Brussels, 08/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - With nearly two weeks to go until the European elections of 25 May, French President François Hollande warned the French, on Thursday 8 May, against populism and the temptation to “leave Europe” which would, he argues, equate to “leaving history”. He called, instead, for a “pro-active Europe”.
In an open letter published by the French daily newspaper Le Monde on the anniversary of the victory of the Allies over Nazi Germany, the French head of state reiterated the solemn warning of François Mitterrand, in his last speech to the European Parliament: “Nationalism means war!” “We can still see this threat today, on the borders of Ukraine and Russia. So let us repeat what is fundamentally clear: Europe means peace!”, Hollande wrote (our translation throughout).
However, he believes that it is threatened by “forces trying to break it up by speculating on disappointment, by focusing on discouragement, by digging up fears”. Opinion polls suggest that, in France, the Front National could be the largest party on the evening of 25 May. He spoke of foreigners being used as scapegoats, religious discord or pitting “national identity against European commitment”.
“Leaving Europe means leaving history”, he added. It believes that coming out of the euro would be a “trap, a trap of national decline”.
However, he acknowledged that the European Union “disappoints” the citizens with its “powerlessness” to tackle unemployment, and its “complex rules and institutions”. But we must, he argues, “choose between an overcautious Europe and a pro-active Europe”. The President of the Republic compares this vision of Europe to that of a “watered-down” Europe which, he says, is based on a “minimal, commercial, apolitical vision of Europe, which sees itself as only a market, only a monetary area without governance”. He argues for a Europe which “acts where you expect it to, which clarifies its modes of decision-making, lightens its procedures, moves forward more quickly with the countries which choose to, focuses on the challenges ahead”. “This is the Europe which, from the eurozone, breathes new life into the economy, ends blind austerity, creates a framework for finance with banking supervision, makes its huge market an asset in globalisation and defends its currency against irrational movements”, he added. He went on to conclude that “France wants more than the progress of Europe; it wants the Europe of progress”. (LC)