French President Emmanuel Macron’s ambitious proposals for enhancing the EU’s power and institutions earned responses ranging from praise in Brussels to wariness in Berlin and outright hostility in Prague.
The reaction said as much about the current state of Europe as did his calls to reform it.
In a major speech in Paris, Macron detailed a wide range of proposals for future European policies, including defense and migration, as well as a new joint office for investment and an industrial program to foster clean vehicles.
Speaking for almost two hours on Tuesday, he said the eurozone is the core of the European project that offers its members the prospect of economic power to rival China and the US.
“The Europe we know is too weak, too slow, too ineffective,” Macron said. “Europe can assure real sovereignty, our ability to exist in the world of today.”
Strip it down and the reactions to the speech, whether the overall tone or its constituent parts, shone a light on the political complications in applying any kind of coherent policy to the as-yet still 28-member club.
“Europe requires courage,” European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tweeted from Brussels. “We now need a more closely united, stronger and democratic Europe.”
Italy too had warm words.
“There are no local solutions to transnational problems,” Italian Minister for EU Affairs Sandro Gozi told ANSA newswire. “Macron has just reminded us of this, and his idea of Europe is also ours.”
In Germany, where Chancellor Angela Merkel is about to embark on tricky talks to form a new coalition to help steer Europe’s biggest economy, the reaction illustrated the divided political approach to Europe, offering the French president both encouragement and a warning of the challenges ahead.
German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said the speech was a “bold, passionate plea against nationalism and for Europe.”
“We have to use this chance of a German-French initiative to together make Europe more democratic, involve its citizens and better prepare it for the future,” Gabriel said, adding: “[Macron] can count on us.”
However, with his Social Democratic Party pledging to go into opposition after suffering a historic defeat in Sunday’s election, Gabriel’s words risked sounding a little hollow.
The other end of the German spectrum was reflected by Hans Michelbach, a member of Merkel’s parliamentary caucus from her CSU Bavarian sister party, who did not wait for Macron to finish speaking before issuing a statement saying the president’s proposals were “unsuited to moving Europe forward.”
“They don’t lead to a deepening, but rather to a deepening split in the EU,” said Michelbach, who routinely opposed efforts to aid Greece and other euro-area countries.
Macron’s proposals were also meant to notify Germany of France’s demands before leaders in Berlin set about negotiating their coalition agreement.
As he acknowledged that his vision will require Merkel’s support to push through, Macron was cautious not to go into too many details ahead of time and said he was confident potential coalition leaders will keep an open mind on his proposals.
“It was a visionary speech and it will accelerate the process” of European integration, said Guntram Wolff, director of the Bruegel think tank in Brussels.
“Will the Germans and other European countries take him up on that? On some points, yes,” but on others not immediately, he said.
In Prague, the billionaire who is set to become the next Czech prime minister was dismissive of Macron’s European drive, warning that closer integration could lead to more members joining the UK in quitting the bloc.
“He should really concentrate on France,” Czech ANO party leader Andrej Babis said in an interview. “All these proposals that we’ll have a minister of the euro zone and all of this further integration — Juncker and Macron should think of why Brexit happened.”
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