French President Emmanuel Macron spoke on Wednesday, warning that Europe needs to be ready for the United States to not “remain by our side” in the Ukraine-Russia war.
On Wednesday evening President Emmanuel Macron spoke to the nation in a sombre televised address about the current international situation involving Ukraine, the United States, Russia and European security. The French head of state said the country was facing the start of a “new era” in which “the threat from the East is returning”. In doing so he sought to prepare French public opinion for the adoption of radical budgetary choices in order to finance greater military capability. As Justine Brabant and Ilyes Ramdani report, in doing so the French president seems to have opted for cuts in other public services to pay for defence spending rather than funding it through increased government borrowing.
A criminal investigation into events at the Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram private school in south-west France is continuing. Meanwhile Mediapart can reveal that sixteen victims of sexual violence committed by religious figures at the Catholic institution have already been compensated over allegations that are now time-barred under the criminal law. There are also discussions taking place about whether and how this approach of acknowledging abuse and paying compensation can also be extended to victims of laypeople connected to the school. At the same time, prime minister François Bayrou continues to insist that he was never informed about abuse at the institution, which is in his political fiefdom. David Perrotin and Antton Rouget report.
French president Emmanuel Macron fears approach would breach principle of immunity of sovereign assets and undermine efforts to strengthen European defence.
The extraordinarily frank criticism from prime minister François Bayrou diverged from the more nuanced tone adopted by French president Emmanuel Macron since the clash at the White House.
The authorities have announced their intention to appeal after an administrative court ordered the suspension of work on the highly-controversial Toulouse-Castres A69 motorway in south-west France. The court – the first in France to strike down plans for a motorway on environmental grounds - annulled the original permission that had allowed work to start on the planned 33-mile route. Yet though the government has reiterated its determination to forge ahead with this major infrastructure project, none of the economic and social reasons it gives to justify this approach reflect the reality on the ground, argues Jade Lindgaard in this op-ed article.
European soldiers would only be deployed on the ground in the second phase of a potential peace deal, the French president has told Le Figaro newspaper.
French president’s urging comes ahead of Thursday’s special EU summit focused on defence, as Trump signals a friendlier approach to Moscow and disengagement from Europe.
Macron told Portuguese TV that if Europe wanted to move towards "greater autonomy" in defence and nuclear deterrence, then its leaders should start a discussion about it.
In the late 1990s, an initial criminal investigation into sexual assaults at Notre-Dame-de-Bétharram near Pau in south-west France collapsed following the release from custody of the school's former director. The gendarme in charge of the probe at the time says he was told that François Bayrou – now France's prime minister – intervened with the chief prosecutor over the case involving the prestigious private Catholic establishment, which is located in his political fiefdom and which his own children attended. Bayrou himself has denied any such intervention took place. A lawyer representing victims in the abuse scandal has now called for an inquiry into events. And in an interview with Mediapart the retired gendarme, Alain Hontangs, says he would welcome such a move. David Perrotin and Antton Rouget report.
The European Court of Human Rights has ruled against France over the 2014 death of activist Rémi Fraisse, highlighting concerns over police tactics and the use of force during protests.
François Bayrou’s threat comes after a deadly weekend knife attack in the city of Mulhouse by an Algerian national whom France had unsuccessfully tried to repatriate and against a backdrop of simmering tensions between the two countries.
