Expect newly re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron to use the symbolism of May 9 and his visit to Strasbourg to cheer on a Europe that is stronger and ready to reform to meet the aspirations of its citizens.
Macron headed to Berlin, as usual on his first official visit since the re-election of German chancellor Olaf Scholz, in support of the Franco-German friendship “with stronger symbolism after it coincided with Europe Day,” which the Elysee Palace emphasized.
On May 9, Europe Day and the anniversary of Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in 1945 will be celebrated with a majestic military parade on Moscow’s Red Square at the height of the Ukrainian war, which the French president called “a confrontation between two models” of power.
On the one hand, in Strasbourg, on the occasion of the closing of the conference on the future of Europe, “emphasis will be placed on the strength and diversity of liberal democrats and on freedom of expression.”
On the other hand, in Moscow “a confirmation of strength and a model based on the historical reaction that shed blood on the soil of Ukraine.” Emmanuel Macron’s speech at the headquarters of the European Parliament aims to “catch the proposals of citizens and make some bets against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine,” as the French president explained.
The Élysée considered this consultative process to be a “democratic breath”, despite its limited resonance and criticism of the status of citizens, which some consider superficial. Eurosceptic political parties viewed this process as an overly pro-European vicious circle.
For its part, the Élysée Palace emphasized that the revision of treaties “is not a taboo.”
