.17 # 3 APRIL 2017 Is the French presidential election a referendum on EU membership ? Olivier Costa relationship with the EU leads to little clearly argued Executive Summary discussions or precise proposals, but it created a fundamental dividing line amongst the candidates, in > European issues are traditionally poorly a globally Eurosceptic context. addressed in French political debates. They The reasons behind the candidates’ lack of interest in are all the less present in 2017, due to the the EU campaign’s main focus on current legal cases and the ongoing political reconfigurations. The European issue is generally less prominent in the founding countries of the European Community than in > However, Europe is one of the fundamental the more recent member states: EU membership dividing lines of the campaign. The majority appears obvious to them, and public action seems to be of the 11 candidates have developed a highly irremediably Europeanized. In France, however, Eurosceptic discourse. Only Emmanuel European issues are not particularly present, and Macron (EM), François Fillon (LR) and Benoît especially not during campaigns for the presidential Hamon (PS) have adopted a moderate elections. The presidential function is directly linked to position on the matter. the idea of French sovereignty: the President is considered as the leader of a major actor in > This rejection of EU integration is above all a international relations, sitting on the UN Security reflection of the rise of populism. The Council and owning nuclear weapons. It is therefore arguments behind this rejection appear difficult for the candidates to admit that the country is weak. closely intertwined to a supranational structure whose > Abroad, the French election is worrying influence is felt in most areas of public action, and that observers because of its uncertain character, France may be required to respect EU institutions’ judged to be a form of referendum on decisions, even when French representatives were France's EU membership. opposed to them. This acknowledgement of powerlessness is usually confessed later by the > Nevertheless, the presidential election is President-elect, when it seems appropriate for him to only the first step in a longer electoral explain why 'Brussels' prevents the fulfilment of certain sequence: it will be followed by equally electoral promises. uncertain legislative elections. The two main French political families are also reluctant to take a stand on European issues. On the right, the European integration has never been a central theme conservatives [RPR, then UMP and today Les in French political debates, let alone during the Républicains (LR)] have always been divided between a presidential election campaigns. Paradoxically, while sovereigntist wing, attached to a Gaullian – and thus foreign policy - and therefore European policy - is intergovernmental – conception of European largely the President’s responsibility, the candidates construction, and a more liberal wing, accommodating are not very loquacious on the subject. However, this the Community method. This political cleavage has led year, European issues have emerged as the backdrop to deep divisions at certain moments in history, such as of the campaign, in a context of rising populism and the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty (1992) or the euro-scepticism on a continental scale. France's College of Europe | Dijver 11 | BE-8000 Bruges, Belgium | Tel. +32 (0)50 47 71 11 Website: www.coleurope.eu/cepob To contact the editors: [email protected] 2 Constitutional Treaty (2005). On the left, the French Jean-Luc Mélenchon (La France Insoumise), the Socialist Party (PS) has always been divided on the candidate of a more radical left. This situation explains European issue. In the European Parliament, since the the harsh criticisms between the three main left-wing early 1950s, the French PS members have regularly candidates throughout the campaign, and did not allow been among the most critical. François Mitterrand them to focus on their programmatic options. imposed a ‘pro-European’ line in 1983, but the Socialist Lastly, the April 2016 amendment to the presidential Party’s united front had already been cracked during election rules did not reduce the number of contenders, the referendum campaign on the ratification of the which is in line with previous elections. In addition to Maastricht Treaty and then shattered to pieces with the the five candidates already mentioned, there are referendum on the Constitutional Treaty. another six candidates from marginal groups : Nicolas Since then, the PS has been deeply divided between the Dupont-Aignan (Debout la France) proposes a partisans and opponents of European integration. The conservative and a sovereignist direction; Nathalie former, often referred to as ‘social-liberals’, are in Arthaud (Lutte Ouvrière) and Philippe Poutou (Nouveau favour of the EU’s institutions and policies. The latter, Parti Anticapitaliste) embody two nuances of the who have opposed François Hollande’s policy since his extreme left; Jacques Cheminade (Solidarité & Progrès) election, have a critical approach to the Union, which is is in the wake of American politician Lyndon Larouche, considered too liberal and too prone to limit public with an ‘altruistic protectionist’ program that is difficult spending. In both parties, the European issue thus to classify; Jean Lassalle (Resistons!) is a centrist provokes cleavages which can only be overcome by candidate, with an atypical profile; finally, François silencing it. The other parties do not have this difficulty. Asselineau (Union Populaire Républicaine) is a France thus presents a political spectrum where nationalist and radically anti-European. The rules virulent Euroscepticism reigns at the extremes, as well designed to ensure an equal access to the media for all as on the left and on the right, where the centre (Left candidates adds to the confusion, by placing on equal Radicals, Greens, Modem, UDI) is strongly Pro- footing representatives of political parties with European, and where the two main political parties (PS hundreds of parliamentarians, and those of small and LR) each ensure, through their internal divisions, a groups, sometimes having no real political presence. form of continuity between pro- and anti-European. Europe in the prism of populism An unclear electoral campaign Europe has, nevertheless, had its place in the Beyond the candidates’ limited interest in European presidential campaign, but in a rather peculiar way. It issues and the lack of appetite of French journalists for should first be noted that all the candidates, with the the subject, the 2017 presidential campaign left only a exception of Emmanuel Macron, had spoken out limited place for a substantive debate on the major against the ratification of the Constitutional Treaty. political themes. This campaign has indeed Moreover, for those who were already in politics, they distinguished itself by its great confusion. had also rejected the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty. Criticism towards the EU thus appeared as a kind The legal troubles of two main candidates have largely of constant in the campaign. During the televised mobilised the media. Indeed, François Fillon (LR) has debate which brought together the 11 candidates on 4 been the subject of various charges relating to the April 2017 (BFMTV and CNews), the EU was therefore fictitious employment of his relatives, and Marine Le subjected to an outpour of hostile statements. Pen (FN) has been sued for the misappropriation of staffing resources allocated her political group by the No less than five of the 11 candidates defend positions European Parliament. implying explicitly or implicitly a French exit from the EU in the name of restoring France’s sovereignty, and On the left, the situation was no less confused: the rejecting the EU vision of the economy or of society. primary elections which led to the designation of Benoît These five candidates are: François Asselineau, Marine Hamon (PS), has indeed aroused irreconcilable Le Pen, Philippe Poutou, Nicolas Dupont Aignan and divergences. Some of the PS militants and elected Jacques Cheminade. The other six are less radical, but officials chose to rally the candidacy of Emmanuel not necessarily less critical. Nathalie Arthaud Macron, the former Minister of Economic Affairs, who denounces, like Philippe Poutou, European integration runs as an independent candidate (En Marche!), with a as a system in the hands of the financial powers, but centrist position. Other members of the PS turned to contemplates the possibility of a reversal of logic, TheorisingIs the French the ENP presidential – Conference election Report a referendum on EU membership ? © Author© Olivier name Costa .15 CEPOBCEPOB # 1 # December3.17 - April 2015 2017 3 notably within the framework of an alliance between exaggerated exaltation of the nation. The EU is accused France and southern European countries. Jean-Luc of being the cause of immigration, of deindustrialization Mélenchon and Benoît Hamon share the hope that and social decline, the Trojan horse of globalization and European integration can be reoriented towards multiculturalism, the promoter of absurd austerity and recovery through growth and investment. Mélenchon the dismantling of the welfare state. has long condemned the excesses of liberal European The success of the Eurosceptic and populist movements integration and called to reject austerity policies and is not only a product