Politico: Von der Leyen to visit Paris to convince the French of the EU’s benefits

The European Commission president will deliver a major speech on the EU’s space policy at Emmanuel Macron’s space summit at Paris’ Grand Palais on Thursday, aiming to convince French citizens—disillusioned with the European Union—of the bloc’s benefits against the backdrop of a sharp rise in Eurosceptic sentiment in the country and upcoming presidential elections, Politico reports.

“It’s a red-alert situation. I have never seen France as ill-disposed toward the EU as now,” said an EU official.

However, Politico notes that von der Leyen’s speech might not achieve the pro-European impact Brussels is hoping for.

According to Politico, von der Leyen’s core message will be that it’s only thanks to the EU that Europe is able to mount ambitious projects that can compete with other global powers.

Officially, the European Commission stated that von der Leyen would outline the EU’s priorities in the space sector.

Politico notes that the political climate in France remains highly unfavorable for Brussels. Far-right leader Marine Le Pen is leading the polls ahead of next year’s presidential election and far-left Euroskeptic Jean-Luc Mélenchon has a realistic shot at joining her in the second round.

The EU official points out that there are two clearly pro-EU candidates running for France’s top job: Center-left MEP Raphaël Glucksmann and centrist former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal.