Post by Daniel on Nov 22, 2017 10:19:06 GMT -5
Emmanuel Macron has emerged as de facto head of the EU – and that's bad news for Brexit Britain
Andreas Whittam Smith
21 November 2017
...What, then, do we know of Macron’s attitude to the European Union? I don’t think he has said that he wants to see a United States of Europe, but his recommendations would fit into that blueprint.
He wants a common European defence policy with close coordination between Britain, France and Germany. He believes that there should be a common border protection force to check illegal immigration, with a system for dividing up refugees between member states once they arrived.
He would like to see further harmonisation of social protection and business regulations. And most shocking of all to British thinking, Macron wants the eurozone itself (of which Britain is not a member) to have its own budget and borrowing capacity and to be able to transfer funds from rich members to weaker states.
In short, any British rejoicing that Merkel’s weakness and the consequent ascendancy of Macron might prove favourable to Britain is misplaced. My guess is that Macron would like to see us out, make a clean break and leave the EU as quickly as possible. We’re just a nuisance. So no Entente Cordiale, no “Vive la France”. Come back, Angela.
read full article
www.independent.co.uk/voices/emmanuel-macron-eu-leader-brexit-angela-merkel-germany-uk-theresa-may-france-president-a8067806.html
Andreas Whittam Smith
21 November 2017
...What, then, do we know of Macron’s attitude to the European Union? I don’t think he has said that he wants to see a United States of Europe, but his recommendations would fit into that blueprint.
He wants a common European defence policy with close coordination between Britain, France and Germany. He believes that there should be a common border protection force to check illegal immigration, with a system for dividing up refugees between member states once they arrived.
He would like to see further harmonisation of social protection and business regulations. And most shocking of all to British thinking, Macron wants the eurozone itself (of which Britain is not a member) to have its own budget and borrowing capacity and to be able to transfer funds from rich members to weaker states.
In short, any British rejoicing that Merkel’s weakness and the consequent ascendancy of Macron might prove favourable to Britain is misplaced. My guess is that Macron would like to see us out, make a clean break and leave the EU as quickly as possible. We’re just a nuisance. So no Entente Cordiale, no “Vive la France”. Come back, Angela.
read full article
www.independent.co.uk/voices/emmanuel-macron-eu-leader-brexit-angela-merkel-germany-uk-theresa-may-france-president-a8067806.html
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