Joksimovic: There will be no change in Paris’ foreign policy toward our region

Director of the Center for Foreign Policy, Aleksandra Joksimovic, stated that the recent political turbulence in France has weakened the position of President Emmanuel Macron, but that he will not change his foreign policy toward the Western Balkans or the dialogue process between Belgrade and Pristina.

“The entire EU is focused on the Western Balkans. At this moment, it is a security issue, and in that context, not only from Brussels but also from key member states, certainly France and Germany, there is special attention being paid to what is happening in the Western Balkans. The further enlargement process is being observed with great necessity in order to stabilize unity across the entire territory of Europe and, above all, to strengthen the security framework,” Joksimovic told Kosovo Online.

She is convinced that France will “play its role” also in the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue.

“I am absolutely certain that once the dialogue begins at an adequate level, and we know that the Belgrade–Pristina dialogue has been blocked for quite a long period, except on the technical level, I am sure that France will continue to play its established role,” Joksimovic specified.

Commenting on the political crisis shaking France, the former diplomat assessed that President Emmanuel Macron’s position has been weakened due to a “long-standing crisis.”

Last week, Macron appointed Sébastien Lecornu as the new prime minister, after lawmakers voted no confidence in the then Prime Minister Francois Bayrou.

“Macron’s position has indeed been weakened due to the now prolonged political crises, primarily related to the parliamentary crisis in the context of adopting the budget. The current prime minister is the third in a row trying to propose a budget that could be adopted,” Joksimovic said.

Lecornu is the fifth prime minister of France in the past two years, and Joksimovic reminded that Macron tried to resolve the political crisis through elections, but this only further complicated the situation in the country.

Nevertheless, she is convinced that Macron will not change France’s foreign policy.

“He certainly will not change foreign policy. Has his position generally been weakened? Certainly, in terms of his ability to propose certain legislative solutions or push through certain projects in parliament. That certainly weakens his position. But at this moment, it is evident that France is one of the countries giving full support to Ukraine, that it is ready to send troops as a guarantee. In that context, I don’t believe this type of policy will change,” Joksimovic assessed.

She explained that France is facing a serious economic crisis: a record deficit and a credit rating at a historic low.

“It has a debt exceeding 114 billion euros, placing it third in Europe after Greece and Italy,” Joksimovic specified.

She added that the issue of adopting the budget is a matter of “saving money” in order to stabilize public finances, but that an additional problem is the insistence on increased defense spending within NATO.

“The current prime minister, Lecornu, was minister of defense and is known for working specifically on boosting armaments. On the other hand, Lecornu has not always shown much understanding for the EU. He rarely attended meetings in Brussels. He has excellent relations with Germany’s defense minister, but it seems that, as prime minister, he will have to communicate much more closely with Brussels,” Joksimovic concluded.