The president of the French far-right party National Rally, Jordan Bardella, has committed this Tuesday to "rebuild France's credibility at the European and international level" if Marine Le Pen, the party leader, manages to prevail in the presidential elections scheduled for 2027.
"If I become head of Government in May 2027, I know perfectly well that we will have a huge task ahead. But I want to repeat to you the commitment that Marine Le Pen and I have made to the French people. We will do everything possible for France to regain its stability, its prosperity, and its place among the great European economies," he asserted in Madrid during a breakfast meeting of Nueva Economía Forum.
In his speech, he emphasized the importance of "the economic ties between France and Spain" and pointed out that there is still "much to build together," although he warned that France is going through "a difficult situation." "We have lost our greatness, we are losing our security daily, our way of life, the balance of our public accounts. This undermines France's credibility on the European stage, among its partners and investors, and among the French people themselves," he noted.
For this reason, he defended the National Rally project, which proposes "to rebuild France, its economy, its public accounts, its security, its education, and its justice." "We want to rebuild its credibility on the European stage and at the international level," he said. "We want to change everything without destroying anything," he added.
"France is part of the great economies of the EU, which have the capacity to change the direction of various policies in Europe. (...) We want France to be able to renegotiate on immigration matters but also on economic issues. We want to end the ideology of the Green Pact and promote economic patriotism," he maintained.
In this line, he assured: "I will dedicate all my energy to ensuring that starting in 2027 France regains the place it deserves. France must return to the path of budgetary responsibility, of an economic policy favorable to businesses, and of real stability. These are the great priorities that I defend alongside Marine Le Pen in this presidential election," he continued.
At the same time, he wanted to send a message of "optimism and confidence." "Europe has fallen behind, but it must fully participate in the industrial and technological revolutions of the 21st century. We must be aware of our strengths. Europe has leading companies, researchers, engineers, skilled workers, and a huge internal market. Now we must have the courage to break with the ideologies that have led us to decline," he added.
Bardella has insisted on the need to "put production at the center of politics" and has emphasized that "France and Spain will have an important role in this new Europe based on growth, the sovereignty of nations, and the security of the continent."
"To help Europe recover, France must first regain its own economic stability. My intervention takes place at a particularly serious moment for France, which some international observers already describe as the weak link of Europe. It is not France that has failed, but the political decisions," he noted.
Ceuta and the reform of the Schengen area
Regarding the situation in Ceuta, a city he visited on Monday along with the leader of Vox, Santiago Abascal, he indicated that there Europeans "are gambling their future if they do not regain control of the borders." "From there we wanted to defend the importance of Spain's sovereignty over the territory and the importance of preserving the security of Spaniards," he explained.
He emphasized that "it is not for me to interfere in the Spanish electoral debate, but my interpretation is that the Government's announcement to regularize hundreds of foreigners in irregular situations has had a serious and irresponsible call effect that affects not only Spain but also all its European partners, because free movement in the Schengen area means that a regularized foreigner in Spain can move through other EU countries," he argued.
In this regard, he acknowledged: "What I saw yesterday in Ceuta has marked me a lot. I saw a very serious disorder situation and a Spanish population confined in their homes. I wanted to tell the people of Ceuta that they are residents of a European territory and that neither Spain, nor France, nor Europe abandon or will abandon the people of Ceuta," he clarified.
For this reason, it has advanced that, if Agrupación Nacional comes to power, "it will propose a reform of the Schengen area." "We want the free movement in the Schengen area to be truly European again and to be reserved only for EU citizens. Having a residence permit will not give a foreigner the right to move freely through all EU countries," it has declared.
At the same time, it has demanded that the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex) "stop being a travel agency and a reception center for migrants" and instead carry out "the tasks for which they are actually paid." "We propose to clearly negotiate immigration control in France and Europe with the sending countries, that is, with the African states," it has proposed.
It has added that "if we come to power, we want to use all diplomatic levers to allow the return and repatriation of foreigners. That is, a state that refuses to take back its citizens, to accept their repatriation, will see public development aid, remittance transfers, and visa grants suspended, and its leaders will no longer be able to come to the doctor in Europe, in France," it has insisted.
Regarding the specific case of Ceuta, it has concluded that "in the matter of Ceuta, the investigation will determine the responsibilities, but what is important is not to be ambiguous regarding the fact that Ceuta belongs to the Kingdom of Spain and is Spanish sovereignty. We need a very clear and unambiguous discourse," it has settled.