Macron effect for the UK. “We can’t play a game. Britons will lose a lot, they are already servil to the U.S.”
Emmanuel Macron’s pro-EU victory in the French elections can have very profound implications for Brexit, given the huge European stake that the French elections have had. Here is why Marine Le Pen’s defeat will cost the United Kingdom very much.
Although British Prime Minister Theresa May congratulated Macron warmly for winning the presidential election, there is certainly an acute concern behind the courtesy of cheerfulness, given that UK is facing two difficult years of Brexit negotiations.
Le Pen praised Britain’s decision to leave the European Union, promising a referendum for Frexit if she had become the president of France. On the other hand, Macron classified Brexit as a crime, committing to being tough in the relationship with England, a country that has become “servile” for the United States, according to his statements.
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“We need to preserve the rest of the European Union and not send the message that you can decide at any time that you want to leave without any other consequences,” Macron said.
Immediately after a meeting with Theresa May, in an almost defiant gesture, he called for an exodus of banks, advising them to leave UK and move their offices to Paris.
What will France under Emmanuel Macron look like
In addition, he told French reporters that he has prepared several initiatives to convince all those talented people working in the UK in research and many other areas to come to France.
He also threatened to renegotiate the Touquet agreement between France and Great Britain in the new light of Brexit, promising to move refugee camps from the Calais border town to Kent. In this way, the French authorities will no longer block the access of thousands of migrants to the UK via the English Channel.
On the other hand, some analysts are optimistic about the effect of Macron for Brexit, considering that he will not be a convenient partner for the EU, especially for Germany, as he warned during the campaign that there is a need for reform, demanding the same kind of changes that former British Prime Minister David Cameron wanted before the vote for Brexit.
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“We have to face this situation and accept that the voters are extremely dissatisfied, that they are no longer patient and that the EU is no longer sustainable. So my mandate will be dedicated at the same time to the profound reform of our European project,” said Macron, stressing that accepting the present situation and letting things continue as they are now would be a “betrayal”.
A hard Brexit
But most political analysts believe that Macron’s victory favors by far a tough Brexit that will pull the UK out of the single market, with the interests of EU members being protected.
“It is not a punishment, but to be in agreement with a decision already taken. You will not get a passport and access to the single market after you’ve thought fit to leave. We can not play a game in which the British maximize their interests without considering the EU,” Macron said.
Shortly after announcing his candidacy for the presidential election, he described Brexit as an impulse to kill the EU.
“I have a strict approach to Brexit. I respect the British vote, but the worst thing that could happen would be a weak European Union vis-a-vis Brexit. I don’t want a particular approach in which the British would have the best of the two worlds. It would be a too strong impulse for others who will want to leave, thus killing the European idea, which is based on shared responsibilities,” said Emmanuel Macron.
“Britons will lose the most”
Macron is already resigned with Britain’s choice, admitting that we must all accept the losses that will be, but he insists to remind European Union that the British are the ones who will lose the most.
“You can not enjoy rights in Europe as long as you are not a member, otherwise the European Union will collapse,” he pointed out.
He also named the ones who are “responsible” for the Brexit “crime”, a very serious mistake in the long run: “Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson drove the boat into battle and jumped overboard at the time of the crisis. Johnson likes to offer sensational speeches, but he has no strategic thinking. The turmoil that he created from the first day after the vote proves it.”
About Theresa May says she “has handled it” at first, but now she is heading for a submission to the United States, and what is going to happen is not the taking back control, as the Brits hope, but a pure “servitude” to the US.
French journalist Pierre Haski, co-founder of the Rue89 news site, says Macron will be a key force in the process of rejuvenating the European Union.
“I’m afraid this is not good news for the UK, because France will have a very pro-European president. After the elections in Germany, you will see an attempt to recreate the Franco-German alliance, the European Union’s locomotive. It will rejuvenate the union. As for the Brexit negotiations, the news is not good at all.”
The beginning of the double reform – in France and the EU
Macron will soon begin drafting his pro-reform agenda, both in France, where he plans to reduce the corporate tax burden, reform labor laws, and start an audit of public finances, as well as within the European Union.
Unlike its predecessors, everyone expects Emmanuel Macron to concentrate in parallel on both the local and international agenda -the one dedicated to the EU. Monday will meet Angela Merkel – his first official visit as President of France.
Praising Macron, Merkel says Germany’s hands tied on trade surplus
The talks between France, Germany and Italy on the re-launch of the euro zone have already begun one year ago when, for the first time, in the light of Brexit, the EU’s leaders spoke about a Europe functioning with more speeds.
Germany will probably agree to a stronger financial commitment within the EU and more money to the defense, but it is still unclear whether Berlin will admit Macron’s proposal to have a specific euro area budget to be managed by a minister dedicated to the euro zone.
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