WORLD: Madame Boone, in a recent guest article in the Financial Times, you called for Europe to become a “sovereign political power”. How does that work?
Laurence Boone: I don’t think we have a choice. As President Macron put it, the world has changed. If we don’t achieve this goal, we run the risk of becoming very weak. For me, like for the French government, there is therefore no question that we must move forward towards becoming a genuinely sovereign and strong political power. That is the purpose of our European economic project. With green and carbon-free industries and without dependence on fossil fuels, we will be economically stronger and more resilient to crises. This is the purpose of the President’s project and the project that we pushed for in the European elections and which was subsequently confirmed by Covid and the war in Ukraine.
WORLD: Why is that the only way?
Boone: We’re only around 450 million people in the EU, Americans are 330 million, but the rest of the planet is around 7 billion people. And not everywhere is democracy. If we want to reaffirm that democracy is the best system for citizens, with strong institutions, the rule of law and a welfare system, then we must become a sovereign political power in order to pursue our goals more efficiently. To be able to better protect our borders and to be able to draw those states to our side of democracy that might be enticed by the autocratic systems.
WORLD: In his speech in Prague, Olaf Scholz suggested reforming the principle of unanimity. Does that have to be done before the EU accepts new members?
Boone: I think the thinking is going in that direction at the moment. If we move towards a Union of 30 or 34 members then it will be difficult to continue functioning as it is today. Therefore, the President of the Republic has shown himself open to a reform of decision-making in certain areas and, if necessary, to a revision of the Treaties. Because we see that this rule sometimes prevents us from moving forward. If one country blocks everything while the other 26 agree, that’s not normal. So on the one hand we have to work on a reform and at the same time ensure that we can already work more efficiently in certain sectors.
WORLD: President Macron has proposed a so-called “European political community” alongside the EU. Will that be a kind of European second division for the candidates who don’t meet the criteria?
Boone: Not at all. There are several thoughts behind this. For one, we know that the recording process is often long and difficult, sometimes it can be daunting. That’s why we want to push ahead with a political process in which candidate countries can form partnerships, regardless of the accession process. That can support these countries politically. Then there may be countries that do not necessarily become members, but for which it is in our collective interest that they deepen their cooperation with the EU in specific areas. It could be defense, or renewable energy, or education. Norway, for example, has an interest in working closely with us in the energy sector, and this can also be of interest to Great Britain in certain areas, such as security. It is therefore a question of founding an extended European family in order to be able to advance specific joint projects in order to strengthen the European area.
WORLD: Don’t you think that countries like Albania or Macedonia, which have been trying to meet the admission criteria for years, will be discouraged if they are now parked in a kind of waiting room?
Boone: No, because you offer this on top of that, so you can’t call it a waiting room. During my most recent talks in Albania or the Ukraine, for example, I certainly aroused interest. It means that together with the EU you can make political progress to our mutual advantage. That changes a lot politically, and it doesn’t prevent the accession process.
WORLD: Do you think people are willing to endure a tough winter or two with high prices to support Ukraine? In France, the yellow vests have demonstrated at much lower levels.
Boone: I’m not saying it’s going to be easy. You can also see that in the sometimes very serious speeches in which the President of the French Republic tries to explain the context and clarify why we are in this situation: it is effectively about defending our democratic model with our institutions and fundamental rights , in the face of an aggressive threat from Russia. On the one hand against Ukraine and on the other hand through the hybrid war against Europe and the rest of the world, in which energy or food become weapons.
WORLD: What have you done?
Boone: We have tackled the energy issue since the beginning of the war and will continue to work with our European partners and the Commission to cap energy prices in the near term and to better negotiate with our utilities, particularly through making joint European purchases. We are also working on implementing a structural and permanent reform of the electricity market in a timely manner in order to decouple the price of electricity from the price of fossil fuels. At the same time, as we have already decided together at European level, we must ensure full solidarity between the Member States and reduce consumption of both gas and electricity.
WORLD: All of this will cost a lot of money. They also advocate “further developments of the EU’s fiscal rules”. For German ears, that usually means they want to incur even more debt. Is that so?
Boone: Of course things have changed since Covid and the Ukraine war. We are not saying that the debt should not be taken care of, we are simply saying that in order to be able to guarantee the sustainability of the budget in the medium term, we need rules that will make it possible to encourage investment, which is essential to ensure growth again tomorrow to care. And which allow us to consolidate our sovereignty through investments in energy supply and defense. Germany and France have always discussed this and we will of course continue to discuss it. But there is also a coalition agreement that goes in this direction. So we will definitely continue to talk to each other. It is good that there is this debate between our two countries.
WORLD: Emmanuel Macron does not have an absolute majority in parliament, how is he supposed to govern in France in the next five years?
Boone: In France, we’re more used to the president having an absolute majority. Unlike in the Bundestag, where forging coalitions and alliances is part of a collective political culture, we in France are not familiar with these constellations. It is now up to us to demonstrate our ability to engage in dialogue: there is no other option. Like the Prime Minister, I believe in the power of dialogue and compromise. Step by step, they ensure the creation of sustainable results. This is our working method, which we have been using since the summer. Many things have already been achieved in four months. Domestically, this applies to ecological change, economic development, purchasing power and the protection of the French.
WORLD: So you don’t fear that France could be paralyzed as a result and that the necessary reforms will not come about?
Boone: No, I honestly don’t think so. I think that brings the discussion back to Parliament. And it’s good that there are public debates again, I don’t want to sound like a simple-minded optimist, but I’m convinced that this corresponds to a desire for more participation and more democracy.
