Macron's EU: market-focused CAP and hard Brexit

If French president-elect Emmanuel Macron wins a majority in next month’s general election – and a big uncertainty remains there – he will push for more of the measures seen in the recent dairy price crisis and a tough line on Brexit, as well as further free-trade agreements with the rest of the world.

“We must develop counter-cyclical mechanisms that are triggered when prices collapse below a defined floor to avoid producing at a loss,” Macron said before the election.

He advocates measures specific to each commodity, with payments and “supply regulation” kicking in when farm incomes are under threat.

This is similar to the aid packages introduced by the EU during the past two years’ milk price crash, with dairy aid and the Milk Supply Reduction Scheme.

His programme also includes “the gradual phasing out of pesticides, starting with those posing a risk to biodiversity or health, and the development of alternatives”, in line with the current French government’s opposition to the European re-authorisation of glyphosate.

On Brexit, then Economy Minister Macron issued stark warnings to the UK during the EU membership referendum campaign last year. He said repeatedly that free trade with Europe was part of an all-or-nothing package.

Commercial access

“If the UK wants a commercial access treaty to the European market, the British must contribute to the European budget like the Norwegians and the Swiss do. If London doesn’t want that, then it must be a total exit,” he said at the time.

Macron’s economic adviser Jean Pisani-Ferry was more conciliatory this week.

“I don’t think anybody has an interest in a hard Brexit,” he told the BBC. “There is a mutual interest in keeping the prosperity that exists, that has been built over the years.” However, he warned that “we have divergent interests on some aspects of the negotiations, so they will be tough negotiations and he [Macron] will be tough”.