Macron admits rifts are deepening in Europe
French president also pointed out that the fact that the ruling party had lost a majority in National Assembly would not be something new for the country
More and more disagreements can be noticed in the European Union, including among member states, so compromises should be found and the democratic model should not be abandoned, French President Emmanuel Macron said at a news conference on Friday after the EU summit in Brussels.
“The leaders of the countries can see that rifts are deepening, sometimes strongly, as was noticeable in our country. But compromises must be made to convince everyone and to keep a constructive majority,” Macron said.
The French president pointed out that the fact that the ruling party had lost a majority in National Assembly (the lower house of France’s parliament) would not be something new for the country.
When asked about the problem of strong leadership in the EU, Macron said that of the 27 EU member states, about twenty have a coalition government, and that is a normal situation.
“I believe that there is leadership in Europe, but all of us have to be vigilant and should not contrast leadership with the limitations imposed by democracy. Otherwise, it might be possible to cite to the countries with stronger leadership, but they are not as democratic as we are,” the president said.
“I will not be contrasting the political troubles within our countries amid the challenges our continent faces with the effectiveness of leadership in Europe. I think they enhance each other,” he added.
