With France assuming EU presidency, Macron says UK ‘does not do what it says’
In press conference, French leader takes Boris Johnson to task amid quarrels tied to Brexit and submarine deal
French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday accused British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s government of failing to keep its word on Brexit, during a press conference on France assuming the role of the presidency of the European Union.
“The problem with the British government is that it does not do what it says,” Macron told the news conference, adding however that there “had been progress” in the last weeks and that France wanted full cooperation with London.
“I love Great Britain, I love its people. I have an overwhelming desire to have a government that wants to works with us in good faith,” he added.
However, tensions have been brewing between France and Britain, as Macron recalled recent quarrels over such as immigration, maritime disputes and the military.
Referring to Britain’s role in secretly negotiating the sale of US-designed submarines to Australia in September, he said this was “not the most obvious sign of friendship, to use understatement.”
Macron was left furious with the United States, Britain and Australia in September after they signed a new security deal called AUKUS that led Australia to abandon its purchase of French submarines.
France’s upcoming presidency of the European Union, a tenure that overlaps with the country’s presidential election, could put Macron in a tricky position if he campaigns for reelection.
France’s presidency of the EU could provide a platform for Macron’s campaign but also complicate it if the race is focused primarily on domestic issues such as the French economy, security and immigration.
Macron would be able to use the presidency to influence the EU-wide decisions, yet the bloc’s complex and consensual decision-making process might play against him and produce few concrete actions before April’s election.
Nevertheless, Macron promoted a vision for the EU’s “strategic autonomy” that would allow the 27-nation bloc to better weather competition from China and put it on a more equal footing with the United States.
Europe faces major challenges, he said, from climate change to migration issues involving “manipulation from some states” and “attempts at destabilization, tensions including in our closer neighborhood.” The European Union in recent months against Belarus of encouraging asylum-seekers to cross from the country into neighboring EU members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia.
Notably, he is pushing for “a stronger and more capable European defense” that contributes to transatlantic and global security and is complementary to NATO.
Macron said France’s EU presidency would work to promote “a European model of growth” that would allow the 27-nation bloc to generate wealth and jobs while at the same time preserving high social and climate-related standards.
“We want to get… a powerful Europe in the world, fully sovereign, free to make its choices and master of its own destiny,” he said.
France’s motto for the EU presidency is “Recovery, power, belonging” — the last word meant to convey the idea of enhancing Europeans’ sense of shared belonging to the bloc.
“Many would like to rely only on one nation. Nations are our strength, our pride, but European unity is their indispensable complement,” the proudly pro-EU president said.
Macron is expected to run for the French presidency in April’s two-round election, and France’s turn in the European Council’s rotating six-month presidency starts January 1.
Macron, who was elected in 2017, has yet to formally declare whether he will seek a second term. Earlier this week, on a visit to central France, the 43-year-old centrist president declined to present himself as a candidate.
“Good try,” he told reporters when asked about recent election polls. “I’m first going to try to do the task which I have been given, and we still have a lot of work to do to fight the epidemic.”
Polls on voting intentions have suggested for months that Macron is the frontrunner in the race, however, recent polls have seen a sudden surge for the challenger from the right-wing The Republicans party, Valerie Pecresse, after she was formally named their candidate.
