to supporting the ideas coming from the Conference on the Future of Europe” and “their willingness to look at these citizens’ proposals has grown”, according to with European source.
“If the realization of a ‘realistic federalism and ideals’ in an enlarged EU” requires a process of change of circumstances, then let us proceed with courage and confidence, “Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told MEPs on Wednesday.
A review of the treaties “is neither a totem nor a taboo”, the French presidency noted.
The issue of Europe’s common defense concerns the French press
The issue of Europe’s common defense is on the agenda of the French press today, in view of the visit of French President Emanuel Macron to Berlin.
The Les Échos newspaper, in a related article, quotes Jacob Ross, a researcher at the German Foreign Policy Institute (DGAP), as saying that the “shock wave” caused by Ukraine should enable the resumption of a deep-seated Emanuel Macron would like to link Germany to a new European recovery plan to address the costs and investments required by the war in Ukraine, especially in defense.
“It is a great challenge for this European rearmament to be co-financed and not with the addition of national investment,” said Alexandre Robin Borgoman of the Institut Montaigne in France, who emphasized, however, that present decision making ‘.
“Confidence must first be created in the existence of a common finding that a new defense fund “70 years after the European Coal and Steel Community, our joint production of weapons to wage war together would be a convincing response to Putin and the German,” the paper quoted the French analyst as saying. analyst estimates that “Berlin will not be able to remain silent again.”
For its part, the newspaper Le Monde reports that “the conflict started by Russia reveals the vulnerabilities of the European Union and poses tremendous challenges.” Stefan Len, an international relations researcher and former Austrian diplomat, says the Russian invasion has “pushed the EU into a new era” by committing for the first time to funding and delivering weapons to a third country at war.
In the same newspaper, Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, director of the German Marshall Fund office in Paris, believes that the war in Ukraine underscored the current weaknesses of a Europe far removed from building the “collective security” that Macron advocates. . In this regard, Lenin recalled the need for a “stronger and more active” Europe, arguing the need to abolish unanimity for European decision-making in international politics, as well as the need to link economics and diplomacy. The French newspaper underscores the desire of some, including President Macron, to see Europe move faster towards real military dominance, but the reality, largely thanks to Putin, shows the importance of NATO’s fundamental role. in defense of the Euro-Atlantic area. “In a matter of weeks, the Alliance has been able to make people forget the setbacks it has experienced in Afghanistan, its internal divisions, the controversy over the role of Turkey or even the ‘brain death’,” the paper said.
“It is clear that the structure of a war economy is being implemented, especially in Europe” and that the shock, in addition to being economic, is mainly political, but also asymmetric, as the United States benefits from the war, “Figaro reported. , through additional demand in the fields of energy, equipment or agriculture, while Europe bears all the risks and all the costs.
It is also estimated that the State “must once again become a general and regain the ability to set and pursue long-term goals, while the European Union is called upon to transform itself in order to integrate the dimensions of sovereignty and security, while building corporate relations with the other world democratic poles “.
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