From POLITICO · · 1m 10s
Mélenchon plans EU clash over radical reforms
French leftist presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon says he will defy Brussels rules to implement his platform if elected in 2027.
In brief
French leftist presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon says he will defy Brussels rules to implement his platform if elected in 2027. Mélenchon pledges to overhaul EU rules and disobey Brussels if necessary to fund social and ecological spending, setting up confrontation with European institutions. Originally…
Mélenchon pitches radical EU overhaul
The far-left leader, surging in polls ahead of the 2027 election, unveiled a presidential platform Friday proposing to redraft EU treaties and ditch core parts of the EU's rulebook.
His platform would defy Brussels
Mélenchon's France Unbowed manifesto says he will ditch debt and deficit limits, suspend competition rules for public services, and loosen state aid laws. He pledges to disobey EU rules blocking implementation.
“We will immediately implement our program at the national level. This will therefore require a confrontation with European institutions.”
His strategy: negotiate, disobey, then referendum
The manifesto outlines a sequence: negotiate with partners while disobeying blocking rules in parallel. If agreement is reached on treaty changes, it will be put to a referendum.
“As long as a deal on changing the treaties is not done, we negotiate with our partners and disobey [...] blocking rules in parallel.”
France's fiscal crisis fuels the push
France faces public debt at one hundred seventeen point five percent of GDP and a deficit above five percent. Mélenchon wants the European Central Bank placed under democratic control to fund ecological and social transition.
The bottom line
Mélenchon pledges to overhaul EU rules and disobey Brussels if necessary to fund social and ecological spending, setting up confrontation with European institutions.
