The national tribute to Jacques Delors, father of the single currency, was chaired by Emmanuel Macron on Friday January 5. The head of state is accused of political exploitation by the left.
The President of the Republic praised the role of Jacques Delors in French and European politics, during the national tribute to the father of the single currency, Friday January 5 in the Cour des Invalides. With the European elections next June in the sights, Emmanuel Macron gave a speech that prompted the left to accuse him of having used the legacy of Jacques Delors for his campaign. Since the death of the former head of the European executive on December 27, the head of state has positioned himself as his worthy heir, while his camp is significantly behind the National Rally, for the Europeans, in the polls .
Spicy reactions
Emmanuel Macron’s entourage, however, affirmed that the tribute chaired by the head of state was not intended to become a “campaign platform”. As soon as the ceremony was over, the reactions were strong. The socialist deputy, Valérie Rabault, denounced the “indecency” of the presidential camp on X (formerly Twitter). She denounces a government which “recovers far-right ideas in an immigration law and claims the socialist and social-democratic heritage of Jacques Delors”. His colleague, MP Jérôme Guedj, also says he regrets that the memory of Jacques Delors is not “exempt from recovery”.
On the way to the national tribute to Jacques Delors, whose constancy and coherence and European commitment I salute, although not having shared all his choices, within the PS as in his vision of Europe, I thought that his memory would be exempt from recovery . Missed https://t.co/Ptty5eqFKy
— Jérôme Guedj (@JeromeGuedj) January 5, 2024
Same story with the first secretary of the Socialist Party, Olivier Faure, who accuses the presidential camp of having “no modesty”. “We do not celebrate the legacy of Jean Marie Le Pen in December to seek to recover that of Jacques Delors in January,” he writes on X.
No really no shame.
We do not celebrate the legacy of Jean Marie Le Pen in December to seek to recover that of Jacques Delors in January. https://t.co/lNDUBtfNs2
— Olivier Faure (@faureolivier) January 5, 2024
Environmentalists also denounce a maneuver by Emmanuel Macron. The ecologist Yannick Jadot criticizes the President of the Republic for having “used Europe more than he has served it”. He also denounces “a classic political tactic” orchestrated by the head of state.