“It’s Europe’s fault.” Whether it is the economy, security, defense and even tech, certain French politicians regularly accuse the European Union of all evils. France is also, according to a recent Eurobarometer survey, the Member State whose inhabitants are the most pessimistic about the future of the EU.
Are the EU’s detractors right to attribute so many of the difficulties encountered to it? This is what we verify in this series of podcasts in five episodes, broadcast before the European elections of June 9, 2024.
Is it Europe’s fault if… we eat Canadian meat?
In January 2024, French farmers carried out a series of actions to express their anger, particularly towards the European Union. The demonstrators, like certain political representatives – Jordan Bardella, of the RN, or even Manon Aubry, of LFI – denounced in particular the European free trade agreements, which they accused of promoting unfair competition. But are they really responsible for all the ills of French farmers? Answer in this first episode on agriculture.
Is it Europe’s fault if… we don’t compete with Gafam?
Paris hosted the VivaTech trade show in May. Many start-ups have tried to find a place among the largest companies in Silicon Valley. For the moment, American Gafam have nothing to worry about in terms of European competition. Very few of the technologies we use every day come from the EU. Listen to our second episode on the tech ecosystem.
Is it Europe’s fault if… we don’t have control over our borders?
Fabrice Leggeri, the former president of Frontex – the European agency responsible for the control and management of the external borders of the EU and the Schengen area – has joined the RN list at the European elections. The party, leading the voting intentions, criticizes the EU for being too lax in terms of welcoming migrants and refugees. In our third episode on EU migration policy, La Loupe wonders if the EU has a policy as welcoming as some political parties claim.
Is it Europe’s fault if… our energy bills are rising?
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has had repercussions even on our energy bills. Some political leaders believe that if France left the European energy market, our bills would decrease. Myth or reality ? L’Express journalists give you their analyzes in this fourth episode on the price of electricity.
Is it Europe’s fault if… Ukraine doesn’t have enough weapons?
Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine in February 2022, the European Union has been one of Ukraine’s main financial, military and humanitarian supporters. kyiv very regularly asks Westerners to continue sending it ammunition, even though the war seems far from over. In this fifth episode on the European defense industry, La Loupe wonders if the EU really has the means to switch to a “war economy”.