Less than two weeks before the European Parliament elections in which far-right parties hope to gain ground, the French president declared: “This bad wind is blowing across Europe, it is a reality.” “So, let’s wake up!”
French President Emmanuel Macron told a crowd in Dresden on Monday that voters and leaders must “wake up” to fight the rise of far-right parties on the European continent.
On the second day of his state visit to GermanyMr Macron highlighted the close ties between the European Union’s two traditional powers ahead of European Parliament elections in which far-right parties in both countries hope to gain ground. “This bad wind is blowing across Europe, it’s a reality”he told the crowd. “So, let’s wake up!”
Ahead of next month’s European elections, Mr Macron said “the fear of a changing world” fueled the rise of the far right in Europe.
“Everywhere, in our democracies, these ideas prosper, pushed by the extremes and in particular, the extreme right” he told the crowd.
The state visit which began on Sunday was initially supposed to take place last Julyr, but it was postponed at the last minute due to riots that broke out in France following the murder of a 17-year-old by police.
While Mr Macron frequently visits Germany, Paris and Berlin trying to coordinate their positions on the EU and foreign policy, this is the first high-profile state visit since Jacques Chirac in 2000.