French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday is to set out his ambitious plan to "rebuild" Europe, despite the prospect of a less receptive government after Sunday's elections.
Elected in May, Mr Macron is to deliver a "speech on Europe" at 1300 GMT in the grand amphitheatre of the prestigious University of the Sorbonne in Paris.
In a speech to the French and foreign students, who will be able to ask him questions, the centrist president will propose a series of "key projects" at European level as well as a method to develop, by the summer of 2018, a plan for the European Union's pathway for the next 10 years, explained the presidential palace of the Elysee.
The head of state hopes to revive the European machine, which has lacked in his view a long-term vision for years, weakened by an opening to all winds of globalization and stuck in bureaucracy, over-regulation and the need for decision- unanimity, restrained in particular by Great Britain.
It will detail a working methodology to move forward on five key areas: digital, climate, security and defence, migration and economic and trade issues, without seeking unanimity or the "lowest common denominator".
On the contrary, Paris wants the most willing countries on each issue to go much further in integration, explains the Elysée, in order to overcome the burden of the decisions unanimously taken by the 27.
The "pioneers" can then be joined by others, as was the case for the Schengen agreements. And "countries that do not wish to proceed will not be able to stop others from moving forward."
While he sketched out during the summer several of his initiatives, Macron has waited until the end of the German elections to open this "new page" of the EU.
But the Chancellor's too weak a victory could be a brake on the Europe which he is ambitious to achieve. Angela Merkel could be in a coalition alliance with the Liberals of the FPD, unwilling to strengthen Europe.
Liberal leader Christian Lindner has already warned that he would strongly oppose President Macron's proposed budget for the eurozone, which hopes to help finance infrastructure investments.
No question for Mr. Lindner of seeing the money "land in France for public spending or in Italy to repair the mistakes of (Silvio) Berlusconi" while Emmanuel Macron pleads for a European Finance Minister and a specific budget for the 19 countries of the euro area.
For all that, Paris does not want to modify its proposals and hopes to carry them out regardless of the crucial accession of Germany.
Emblematic measures
"This is the right time to propose our vision, because if we wait too long, the coalition negotiations in Germany will be strongly advanced and they may object to us that Paris did not make known its proposals in advance, ' the Elysée explains, while President Macron has increased consultations with his partners in recent days.
At the Sorbonne, the President will unveil "emblematic" and "concrete measures". "Proposals that will launch the debate" at European level, ideally "before the end of the year", his office clarifies.
These include the creation of a European Innovation Agency, an expanded Erasmus, a framework for the taxation of digital giants, the giants of the web (known in France as Gafa(, which will be on the agenda on Friday of a European digital summit in Tallinn, Estonia, or cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
The President will also address the topics of fiscal and social convergence, education policy and culture, as well as economic instruments to deal with currency crises, in addition to the creation of an economic euro zone, with a European Finance Minister and a clean budget, controlled by a euro-zone parliament.
In recent weeks, Mrs Merkel has been cautiously welcoming the ideas raised by Mr Macron.
"It is not the vocabulary alone - the European Minister of Finance, the budget of the Eurozone - which is important but also what lies behind it. And on this point, I am in discussions with the French President," she said.
Source
Elected in May, Mr Macron is to deliver a "speech on Europe" at 1300 GMT in the grand amphitheatre of the prestigious University of the Sorbonne in Paris.
In a speech to the French and foreign students, who will be able to ask him questions, the centrist president will propose a series of "key projects" at European level as well as a method to develop, by the summer of 2018, a plan for the European Union's pathway for the next 10 years, explained the presidential palace of the Elysee.
The head of state hopes to revive the European machine, which has lacked in his view a long-term vision for years, weakened by an opening to all winds of globalization and stuck in bureaucracy, over-regulation and the need for decision- unanimity, restrained in particular by Great Britain.
It will detail a working methodology to move forward on five key areas: digital, climate, security and defence, migration and economic and trade issues, without seeking unanimity or the "lowest common denominator".
On the contrary, Paris wants the most willing countries on each issue to go much further in integration, explains the Elysée, in order to overcome the burden of the decisions unanimously taken by the 27.
The "pioneers" can then be joined by others, as was the case for the Schengen agreements. And "countries that do not wish to proceed will not be able to stop others from moving forward."
While he sketched out during the summer several of his initiatives, Macron has waited until the end of the German elections to open this "new page" of the EU.
But the Chancellor's too weak a victory could be a brake on the Europe which he is ambitious to achieve. Angela Merkel could be in a coalition alliance with the Liberals of the FPD, unwilling to strengthen Europe.
Liberal leader Christian Lindner has already warned that he would strongly oppose President Macron's proposed budget for the eurozone, which hopes to help finance infrastructure investments.
No question for Mr. Lindner of seeing the money "land in France for public spending or in Italy to repair the mistakes of (Silvio) Berlusconi" while Emmanuel Macron pleads for a European Finance Minister and a specific budget for the 19 countries of the euro area.
For all that, Paris does not want to modify its proposals and hopes to carry them out regardless of the crucial accession of Germany.
Emblematic measures
"This is the right time to propose our vision, because if we wait too long, the coalition negotiations in Germany will be strongly advanced and they may object to us that Paris did not make known its proposals in advance, ' the Elysée explains, while President Macron has increased consultations with his partners in recent days.
At the Sorbonne, the President will unveil "emblematic" and "concrete measures". "Proposals that will launch the debate" at European level, ideally "before the end of the year", his office clarifies.
These include the creation of a European Innovation Agency, an expanded Erasmus, a framework for the taxation of digital giants, the giants of the web (known in France as Gafa(, which will be on the agenda on Friday of a European digital summit in Tallinn, Estonia, or cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
The President will also address the topics of fiscal and social convergence, education policy and culture, as well as economic instruments to deal with currency crises, in addition to the creation of an economic euro zone, with a European Finance Minister and a clean budget, controlled by a euro-zone parliament.
In recent weeks, Mrs Merkel has been cautiously welcoming the ideas raised by Mr Macron.
"It is not the vocabulary alone - the European Minister of Finance, the budget of the Eurozone - which is important but also what lies behind it. And on this point, I am in discussions with the French President," she said.
Source
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