what to recollect from the primary debate with the seven important candidates | EUROtoday

The European marketing campaign noticed additional acceleration on Sunday May 5, with the primary debate bringing collectively the seven important leaders. Jordan Bardella (National Rally, RN), Valérie Hayer (Renaissance), Raphaël Glucksmann (Socialist Party-Public Square), Manon Aubry (La France insoumise), Marie Toussaint (Les Ecologistes), François-Xavier Bellamy (Les Républicains) and Marion Maréchal (Reconquête!) debated for greater than two hours, throughout this system Le Grand Jury, co-organized by RTL, Le Figaro, M6 and Paris Première, in partnership with La Chaîne Parlementaire (LCP).

This is the primary debate of this sort during which Jordan Bardella is taking part, after letting MEP Thierry Mariani and the previous boss of Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, characterize the RN, on April 10 and March 14.

War in Ukraine and European protection

Regarding sending troops to Ukraine, “we obviously have to support Ukraine”estimated François-Xavier Bellamy, however “with weapons and ammunition”. “What is a President of the Republic who spends his time expounding on strategic ambiguity? », he said. Valérie Hayer, Renaissance candidate, spoke of the risk of open conflict with Russia and wishes “strengthen European defense”defending the place of the pinnacle of state. “Tomorrow, if Russia wins in Ukraine, if Poland is attacked, we will also be attacked. We must not play into the hands of Russia,” mentioned M.^me Hayer, who denounces the positionss “ambiguous » of the RN with regard to Moscow. In front of her, Jordan Bardella, explained that he wanted “support Ukraine and avoid escalation with Russia. »

From the start of the debate, most of the candidates targeted the head of the National Rally list. Marie Toussaint notably estimated that the RN candidate is “a foreign agent”. The latter additionally criticized the positioning of Jordan Bardella within the European Parliament, who didn’t “never voted in favor of freeing ourselves from Russian gas”. The presidential camp candidate judged ” ashamed “ THE ” support “ of the RN to Russia, recalling that Mr. Bardella had not “never supported the convictions [du Parlement européen] against the imprisonment of the Russian opponent » Alexei Navalny, who has since died in prison. For her part, Manon Aubry attacked Jordan Bardella about his record as an MEP. “You are no longer the party with the national flame, but the party with the national laziness”she mentioned.

The battle between Israel and Hamas was additionally on the heart of the debates. The LR candidate denounced the conduct of La France insoumise: “I am dismayed to see that LFI capitalizes on the apology of terrorism”. “Isn’t a civilian death in the Gaza Strip worth a civilian death in Ukraine? »asked for the head of the LFI list.

Ecological transition, agriculture and environment

Questioned on the question of ecological transition, several candidates criticized the planned ban on the sale of new thermal cars from 2035. Thus Jordan Bardella (“a blow to the purchasing power of our fellow citizens”) or Marion Maréchal-Le Pen, who sees it as a danger for the car business and a measure which “once again favors Chinese imports”. Valérie Hayer careworn that it was not a query “no telling the French tomorrow you will no longer be able to use your thermal car” however that “you can continue to use second-hand thermal cars”whereas Raphaël Glucksmann accepted the event “European electric car sectors”.

Marie Toussaint highlighted the necessity for “lower VAT with a green and circular VAT on products that are good for health, good for the planet and good for employment”whereas Raphaël Glucksmann advocated a “Buy European Act [à l’image du “Buy American Act” aux Etats-Unis]which reserves public orders for European manufacturing, which additionally requires huge funding in inexperienced industries.. For François-Xavier Bellamy, the problem is “how do we prevent the French from living, working, producing, but on the contrary how do we get other countries in the world out of decarbonization” (sic).

The debate shortly turned to the agricultural disaster. While Jordan Bardella and Marion Maréchal-Le Pen highlighted the surplus of “ever more difficult standards and constraints for our farmers”Valérie Hayer emphasised that they had been the “first victims of climate change”. She careworn that the newest renegotiation of the widespread agricultural coverage (CAP) had a triple goal of“support in the environmental transition, better income for farmers and commitment to food sovereignty”. François-Xavier Bellamy and Jordan Bardella denounced the “Farm to the Fork strategy” (“from the farm to the fork”, adopted in October 2021) aiming, in accordance with them, at a “agricultural decline”when Manon Aubry referred to as for a “transformation of the agricultural model” and to the ” END [des] free trade agreements ».

Immigration challenge in Europe

For Manon Aubry, who defends a welcome ” worthy “ migrants, European migration policy is “inhumane and ineffective because it has transformed our Mediterranean Sea into an open-air cemetery”. The LFI candidate also considered that Frontex is a “an agency of death at the borders of the European Union”referring to Fabrice Leggeri, number three on the RN list, and targeted by a complaint for complicity in crimes against humanity.

For their part, Jordan Bardella and Marion Maréchal-Le Pen wish “repress” And “return” the boats. “Our country has become a social window for immigration from all over the world”lamented the RN candidate. “Your platform slogans on zero immigration are a TikTok video. This does not correspond to reality”launched Raphaël Glucksmann after Jordan Bardella's comments. “We must put an end to hypocrisy,” he declared, “because it creates chaos and indignity for human beings”he added.

While the right-wing candidates considered that there is “too much immigration in France”Marion Toussaint said “that we need immigration”. Manon Aubry then questioned the RN candidate on the reception of Ukrainian refugees in France. “I was in favor of it”he replied, but not the “Afghan refugees”evoking the murder of Matisse, 15, killed by a teenager of the same age of Afghan origin.

When asked about the concept of “remigration”recently set up by the United Kingdom, Marion Maréchal-Le Pen and Jordan Bardella both said they were in favor of “return the illegal immigrants”. “Today, there are a certain number of people who are on French territory and who have nothing to do there”she insisted.

Economic war against China

A few hours before the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping in France, Raphaël Glucksmann deplored the reproduction “the same errors” in “establishing a relationship of friendship with “the one who is the main sponsor of Vladimir Putin’s war” and who practices “Slavery of the Uighurs”. The candidate of the Socialist Party and Place publique called for “end of naivety” while speaking “the language of firmness” in front of the ” unfair competitors “ from Beijing. François-Xavier Bellamy agreed with this by denouncing the “strategy of destruction of the European economy” by China.

Valérie Hayer (Renaissance) replied that“we also need China on a certain number of subjects such as the fight against climate change” and recalled the implementation of measures such as “the obligation of reciprocity on access to public markets”. The ecologist Marie Toussaint called for going further with a “Buy Green and European Act”a European preference for public procurement, and an extension of the carbon tax to the continent's borders.