Le Pen wants to cap France's EU contribution at €5 billion a year
The far-right leader, favourite for the 2027 presidential election, wants to strip powers from the EU. France is paying its highest borrowing costs in nearly 25 years.
Archive image · Photo: Vox España / Wikimedia Commons, CC0 (cropped and resized)
As EU leaders in Brussels argue over the next long-term budget, Marine Le Pen is questioning France's contribution. The leader of the far-right National Rally wants to strip powers from the EU and cap France's net contribution at €5 billion a year, Euronews reported. It currently stands at around €8 billion, according to Euronews. "Being pro-France does not mean being anti-Europe," Le Pen said.
Le Pen also argues that France cannot keep financing Ukraine given the "perilous" state of its economy. France is paying its highest borrowing costs in nearly 25 years, with 10-year government bond yields up 100 basis points this year.
Her position carries weight in Brussels because Le Pen is seen as the favourite in France's 2027 presidential race. According to Euronews, EU officials fear that elections in 2027 in France and other countries could delay the budget talks until autumn 2027. France has so far sided with neither the 'frugals' nor the 'Friends of Cohesion'.