French election 2017 Archives

Emmanuel Macron's start-up political party on Thursday (11 May) announced a list of 428 candidates for French parliamentary elections in June, a move likely to shake up French politics. In Brussels, the liberal ALDE group hopes En Marche! will join its ranks.

Hello and welcome to this week’s Friday fun with EU Tweets. Of course, dominating the news this week is Emmanuel Macron’s presidential victory in France.

If identity politics are here to stay, Emmanuel Macron’s win in the French presidential election is the proof that far from being toxic, the European brand can actually carry the day, write Tom Parker and Leanda Barrington-Leach.

Europe was the subject that most influenced Emmanuel Macron’s voters in France’s presidential election. Naturally, this places the EU at the top of the new president’s list of priorities. EURACTIV France reports.

Outgoing French President Francois Hollande made an emotional final foreign trip on Monday (9 May) to Berlin, ahead of the transfer of power to his successor Emmanuel Macron next week.

European Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Monday (8 May) called on France's incoming president Emmanuel Macron to cut public spending, saying its current policies involved too much money going to wrong things.

The National Front’s defeated presidential candidate has called for France’s patriots to come together ahead of legislative elections in June. The message went down well with her supporters last night (7 May), despite the tense atmosphere. EURACTIV’s partner La Tribune reports.

Emmanuel Macron’s win in the French presidential election was welcomed across Europe, with many leaders hailing a victory for the European Union. EURACTIV France reports.

Emmanuel Macron was elected French president on Sunday (7 May) with a business-friendly vision of European integration, defeating Marine Le Pen, a far-right nationalist who threatened to take France out of the European Union. The centrist's emphatic victory, which also smashed …

Terrorist threats by ISIS, fake news spreading from the United States and massive investments into extreme-right francophone media: the French presidential campaign unfolded under a lot of international pressure. EURACTIV France reports.

In the wake of Brexit and the growing dissatisfaction of European voters, populists are gaining ground across the continent. But experts don’t seem concerned, as they see the shake-up as a healthy sign of democracy.

Whoever is president of France is of the highest importance for the future of Europe. The choice for us is clear, write 13 former Europe ministers, in an exclusive op-ed for EURACTIV.com.

French centrist Emmanuel Macron and his far-right presidential rival Marine Le Pen clashed over terrorism, the economy and Europe Wednesday (3 May) in a bad-tempered TV debate that laid bare their profoundly different visions for the country.

Marc Levy, France’s most widely-read living author, implored his countrymen not to fall into the “racist, xenophobic and backward” trap of the National Front. A party which, in his words, think the same way as those who tortured his father, a former resistance fighter. EURACTIV Spain reports.

If Emmanuel Macron wins Sunday's French presidential run-off (7 May) Europe's pro-EU liberals will finally have their champion.

At a rally of some 12,000 people in Paris yesterday (1 May), the presidential frontrunner confirmed his anti-National Front stance, denounced the illiberal regimes in Hungary, Poland and Russia and promised a new approach to CETA. EURACTIV France reports.

European citizens feel more positively towards the European project than they did this time last year, according to the latest Eurobarometer survey. The change has been particularly marked in France. EURACTIV France reports.

Centrist presidential frontrunner Emmanuel Macron and his far-right rival Marine Le Pen attacked each other's visions of France and the role it should play in Europe on Monday (1 May) against a background of May Day rallies and protests.

Matteo Renzi easily regained the leadership of Italy's ruling Democratic Party (PD) on Sunday (30 April) with an overwhelming victory in a primary election among party supporters, less than five months after resigning as the country's prime minister.

At French President François Hollande's last press conference at a European summit today (29 April), EURACTIV.com asked the last question: The EU will obviously survive Brexit but could the bloc survive if France takes another course after the second round of the presidential election on 7 May?

If Emmanuel Macron wins the second round of the French election on 7 May, labour market reform, security and the migration crisis will become priority issues for the European Union.

French presidential candidate Marine Le Pen has embarrassed herself by attacking a project called WhyEurope, presuming it to be financed with EU money. In fact, WhyEurope is an initiative by a group of students, based on what they call “positive populism”, and has received no funding.

Emmanuel Macron has promised to respect the EU’s budget rules, while Marine Le Pen has hardly mentioned the issue in her campaign. But Brussels is preparing for tough talks on the French deficit once the new president is elected. EURACTIV France reports.

Both candidates in the second round of France’s presidential election need the support of the country’s extreme left voters. To win them over, the National Front is highlighting the similarities between their candidate and Jean-Luc Mélenchon. EURACTIV France reports.