Emmanuel Macron: the return of France as a driving force for European integration?

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to assess whether the arrival of Emmanuel Macron to the French presidency has been a game changer regarding European integration. Indeed, the presidential elections of 2017 marked the return of France on the European stage after a few years of relative absence. Quite unprecedently, Emmanuel Macron Europeanised the French presidential campaign as a candidate by putting the European Union at the centre of the public debate, and then became a fervent proponent of reform at European level as President. It is argued that, with his reformist agenda, Macron reconnects with the idea of France as a driving force for European integration as he puts forwards bold proposals regarding the method, i.e., how to reinvigorate the European project and democracy, and the content, i.e., the need to move towards a united and sovereign Europe.