Macron's spokesperson on Le Pen's calls for referendum
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The leader of the far-right Rassemblement National (National Rally) party maintains that she does not want France to leave the European Union. However, economic, social and immigration proposals from Emmanuel Macron’s presidential rival have led some to insist a win by Ms Le Pen could trigger France’s exit from the European Union.
European Commissioner Thierry Breton told French news channel LCI: “If Marine Le Pen wants to apply her programme, it will lead to Frexit. This will mean leaving Europe and the euro.”
Mr Breton explained that while the commission has no intention of intervening in France’s national election, he felt it was “undoubtedly clear” that some of Ms Le Pen’s measures were not feasible without modifying EU treaties.
He told LCI: “For example, revoking the Schengen agreements. For example, transforming the European Union into a kind of nation-states – which we don’t really know what that means – but it implies changing treaties.
“On this point, of course you can change the treaties, but in order to change them, you need a majority to vote for these changes.
“Nothing is impossible. You can certainly modify the treaties, but you have to respect the rules of treaty modification.”
Mr Breton, making reference to Brexit, continued: “I imagine that Madame Le Pen wants to implement her programme, but if she wants to implement it, she will go the same way as the British.”
His comments led LCI to ask: “Is demonising Marine Le Pen an effective strategy?”
During the election, Ms Le Pen has advocated a looser version of the European Union, but affirmed she would keep France in the bloc.
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She previously dropped calls to ditch the euro currency or leave the EU, both of which have cost her votes in past elections.
Ms Le Pen said last week: “Nobody is against Europe. We want to reform the European Union from within.
“The more we free ourselves from the straitjacket of Brussels while remaining in the EU, the more we will look to the wider world. It seems to me that this is what the English understood well.”
However, her programme would put her on a collision course with most of the EU’s partners on many points, including plans to cut French contributions to the EU budget and re-establish the primacy of French over EU law.
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Mr Macron has categorised his rival’s manifesto as full of lies and false promises concealing a far-right agenda that would lead to France’s exit from the EU.
A European diplomat, who would not be named, said: “This sends shivers down my spine. It’s a mix of themes from Trump and Brexit rhetoric.
“If her European programme is applied, then France risks becoming irrelevant in Europe.”
Days ahead of the final vote in the euro zone’s second biggest economy, Ms Le Pen has never been closer to the Elysee.
However, her spectacular rise in opinion polls appeared to stagnate after the first round as Mr Macron stepped up his campaign.
The latest poll from Ifop-Fiducial for Paris Match, LCI and Sud Radio shows Mr Macron winning the presidential election run off with 54.5 percent of the vote.
A total of 25.5 percent of the 3,015 people surveyed said they intend to abstain from the vote on April 24, according to the poll.
An Ipsos-Sopra Steria poll For France Info And Le Parisien-Aujourd’hui En France puts Mr Macron on 56 percent.
French prosecutors said on Sunday they are examining a report by the EU’s anti-fraud agency accusing Ms Le Pen and members of her party of misappropriating thousands of euros’ worth of EU funds.
The Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed it was scrutinising a report received from the EU anti-fraud agency OLAF on March 11.
National Rally president Jordan Bardella told Europe 1 radio: “The French will not be fooled by attempts of the European Union and the European institutions (…) to interfere in the presidential campaign and harm Marine Le Pen.”
He said his party had filed two legal complaints against OLAF and it would be filing a third in response to the report.
Ms Le Pen’s lawyer Rodolphe Bosselut, speaking to BFM TV, said his client denied the charges.
He said she had yet to be questioned and neither he nor his client had seen the OLAF report.
With additional reporting by Maria Ortega.
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