French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and Valérie Hayer, leader of the Renaissance list in the EU, launched the party’s European election campaign in Lille on Saturday in the presence of some 3,000 supporters and members of the government.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Morretti and former prime ministers Élisabeth Borne and Édouard Philippe also attended the meeting. Valérie Hayer claimed:
During this campaign, we will be the only ones to defend Europe. We are proud of it, we need Europe.
She commented on her nomination to lead the party’s EU list stating she was “the choice of youth, boldness, dialogue and convictions (…), of the territory and rural areas”. Hayer added:
I’ve heard it said that I’m a choice by default. I dare to hope that people aren’t just saying that because I’m a woman. I intend to play my part to the fullest.
During the event, members of Renaissance continued to outline the main theses of their campaign, which include the war in Ukraine and the fight against Marine Le Pen’s Rassemblement Nationale (RN, ID), whose list for the EU elections is headed by Jordan Bardella. Attal told attendants in Lille:
The term of office of the Le Pen clan in the European Parliament can be summed up in a few votes at most. It is a litany of betrayals against the interests of the French people. Do we want to continue building Europe? Does France want to leave Europe? Our answer is clear, it is frank, it is clear: yes, we believe in Europe, yes, we want to stay in Europe, yes, we are Europeans.
Similarly, Darmanin accused Le Pen of wanting to “ruin the fishermen with a Frexit”, claiming that he “knows the outcome of the RN’s programme thanks to Brexit”. Hayer added:
There will be those who believe in Europe and […] those who don’t.
At the same time, Renaissance members spoke of their support for Ukraine, echoing Macron’s recent statements that all options should be on the table when it comes to Ukraine. Sylvain Maillard, leader of the Renaissance MPs, said on Friday:
The main issue will be support for Ukraine.
The European elections are just three months away and the latest polls show Hayer’s list trailing Bardella’s list from the RN by ten points.
