"I believe that Emmanuel Macron's speech disappointed many Europeans because they actually felt that the French presidency of the European Union had been hijacked in favor of a presidential campaign", lamented on France Inter the president of the Ile-de-France region.
The debate that followed the Head of State's speech in the hemicycle to mark the start of the French presidency of the Council of the European Union quickly turned into a contest with the French MEPs present.
According to Ms. Pécresse, "in substance, the speech was not up to the challenges", for example on the carbon tax, the energy policy of the European Union or the "major subject" of the European migration pact.
"All of this is a question of principle with big words and concepts that we've heard ten times already, he offered us a whole series of conferences, nothing concrete and the problem is that today the 'Europe expects action and not yet a verbose presidency,' she denounced.
The candidate illustrated her point with European defense and the "thunderous declaration on NATO in a state of brain death" by the President of the Republic.
"Emmanuel Macron is doing the same thing in Europe as he is doing in France, thunderous statements that tense up, divide and ultimately block the progress of European defense," she accused.
Defending on Europe a "third way between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen", Ms. Pécresse took up the criticism of the German Manfred Weber, president of the European People's Party, denouncing a "totally artificial divide between populists and progressives" that Macron "tries to keep at arm's length because he is obsessed with being in front of Marine Le Pen in the French presidential election".
© 2022 AFP