In recent years, Marine Le Pen has shifted away from her hardline anti-EU stance. She no longer considers a “Frexit” an option. According to the Rassemblement’s presidential candidate, her criticism of the European Commission is, in fact, “pro-European.” For France expert Dr. Landry Charrier, an old logic lies behind this. For example, Le Pen’s demand that France be allowed to opt out of the EU’s common trade policy if “vital interests”—such as the auto industry—are threatened, or her plan to once again prioritize French law over EU law, would amount to a “de facto Frexit,” according to Charrier.
For Le Pen, the EU is a zero-sum game. According to her, EU policy and German interests are closely intertwined. Germany harms others in order to protect itself—that’s how starkly Le Pen puts it. Charrier describes this as “old wine in new wineskins.” Even though Le Pen no longer officially wants a Frexit, her rhetoric still aims precisely at that.