France

After weeks of confusion and controversy around Sébastien Lecornu’s appointment as Prime Minister, President Macron faces mounting pressure at home and growing doubts abroad. Joan Lanfranco asked Marc Berthold, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung Paris office, what this means for Macron, France’s role in the EU, and the wider impact on Europe.

The far-right Rassemblement National has surprisingly suffered a defeat in the French snap parliamentary elections - there is great relief in the country itself and also in the EU. However, forming a government could be complicated and take time, with France facing a phase of political paralysis. Marc Berthold, Director of the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung's office in Paris, explains in this interview which constellations are possible and to what extent France's position in the EU could change.

The 2024 EP elections are marked by a context much less favourable to the environmentalist agenda. In 2019, the European elections were held in the midst of massive global climate strikes and marches, and the so-called Green Wave reflected those concerns. What is the situation today? Is there a vision of peri-urban ecology and what is the impact of EU  policies on these areas with specific needs?

This article highlights three emblematic cases where environmental activism came face to face with the police and judiciary in France: actions against mega-basins in Sainte-Soline, actions against the A69 motorway construction site and an action to remove portraits of Emmanuel Macron.

In France as in other EU countries, the polls are predicting a far-right surge in the coming European Parliament election. In parallel, France's generally thriving civil society has become the object of attacks and an official clampdown.  

Over the past fifteen years, the French media landscape has been radically transformed. While demand for information has never been so high, thanks to the digital revolution, the overall supply of information has never been so low, giving rise to growing concern among media professionals represented by journalists' societies, unions, associations and collectives.

While thousands of farmers have been protesting for weeks on the streets across Europe, the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung – the Paris Office in collaboration with the Thessaloniki Office – organised on 12 February 2024 a timely online discussion on the causes and possible solutions to the agricultural crisis. Representatives of farmers and researchers from France, Germany and Greece outlined the situation in their countries, illustrated their demands and contributed with suggestions.

Did the Commission breach its own laws by approving the French CAP Strategic Plan? According to Collectif Nourrir and ClientEarth, it did! After their internal request for an internal review of the approval of the plan fell short, the two organisations decided to take it to the next level, and bring the case to the Court of Justice of the European Union. So what are their arguments? And what results can be expected of the process? Let’s assess

2023 promises to be a crucial electoral year in Europe as voters elect new national leaders in several major countries, including Turkey, Poland and Spain. This article explores the role of the European Green Party (EGP) members in these elections.

The year 2023 starts with the 60th anniversary of the Elysée Treaty, the cornerstone of reconciliation and partnership between the Federal Republic of Germany and France after the catastrophe of the Second World War. This partnership is today actively supported by more than 80% of the populations of both countries and is seen as a major driving force behind the future of the European Union.

In 2022, European green parties increased their number of seats in most elections while witnessing some of their fiercest opponents win power. As such, the year was somewhat of a Pyrrhic battle for the Greens at the ballot box: though battles were technically won, the overall outcome can hardly be considered a complete victory.

After the first round of the presidential elections in France, there is everything to play for. The incumbent President, Emmanuel Macron, is in the lead (27.84%), but this time, Marine Le Pen (23.15%) has a real chance of victory in the runoff of 24 April 2022. This is our analysis of the elections.

While nearly 82% of Europeans are fully vaccinated, this is the case for just 11% of Africans. This vaccine gap could overshadow discussions between the heads of state of the two continents at the summit to be held in Brussels on 17 and 18 February between the European Union and the African Union. France, which currently holds the Presidency of the Council of the EU, has been called upon to act to waive patents on Covid-19 vaccines. Emmanuel Macron is the champion of the “global licence” project.

2022 promises to be an exciting electoral year. At least seven seats of the European Council are up for grabs, of which the votes involving Emmanuel Macron and Viktor Orbán may electrify electoral enthusiasts the most. This piece reviews which European leaders will need to defend their positions and how the European Green Party (EGP) members are performing in polls before national, regional and local elections in Europe during 2022.

In France, government disinformation is a rare phenomenon and the truth is swiftly revealed, thanks in particular to the work of certain media sources published information. Although it is not widespread, all manipulation has its consequences, gradually increasing the people’s distrust of institutions.

Thirty-five years ago, a few days after the Chernobyl disaster, authorities throughout Europe alerted the population to the radioactive cloud. All of them? No. In France, where more than thirty nuclear reactors were already in operation, the authorities waited several weeks before acknowledging that the cloud had passed over the country.

Europe could still emerge from the pandemic crisis sustainably positioned and strengthened, but only if the Franco-German tandem works. The plans for a reconstruction fund of 500 billion euros mark a turnaround in the right direction.