the article you need to read before voting – L’Express

Last straight line before the European elections on June 9! While the campaign is in full swing, the list of Jordan Bardella’s National Rally consolidates its lead, far ahead of that of the majority which sees its margin narrowing over that of the socialists, according to a vast Cevipof-Ipsos-Institut Montaigne-Fondation Jean survey. -Jaurès for The worldpublished Monday June 3.

Ecology, immigration, institutions… Before this decisive election, The Express takes stock of what the main lists defend.

Powerful Europe versus Europe of States

Apart from a few marginal lists (François Asselineau, Florian Philippot), no one anymore defends “Frexit”. The RN wants to weaken community institutions in favor of cooperation between States and reduce the European Commission to a “general secretariat” of the States which would have a monopoly on legislative initiative.

LR would like to call into question the primacy of European law over national law – at the heart of European construction – particularly in matters of immigration.

In the “pro-European” lists, the majority and the PS defend “European sovereignty” or a “European power”. Like them, environmentalists, who embrace the word “federal”, are in favor of ending the right of veto of States on taxation or foreign policy. All these institutional proposals would require a revision of the European treaties which requires an agreement and then a unanimous ratification of the 27 member states.

Little enthusiasm for enlargement

On the left, the dividing line inherited from the 2005 referendum on the constitutional treaty remains strong with the communists and LFI on the pursuit of European integration and enlargement.

They refuse any enlargement to Ukraine and the Balkans, or even to Georgia, for fear of “social dumping”. LR, Reconquête and RN also oppose the accession of Ukraine which “would ruin French agriculture”.

The majority, the PS and the Greens, defend the continuation of enlargement on merit but by conditioning it on a reform of the functioning of the EU institutions to avoid paralysis.

Immigration, marker on the right

The RN wants to reserve free movement in the Schengen area only for community nationals by prohibiting it for foreigners even in a legal situation. LR wants to build physical barriers in the east of Europe. Marion Maréchal wants a “naval blockade against immigration in the Mediterranean”. These parties also defend the outsourcing of asylum requests outside the EU.

Valérie Hayer is the only one to defend the asylum and immigration pact recently adopted by the EU, which provides for a procedure for filtering asylum applications at EU borders and solidarity in the distribution of asylum seekers.

To reduce illegal immigration flows, the left is campaigning for legal immigration routes into the EU, some depending on the needs of the European economy.

Trade: haro on free trade

Mercosur, a trade agreement negotiated since 1999 between the EU and four South American countries, and the ratification of Ceta, a free trade agreement between the EU and Canada, bring together a large majority against them.

In the wake of Manon Aubry and Léon Deffontaines who demand the end of free trade agreements, the entire left is calling for “environmental and social protectionism”. Even LR François-Xavier Bellamy says he is “hostile to free trade agreements”. Only the majority calls for taking it case by case, opposing Mercosur but defending the ratification of Ceta.

Ukraine, Gaza, hot topics

Support for Ukraine, with the corollary massive investments to support European defense, was at the heart of the campaigns of Raphaël Glucksmann and Valérie Hayer. On the defensive due to the RN’s past proximity to Russia, Jordan Bardella denounced “a drift” of the EU which, in diplomacy or defense, “attempts to arrogate the prerogatives of States”. The debate was also heated on the left, with Raphaël Glucksmann being called a “go-to-war” by LFI and the communists.

LFI has made Gaza the heart of its campaign. The left has called for the suspension of the association agreements between the EU and Israel as well as the immediate recognition of the Palestinian state, which the right and the far right reject.

The Green Deal on the defensive

The Green Deal, the EU roadmap to achieve carbon neutrality in 2050, is in the sights of LR and RN who want to reverse the ban on the sale of new thermal vehicles in 2035, defended by the majority and the left. Valérie Hayer is proposing an investment plan of 1,000 billion euros until 2030 to produce 10 million clean vehicles or a European green plane.

Raphaël Glucksmann wants to “create a European sovereign fund investing 200 billion per year in ecological transition industries”. Marie Toussaint wants to “make the protection of biodiversity, climate and health a binding higher legal standard”.

Concerning energy, she wants to “take back control of oil and gas companies”. Manon Aubry wants to “switch to 100% renewable energy by 2050”.

Agriculture: after the anger

After the agricultural crisis at the start of the year, LR wants to be the champion of farmers, even defending an increase in the CAP budget, the main item of expenditure in the EU. The RN wants to renationalize the CAP but joins LR in denouncing the environmental standards imposed on farmers.

The minimum remuneration of farmers is a campaign argument of the four lists on the left. Marie Toussaint wants a “greener” CAP which pays “workers rather than hectares”. Valérie Hayer would like to have the equivalent of the French Egalim law adopted to protect producers.

Taxation, social, society…

The PS and LFI want to tax the super profits of large companies. The majority prefers taxation at OECD level. Environmentalists propose “a climate ISF”. On the contrary, the right and the far right are opposed to any European tax, which requires unanimous agreement of the 27.

The left highlights social issues – such as the indexation of salaries to inflation by LFI – but it is above all a competence of the Member States. This is also the case for societal issues, such as the ban on surrogacy requested by Reconquête.