Reflections on Macron’s Proposals for a Renewed EU

Emmanuel Macron, elected French President on a pro-European platform against a staunchly Eurosceptic opponent in 2017, has sought to reinvigorate the European construction shaken by a decade of multiple crises. Whether lauded or vilified for being a passionate believer in the European project, he has laid out a comprehensive vision for the future of the EU through a series of key speeches. This article aims to discuss and assess Macron’s contribution to the debate on the future of the EU. After outlining the global and EU context in which Macron has been operating, it argues that his vision, whilst comprehensive and offering avenues for pro-Europeans, contains a series of blind spots that undermines it and which needs to be tackled if the European project is to advance.