China News Service, Beijing, April 25 (Zhang Aolin) On April 24, local time, the current French President Emmanuel Macron defeated the far-right party "National League" candidate Marine Le Pen in the second round of elections and was successfully re-elected.

FILE PHOTO: French President Emmanuel Macron.

　　In the past five years in office, Macron has experienced the "yellow vest" movement triggered by fuel tax reform and other things - the 23% approval rate is the lowest in the history of French presidents.

However, with the easing of the epidemic situation, the economic recovery, and the active mediation of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Macron's approval rate has rebounded significantly.

Before finishing his first term, he considered himself "good job."

When his second term comes, what will happen to France under his leadership?

Economic reforms are beginning to bear fruit

Self-Assessment: Well done

　　On March 3, local time, Macron wrote a letter to the French people, briefly reviewing his achievements in the past five years. According to his own words, the economy is the biggest bright spot in the ruling transcript.

　　For the French economy, which has been stagnant for a long time, Macron has high hopes for reform from the beginning, and has also carried out a number of economic reforms since he came to power.

Especially in the field of taxation, since 2017, the Macron government has reduced the corporate tax rate from 33% to 25%, almost reversing the previous image of France's "high corporate tax".

　　On the labor side, he slashed labor costs by cutting employer contributions; he amended labor laws to help businesses by facilitating layoffs.

Data map: The streets of Paris, France.

　　French GDP will grow by 7% in 2021, according to preliminary estimates by the French National Statistics Office.

Meanwhile, France’s unemployment rate fell to 7.4% in the fourth quarter of 2021, even below the pre-pandemic level at the end of 2019 and a 15-year low.

　　However, France 24 News Network pointed out that although Macron's series of reforms have achieved initial results, the "old and difficult" problems of French society, including extreme poverty, the gap between the rich and the poor, and the employment environment, have not been fundamentally resolved.

In particular, the price increase brought about by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine will still be the biggest test question faced by the new government.

Shuttle diplomacy to mediate between Russia and Ukraine

EU integration has a long way to go

　　In terms of diplomacy, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has become Macron's top priority recently.

　　Since February, Macron has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin many times in order to mediate the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The scene of the two talking across a 4-meter long conference table is impressive.

　　Within NATO, EU countries such as Germany and France have different interests and demands from the United States. Whether it is geopolitical or economic and energy cooperation, European countries are most affected by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

To this end, the Macron government has always kept a distance from the United States on the situation in Ukraine.

　　On April 14, U.S. President Biden accused Russia of carrying out "genocide" in Ukraine, but Macron did not keep pace with Biden. Instead, he questioned that Biden's remarks might lead to the intensification of the conflict, and said that they should "keep their measure."

　　Not only that, Macron was asked a few days ago if he would like to visit Ukraine, saying that the "fashion" of "day trips to Kyiv" has recently become popular among European leaders, but he does not want to follow suit.

He also stressed that the visit will have practical effect only if the dialogue between the leaders of Russia and Ukraine can be resumed.

On February 28, local time, French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President von der Leyen held talks on the situation in Ukraine at the Elysee Palace in Paris.

Photo by China News Agency reporter Li Yang

　　A series of mediation activities have brought Macron's approval rating back sharply, once exceeding 30%.

　　European integration was also a major priority of Macron's diplomacy, even throughout his first term.

　　At the beginning of taking office, in the face of the uncertainty brought about by Brexit to the EU, Macron, a "fanatical pro-European", directly changed the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs to "French European and Foreign Ministry".

He made no secret of his desire for European integration: a unified budget, shared fiscal rules, and a common defense system.

In 2019, Macron bluntly stated in an interview with The Economist that "NATO is brain dead".

　　However, for the United States, which is keen on the "offshore balancing" policy, an increasingly unified Europe must not emerge. Only by firmly tying Europe to the NATO chariot is the best option.

On September 15, 2021, US President Biden held a joint video press conference with British Prime Minister Johnson and Australian Prime Minister Morrison, announcing the establishment of a trilateral security partnership between the United States, Britain and Australia called "AUKUS".

　　In September 2021, the United States gathered the United Kingdom and Australia to suddenly set up the "Trilateral Security Partnership" (AUKUS), and by "cutting off" France's tens of billions of dollars in arms sales to Australia, it severely "beaten" Macron.

　　Although Macron reiterated that "Europe should have full sovereignty, be free to make choices and control its own destiny" on the eve of France's assumption of the EU's rotating presidency, with the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, Macron said recently, "Russia's commitment to NATO A wake-up shock was applied, which means NATO is no longer brain dead".

　　This is reminiscent of the "brain death theory" two years ago.

In this regard, the French Les Echos pointed out the dilemma that Macron was caught in: the Ukraine crisis showed that Europe is unable to defend itself alone, and still needs the American umbrella, and European strategic autonomy is even more distant.

　　The France 24 news network also mentioned the uncertainty of this issue: in the second term, whether Macron can use the situation in Ukraine to promote the establishment of European common defense capabilities, or has to turn to support NATO led by the United States, remains to be seen.