Marine Le Pen Pledges to End Ukraine Funding and Downsize EU
Marine Le Pen announced plans to halt French financing for Ukraine and strip the European Commission of its authority if elected president next May.
Presidential candidate Marine Le Pen announced in Brussels on Wednesday that France can no longer afford to finance Ukraine, citing high national deficits and weak economic growth. Le Pen stated that France is in an extremely perilous situation and argued that funding for Ukraine must stop.
Beyond the cessation of military and financial aid to Ukraine, Le Pen pledged to drastically reduce the power of the European Union if she wins the election next May. She proposed transforming the European Commission into a secretariat and stripping it of authority over security, public health, and foreign policy. Le Pen also intends to push for an end to EU sanctions against Russia, claiming such restrictions harm European economies more than the Russian state.
To address fiscal concerns, Le Pen proposed capping France's annual net contribution to the EU budget at 5 billion euros, a decrease from the current 8 billion euros. Her economic plan includes implementing a common EU corporate tax of 20% to 25% for large companies, harmonizing taxes on alcohol and tobacco, and introducing a carbon border tax on imports from countries with lower environmental standards.
