What is Frexit? Will France leave the EU next? THE
National Front has seized on Brexit to further its campaign for French
independence from the European Union. Could France leave too? by Alice foster,
11/10/16
What is Frexit?
Britain’s
historic vote to leave the EU has sparked calls for a French exit, or Frexit,
from the European Union. The
British public voted for a Brexit, or British exit, during a historic EU
referendum on Thursday June 23.
Eurosceptic
populists across Europe are now calling for their own countries to follow
Britain’s example by voting to quit the EU. The possibility of a Greek
exit, or Grexit, from the Eurozone has been on the cards for a while due to its
ongoing debt crisis.
Who is calling for a
Frexit?
Marine
Le Pen, the head of the far-right National Front party, is leading calls for
French independence from Brussels rule. Ms.
Le Pen has declared that she is ‘Madame Frexit’ and has promised to hold a EU
referendum within six months if she gets into power next year.
She
says that calls for referendums are “ringing throughout” Europe in the wake of
the Brexit victory in the UK last week. “The
People’s Spring is now inevitable!” Ms. Le Pen wrote in the New York
Times.
The
only question left to ask is whether Europe is ready to rid itself of its
illusions, or if the return to reason will come with suffering. “I made
my decision a long time ago: I chose France. I chose sovereign nations. I chose
freedom.”
Jean-Luc
Mélenchon, leader of the the far-left party Front de Gauche (FG), is also
pushing for France to leave the EU. Mr
Mélenchon and Ms Le Pen are both set to stand on Eurosceptic platforms in the
French presidential election in spring 2017.
Another
presidential hopeful Bruno Le Maire, a former secretary of state for European
affairs, has also called for a referendum on redefining the European
project.
Express
Do the people of France
support Frexit?
More
than 60% of French people view the EU unfavorably, according to the latest research
by US think tank Pew Research Center.
Over
half of French voters also want their own in/out referendum on EU membership,
found another survey by the University of Edinburgh.
If
there was a EU referendum in France, 33% would vote to leave, 40% would vote to
remain and 22% were undecided, the study found.
French
Euroscepticism has been fueled by the economic troubles of the Eurozone crisis
and the migrant crisis in Calais and other parts of France.
The
National Front has managed to capitalize on general dissatisfaction, fears
about immigration and security concerns in the wake of the Paris attacks.
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