Full transcript of “A NEW EUROPE?! Le Pen's Plan for Europe”. Click a timestamp to open the video at that moment. Need another video? Use the YouTube transcript generator.
0:00 The RN, France's far right party. They've been trying to get into power for years, and in 2002, they reached the final round of the presidential election for the first time. But since then, they've come quite a long way. Marine Le Pen made it to the second round in both of the last two presidential elections. In 2017, she won 33.90% of the votes, and in 2022, that rose up to 41.45%. And now, we are potentially only months away from a complete reordering of the European political status quo. So, what could it actually look like? But before you get into the video, you might be wondering who the hell am I, and where is Lambertus? Well, if you watch the live streams, you'll know me as the French guy that loves Eurobonds. And since this video is all about French politics, I'll be taking the lead from here. Sorry, Lambertus. So, what would
0:45 Marine Le Pen in power mean for Europe? Well, we're going to rate her party, the Rassemblement National, out of 10 for European integration at the end of the video. Zero means independent nation-states with basically no EU. And 10 means a European federation, or essentially a European federalist stream. But first, who even is Marine Le Pen? She was born in 1968, and she worked as a lawyer before going into politics full-time. Her father, Jean-Marie Le Pen, co-founded the National Front in 1972. She joined as a teenager, became an MEP, and then took over the party in 2011. And she's worked very hard to change the party's image and attract more voters. And honestly, there was quite a lot of work to do. Her father was expelled in 2015 after calling the Nazi gas chambers just a point of detail in history. And after her defeat in 2017, the National Front
1:32 became the National Rally to distance itself from her father and her former Frexit stance. Her ideology is mainly centered around France First, which is basically strict immigration controls, law and order, and protecting national industries. She also wants French citizens to get priority for certain jobs, housing, and benefits. But what does she think about the EU? >> The euro is the currency of bankers, but it's not the currency of the people. This is why we must withdraw from the euro, even though I know, Mr. Macron, that the system will defend the euro because it's in its financial interests. >> So, that was a bit intense, but now her tone softened quite a bit. Instead, she wants an alliance of European nations. But what does that even mean? Let's start with her favorite topic, which is,
2:18 of course, immigration. What does she actually want to do? And crucially, is she willing to work with the rest of Europe here? Well, in its 2024 program, the RN wanted to change the rules on travel within Schengen. They only want citizens of Schengen countries to keep the right to travel freely within the area. So, basically, a Swede or an Italian could still visit France or any other European country as they do today. But someone like a Moroccan, for example, who lives legally in Spain would have to take extra steps before visiting. And when it comes to controlling borders, the RN wants more European cooperation. They want checks at national borders as well as stronger controls at Europe's outer borders, which they call the double border. The RN also wants Frontex to do more to return immigrants to their home countries. And not only that, but they want to use development aid to pressure those countries into taking their
3:03 citizens back. They also oppose the migration pact, including the part that requires countries to help each other. The party also rejects compulsory sharing of responsibility. And finally, they want to modify the French constitution to make French citizens first in line for certain social benefits. That might actually discriminate against EU citizens entitled to equal treatment, which would, of course, conflict with European rules. So, let's talk about the second topic, the economy. How does the RN want to protect European industries? Well, it wants public money to support goods made in Europe and tech companies under European control. However, it also wants to put new trade deals like Mercosur on hold, cut regulations, and undo much of the green deal. On energy, it supports nuclear power and wants to change Europe's electricity market so France can get its own price,
3:49 which it says would bring bills down. Essentially, it would be putting France first here. When it comes to government contracts, the RN wants French companies to get priority, even over European firms. And then there's the money. The RN wants France to pay less into the EU budget, whilst keeping funding for the farmers, of course. It's also against EU taxes and joint borrowing through Eurobonds. So, let's move on to foreign policy. And this is perhaps where the RN might clash the most with other EU countries. The RN wants Europe to make more weapons, buy European equipment, and get our national armed forces working together. But, the party is completely against handing more military power to the EU, so a European army is completely off the table for them. On Ukraine, the RN says it supports the country's defense, but it wants hard
4:35 limits on aid. And in September 2026, Bardella even demanded financial guarantees that any support would be repaid. Le Pen went as far as to say that financial aid was unaffordable. The RN, also unsurprisingly, opposes Ukraine joining the EU. And then, there's the RN's history with Moscow. In 2014, the party borrowed 9.4 million euros from a Russian bank. And that was after Russia annexed Crimea. And they held many meetings with Kremlin officials before the full-scale invasion. Also, Russian interference continues to benefit the RN. Gabriel Attal has been targeted by disinformation attributed to a pro-Russian network. And multiple Russian operations have been uncovered inside of France. And that brings us to our last question. What does the RN want on the European
5:20 level? Will we see more or less European integration? Well, there are three big proposals to look at. First, the RN wants to give countries a veto on more issues, including trade. Then, there's the plan to put the French constitution above European rules. And finally, there's the commission. The RN wants to remove its political powers and only allow the council, so that's the ensemble of countries, to create new laws. So, EU laws would still be proposed, but only by national governments. However, these institutional changes would require treaty changes, which need an agreement with other members. But I think there's one more thing we should mention here, which is Le Pen's trial. She was convicted of embezzling EU funds intended for parliamentary assistance in EU, which just goes to show what she
6:06 really thinks about our union. And here is my opinion. I've had to bite my tongue for most of this video so that I could try to stay impartial, but for me an RN victory in 2027 could mark the beginning of the end for the European project. Le Pen would simply be a disaster for Europe. With Trump still in office, Russia still at war with Ukraine, and your skeptic parties gaining ground, imagine the AFD coming to power in Germany alongside Le Pen in France. If both countries turned against closer cooperation a time like that, could the EU even hold together? Europeans and the French need this election to go well before the damage becomes completely irreversible. So, with that out of the way, let's get to the score that I promised to you at the beginning of this video. Remember, zero means nation states and 10 means a federation. So, where does Le Pen sit in that scale? Let's start with
6:52 immigration. Their double border would mean more checks within Schengen, making travel between European countries more complicated. Not much of a European solution there. Perhaps a stronger European border could get a point, but it's canceled out by the double border. And then there's the economy. Favoring French companies over European neighbors will only end in one way, every country prioritizing its own companies, which doesn't really help us create European giants. Their funding strategy, reducing the budget and rejecting euro bonds whilst increasing competitiveness, also just seems completely unrealistic. And on energy, putting national control ahead of cooperation is basically, well, nationalism, right? And whilst undoing the green deal could be framed as cutting red tape, it also doesn't help the EU become energy independent either.
7:37 When it comes to Ukraine, her position is a complete disaster. It's a letdown of our eastern flank, and it's not just selfish and irresponsible, but outright dangerous. And what about her historical ties to Moscow? For me, it's a massive red flag. And finally, when it comes to the EU itself, it kind of goes without saying. She wants a weaker commission, more vetoes, and less democracy, which will just take us in the wrong direction. So, how many points does the RN and Marine Le Pen get on the European Federalist scale? Well, I'll give her one point for wanting European economic independence, especially in industry and technology. That's pretty important these days. And maybe one more point for making weapons in Europe and getting our armed forces to work together. And that's quite generous of me. But, if Le Pen was actually committed to deliver these things, we would need more money, shared rules, and the ability to make decisions
8:24 together. And on all three, the RN would simply make things harder. So, how much should I score them on creating a more united Europe? My score is a measly two out of 10. But, what about you? What score would you give them? Let me know in the comments below. And thank you so much for watching the video. If you want to see more content like this, please leave a like and subscribe.
