French Election: How much pro-EU is Macron?

This year’s French election second round was similar to a referendum on the European Union. While the now defeated Front National candidate was the most prominent EU-skeptic, the independent candidate who just won with more than 65 percent of the votes is believed to be the most pro-EU candidate among the lot.

There were 11 candidates in this year’s French election. Three were EU-skeptic and the rest eight were pro-EU. So, how much pro-EU is Emmanuel Macron?

• He is the candidate, who favors the European Union and wants further integration within the bloc to make the cementing stronger.
• One of the biggest drawbacks of the European Union is that it is not a political union and Macron is one of the few who would like to remove that obstacle probably by giving up parts of the French sovereignty if others join in too.
• He is an EU-optimist. While many remain skeptical towards the European Union in the current scenario, he believes that good days of the EU are ahead and he believes that the union could become even stronger under the right leadership.

The following instance would give the readers fair idea of his support towards the EU.

After it was clear that Emmanuel Macron is the winner of the election, he appeared in front of his supporters to the sound of the EU anthem Ode To Joy instead of the French instead of French National Anthem La Marseillaise.