Paris (France) (AFP) – “Mr Mélenchon and Ms Le Pen will kill Europe as it exists”, if one or the other reaches the Elysée in 2027, said the Minister of Justice, Gérald Darmanin, also a supporter of candidate Édouard Philippe, during a forum in Barcelona on Monday.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 16:27

“It is indisputable that if Mr. Mélenchon or if Ms. Le Pen is elected, there no longer exists a Europe as we know it today. There will always be a European continent and countries that will talk to each other, but there will be no European Community,” continued the minister, estimating that “the projects of the two candidates are extremely clear and are built on the end of this Europe.”

The Minister of Justice again called for "someone very pro-European" to win the presidential election, the first round of which is scheduled for April 18, "to change Europe", considering that the challenge of the next French head of state will be "to transform Europe into a powerful Europe and not into a discussion Europe".

Gérald Darmanin, who has been a member of all governments since 2017, with the exception of the brief Barnier team, also deplored that "Europe is failing in the world" and that "France has a tendency to fail in Europe".

"In France, the debates are often old people's debates - that is to say debates on pensions, on health insurance, on how we are going to end our lives - while the world is talking about quantum physics, artificial intelligence, climate and green industry", Gérald Darmanin further observed.

“We need to stop the debates of old people to move towards debates of the future,” he further urged.

© 2026 AFP

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