A Trump-style wall around the EU, more nuclear power and re-industrialising Europe: these are some of the key points the French right-wing candidate for the EU elections François-Xavier Bellamy hopes will boost his campaign. But voters be charmed?
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00 "We need Europe to change its course."
00:03 It's with this slogan the French right-wing candidate François-Xavier Bellamy hopes to
00:08 boost his political campaign as his party lags behind in the polls for the upcoming
00:13 EU elections.
00:14 Announcing his Republican Party's programme on Tuesday in Paris, the MEP has focused his
00:20 campaign on two main themes - European sovereignty and immigration.
00:25 "We propose that all European states contribute to the collective defence effort to reach
00:31 3% of the GDP.
00:32 It's a major challenge for us."
00:34 Bellamy also said he is for the construction of physical walls at the borders of the EU.
00:39 And to achieve all of this, Bellamy makes it clear his party will not vote for current
00:44 EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who is part of his EPP party in Brussels.
00:49 "We don't want to give Ursula von der Leyen a second mandate.
00:53 The least we can say is that this position will have been, in reality, very far from
00:58 being marginal, followed by a large part of the political formations that make up the
01:03 EPP."
01:04 The right-wing candidate assured he is the head of the only right-wing party in France
01:08 that can actually make his country's voice heard in Brussels.
01:11 "The European People's Party to which we belong will be, in all likelihood, the first
01:19 parliamentary group at the end of these elections.
01:21 We are the only list that can allow the French to make the decision tomorrow in the European
01:28 debate."
01:29 But with only 8% of voting intentions, the traditional right-wing party finds itself
01:34 caught in between French President Emmanuel Macron's list that leans towards the centre-right
01:40 and the far-right National Rally Party, currently leading the polls at 32%.
01:45 [MUSIC PLAYING]