France pressures EU to pass key bills within the year in preparation for far-right takeover

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Oh Soo-jin = The British Financial Times (FT) reported on the 12th (local time) that the French government is pressuring the European Union (EU) to pass key bills such as budget plans and climate response measures within the year in preparation for the possibility that a far-right party will take power ahead of next year's presidential election.

Diplomats from various EU countries reported that the French side is emphasizing an agreement within the year, warning that the implementation of EU policies could be disrupted if Marine Le Pen, a member of the far-right National Rally (RN), wins the presidential election next year.

An EU diplomat said, "France says it will stop negotiations if a good agreement is not reached by the end of the year."

France is prioritizing the rapid processing of the next seven-year long-term budget (2028-2034), which can determine the direction of EU policy.

In addition, it is said that they are urging rapid processing of the gradual cessation of sales of new internal combustion engine vehicles and the reform of the carbon emissions trading system. These two bills are policies that cannot guarantee the survival of Rep. Le Pen if she takes power.

Representative Le Pen, who is running for his fourth presidential election, is currently leading the opinion polls.

If Le Pen becomes president, it is clear that the EU-friendly policy stance pursued by French President Emmanuel Macron over the past 10 years will be overturned.

Le Pen is not calling for withdrawal from the EU as she did in the past to revamp her image, but she is professing that the EU's authority should be returned to member states and that she will reduce the EU's influence on immigration issues and foreign policy.

Another diplomat said, "Le Pen's presence means that if an EU budget agreement is not reached by the end of this year, it may be difficult to reach an agreement even by the end of next year. In that case, we may have to go without a budget."

There is another reason why France is calling for key bills to be passed within the year.

This is because it can be advantageous for the current government to not appear slow or incompetent in implementing EU policies ahead of the country's presidential election.

Sensing a move to hasten the processing of EU legislation, RN has already publicly sent a message of control.

Jordan Bardella, the RN leader and Le Pen's right-hand man, warned the EU in June not to try to finalize the budget before the French government changes.

He emphasized, “We will bring back the French people’s money.”