Brussels ‘crosses its fingers’ for a Macron victory over Le Pen as EU officials break protocol to support pro-Europe candidate in French presidential election
EU has pinned its hopes on Emmanuel Macron beating far-right’s Marine Le Pen
One official said ‘we are crossing our fingers’ for victory for pro-EU candidate
A number of top Brussels figures have broken with protocol to back Macron
Four polls say Macron is leading against Le Pen 62%-38%
JULIAN ROBINSON
DailyMail.com
5 May 2017
Brussels is ‘crossing its fingers’ for a victory for Emmanuel Macron after EU officials broke with protocol to support the centrist French presidential candidate.
The EU has pinned its hopes on pro-European Macron beating the eurosceptic Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s French run-off vote.
A host of top Brussels figures led by European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker have broken with their usual protocol of not interfering in national elections and have openly backed the centrist former banker.
In the European Union’s corridors of power, Macron is seen as more than just a frontline defence against populism as seen with Brexit and the rise of Donald Trump in the US.
To many, the 39-year-old represents a breath of fresh air that could offer the embattled bloc a sorely needed chance to push ahead with unifying new projects after years of crisis.
‘We are crossing our fingers,’ one senior EU official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Macron’s gruelling televised debate with Le Pen on Wednesday was ‘watched widely’ at the highest levels of the European institutions, ‘including by non-French colleagues’, the EU official said.
‘Of course we see Macron in a positive way. We have the feeling that we can work with Macron because his project isn’t to destroy the EU as with Le Pen,’ the official added.
This week EU Brexit negotiator and former French minister Michel Barnier said he would vote for Macron, saying that France would ‘stay European’ under him.
Le Pen’s disdain for Europe runs deep. She has long wanted France to drop the euro single currency and return to the franc, and also leave Europe’s Schengen visa-free travel zone.
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