France: a schizophrenic state?

The APROFED association is getting back to you at the end of this week to share with you an article published this February entitled – EU: Macron approves an immediate federal leap with 5 other countries (cf. EU: Macron approves an immediate federal leap with 5 other countries, by Elise Rochefort ).

We learn that during an informal seminar held at Alden-Biesen Castle, the door to a two-speed Europe was officially opened, in response to the slow pace of decisions that had to be made by the 27. The idea was to create a core group capable of making decisions without waiting for unanimity from the 27, particularly in matters of defense and foreign policy, two sovereign powers.

Germany was the driving force behind the approach taken by Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands and France.

President Macron has even set a deadline for this project, June 2026, after which, if no action is taken, the willing states will proceed independently. It remains to be seen whether France will be part of it or whether, once again, it will back down, claiming it lacks a parliamentary majority, and thus integrate the project in order to infiltrate it and cause it to fail, as France did in the 1950s under General de Gaulle (see ” When France is an obstacle to the federal transformation of the EU” – APROFED ).

Hoping that other countries will move forward in this case without it as we have already suggested (cf. The sui generis status of the EU, a status desired by France which must evolve – APROFED ).

However, if France is moving towards European federalism , let’s be clear, for its own benefit, in order to position its defense industry and try to mutualize its debt which has become uncontrollable, the association observes that it still refuses this concept, despite it being requested by its population and its regions (cf. 71% of French people in favor of France becoming federal – APROFED ).

The example of New Caledonia is a perfect illustration of this. Already functioning partially in a federal manner, thanks to the Matignon-Oudinot and Nouméa agreements, the central State still does not seem ready to finalize this process except, once again, on its own conditions and for its own interests.

If indeed the Bougival and Elysée-Oudinot draft agreements aim to elevate New Caledonia to the status of a State, endowed with its own fundamental law (Constitution), sharing with it a sovereign competence, namely diplomacy, it appears that all these advances are made according to the exclusive conditions of the State and under its total control, with a marginal sharing of sovereign powers, a Constitution emptied of its substance by a special organic law and potentially risking not seeing the light of day, and finally a State of New Caledonia confined to a sui generis status which may prove to be an empty shell after its passage through the Constitutional Council.

Thus, for both New Caledonia and the European Union, France pretends to apply the concept of federalism while in reality restricting it as much as possible so that it doesn’t actually apply. Paris wants to remain the sole master of decisions and timing. Let’s hope that the other states mentioned above, which for centuries comprised the Holy Roman Empire and operated under a federal model, will not once again allow their future to be dictated by this schizophrenic French state, anxious about its future (and especially the loss of its past prestige), distrustful of others, and therefore always wanting to control everything.

Wishing you a pleasant read and reminding you that federalism is the only solution to reconcile unity in diversity.

L’association APROFED