President Macron could lead France out of the EU

In an interview with the Telegraph on June 22, the EU's chief Brexit negotiator and former French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said that President Emmanuel Macron is pushing France towards a scenario of withdrawing from the EU (or Frexit).

“I regret that in my country this warning has not been heard… on migration, on security, on the authority of the state and on the respect and development of the poorest regions of the country,” he said.

Mr Barnier said he had previously warned that countries could withdraw from the EU one by one if they did not learn the lessons of Brexit. However, he said President Macron did not pay attention to his warning.

He stressed that President Macron's decision to dissolve the country's parliament and hold early elections could cause France to leave the alliance. Politician Barnier said that Mr. Macron's hopes of defeating the far-right National Front party in the upcoming election were very risky.

"If his liberal coalition suffers another defeat, he will be forced to appoint a prime minister from another party under a so-called coexistence agreement, leaving him with little power over domestic affairs in the coming years," Mr Barnier said.

"We have to be very careful about what could happen in France, such as the election of Ms Le Pen or the far-right gaining a new majority," he said.