Amongst Emmanuel Macronís extraordinary achievements, which have led him, against all odds, to be elected President of the French Republic, is one that deserves our attention: he has put paid to many of the shameful lies about European integration that have been spread and tolerated for too long. Our difficulties do not come from the European Union, but most of the time from ourselves!
The proposal by his extremist rival to quit the euro and Europe was certainly one of the main causes of the rejection she sparked. The polls prove this: 72% of the French say that are attached to the single currency, and in an almost equal share, they have said they want European developments in terms of security, defence and foreign policy. But they do not make as much noise as the ìrebellious Bolivariansî and the ìarchaeo-sovereignistsî.
And yet in Greece, the Netherlands, Austria and Portugal, when public opinion has been questioned, sometimes via referendum, these populations have all shown their attachment to Europe. Not that the latter and its policies do not deserve criticism; not that they have not been the cause of failed hope; not that they do not justify a wake-up call, but because the peoples of Europe now know how to make a well-considered decision. We do not ìthrow the baby out with the bathwaterî says a French proverb! And high expectations of a more active, more dynamic Europe in the world arena, one that is more effective and faster in its response to change, closer and more attentive to diversity, has never been the focus of total rejection on the part of Europeans, who have wisely learnt how to rebuild the continent since 9th May 1950, five years after the end of the Second World War.
And yet the example of the young audacious President who is campaigning with the blue flag and its twelve stars and inducted to the sound of the European anthem, is not enough.
On the right and on left, across all of Europe, extremists continue to spread lies that vainly punctuated the French electoral. It is everyoneís duty, the media, the citizens and the institutions, to show the nature of this with facts, figures and achievements. This is a democratic imperative. Criticism, is always legitimate, but it cannot be based for long on lies, which are always perverse.
A France that is credible once again, because of efforts made from within, has the economic and demographic weight to cast the euroscepticsí doubts into oblivion. As its leader it has a man who indeed wants this.
The new French president is showing us the example of a noble battle that we must win.
It is the duty of all genuine democrats to help him in this task. If we want it, this 9th May 2017, will mark the dissipation of the ignominious lies that have spread over Europe.
