President-elect Emmanuel Macron
By Evan Short
Taoiseach Enda Kenny has followed up his meeting with one leader bearing a French surname with warm words for another with a French surname.
Freshly returned from Canada and his meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Mr. Kenny today sent congratulations to Emmanuel Macron after his dramatic election as French President Sunday.
The 39-year-old Macron delivered a devastating defeat to the far-right’s Marine Le Pen in Sunday’s second round vote.
A strong supporter of the European Union, Macron's victory is seen as a setback for those, like Le Pen, who had vowed to take France out of the bloc.
After last year’s shock Brexit vote in Britain, and the uncertainty that that has caused in European capitals, all eyes were on France at the weekend.
Congratulating Macron, the taoiseach said: “Our shared history has been both deep and varied. The future also holds promise as both countries work towards a European Union of prosperity and equality for all our citizens.
“There’s lots of work ahead for all of us in Europe, in a challenging environment, not least on Brexit. I am confident that under Emmanuel Macron’s leadership, France will continue to play an important role in the EU.
“This outstanding result is a strong signal of confidence in the future of the European Union in which France will play a significant part in the time ahead.”
Meanwhile, as the fall-out between the British government and Brussels continues over the forthcoming Brexit negotiations, the European Parliament’s chief negotiator, Guy Verhofstadt, has stressed that the rights of EU citizens in Britain and British people living in Europe, as well as a financial settlement between the EU and Britain, are the EU’s main priorities.
However, he added: “The third priority for the European Parliament in the first phase of negotiations is working out a solution to protect the Good Friday Agreement, in all its parts, and to avoid the re-introduction of a divisive hard border on the island of Ireland."
Writing in London's Financial Times, Verhofstadt added: “This may ultimately require a comprehensive political solution, possibly even a special status for Northern Ireland.
“Many Irish citizens residing in Northern Ireland will continue to enjoy rights as EU passport holders, but how will their rights, including the right to vote in European elections, be safeguarded in practice?”
