Marine Le Pen’s Plan for Europe Would Be a Gift to Putin
- Date: 21-Apr-2022
- Source: Asharq AL-awsat
- Sector:Financial Markets
- Country:Middle East
Marine Le Pen’s Plan for Europe Would Be a Gift to Putin
International and Arab News
When Emmanuel Macron last faced off against far-right foe Marine Le Pen for the French presidency in 2017, her call to follow the UK out of the European Union was in tune with the populist times. Yet it failed to win over voters worried about the chaos that would ensue.
A French Brexit is off the menu this time, which has made Le Pen seem more palatable. But what she’s proposing in its place is an EU hollowed out from the inside by France following in the footsteps of Hungary’s Viktor Orban, tearing up German cooperation and breaking unity on Russia. As she and Macron debate ahead of Sunday’s vote, the risks are less extreme than before but the West still has reason to watch — and worry.
In Le Pen’s worldview, Europe serves two purposes: It’s a symbolic punching bag to differentiate herself from “globalist” Macron — hence the cheap talk of pulling down EU flags from government buildings. It also offers a vital outlet for cost-cutting. Her post-victory pledge is to reduce France’s net contribution to the EU budget, ideally by around 5 billion euros ($5.4 billion). Those funds could then go toward extravagant spending plans at
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