Political positions of Emmanuel Macron

[20] His political platform during the 2017 French presidential election contained stances from both the left and right,[21] which led to him being positioned as a radical centrist by Le Figaro.

Both were inspectors of finance, were given responsibilities based around tax and revenue, both were very ambitious about running for the position of president, showing their keenness early in their careers, and both were seen as figures of renewal in French political life.

When asked about François Hollande's proposal to raise income tax on the upper class to 75%, Macron compared the policy to the Cuban taxation system.

[57][58][54] Regarding the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), Macron stated in June 2016 that "the conditions [to sign the treaty] are not met", adding that "we mustn't close the door entirely" and "need a strong link with the US".

[70] In April 2017, following the chemical attack in Khan Shaykhun, Macron proposed a possible military intervention against the Assad regime, preferably under United Nations auspices.

[73] He criticized the Franco-Swiss construction firm LafargeHolcim for competing to build the wall on the Mexico–United States border promised by U.S. President Donald Trump.

[76] Macron and Trump apparently conducted a phone call on 12 August 2017 where they discussed confronting North Korea, denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and enforcing new sanctions.

[81] Some rights groups have argued that France is violating national and international law by selling weapons to members of the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.

"[86] An article in the New York Times described Emmanuel Macron as "ardently pro-Europe" and stated that he "has proudly embraced an unpopular European Union.

We also need to establish a monitoring of foreign investments in strategic sectors at the EU level in order to protect a vital industry and to ensure our sovereignty and the European superiority.

"[1] Macron also stated that, if elected, he would seek to renegotiate the Treaty of Le Touquet with the United Kingdom which has caused a build-up of economic migrants in Calais.

His proposals also included setting up a rapid reaction force working along with national armies while establishing a finance minister, budget and parliament for the Eurozone.

He also called for a new tax on technology giants, an EU-wide asylum agency to deal with the refugee crisis, and changes to the Common Agricultural Policy.

[98] In a conversation with BBC's Andrew Marr, Macron stated that theoretically if France should choose to withdraw from the EU, it would do so through a national popular vote.

[101] In July 2015, as economy minister, Macron stated in an interview that any bailout package for Greece must also ease its burden by including reductions in the country's overall debt.

[110] Macron supported the open-door policy toward migrants from the Middle East and Africa pursued by Angela Merkel in Germany during the 2017 election campaign and promoted tolerance towards immigrants and Muslims.

[111][87] Macron expressed confidence in France's ability to absorb more immigrants and welcomed their arrival into Europe, asserting that the influx will have a positive economic impact.

[56] In June 2018 the Aquarius (NGO ship) carrying 629 migrants rescued near Libya was denied entry to Sicilian ports by Italy's new interior minister Matteo Salvini.

[115] Italian PM Giuseppe Conte accused France of hypocrisy after Macron said Italy was acting "irresponsibly" by refusing entry to migrants and suggested it had violated international maritime law.

"[117] In advance of the 2024 French legislative election, Macron denounced the New Popular Front for its "totally immigrationist" program which he alleged would "abolish all laws controlling immigration" in the event of victory.

[124] Ahead of the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference, Macron called for acceleration of the ecological transition and advocated a "balance between ecological imperatives and economic requirements", an objective that the French government sought to achieve by fighting on "five fronts": "innovation", "simplification", "strengthening of our energy efficiency and [...] reduction of fossil fuel usage", "energy competitiveness" and "action in Europe and worldwide".

[125] During the summer of 2016 in the aftermath of the Volkswagen emissions scandal, Macron, then Minister of the Economy, defended the use of diesel fuel, which he said was "at the heart of the French industrial policy".

[136] A burgeoning grassroots movement, the Gilets jaunes protests developed throughout France in November and December, extending even to the overseas territory of Réunion.

"[148] In an interview with the French news magazine Marianne, Macron asserted that "secularism is not designed to promote a republican religion", and responded to comments by Valls and Jean-Pierre Chevènement regarding the practice of Islam in French society by condemning the notion that citizens should be "discreet" in their religious practice, stating that "historical precedents when we asked for discretion in matters of religion did not bring honor to the Republic.

"[149] This statement triggered an intense negative reaction from the Fonds Social Juif Unifié (FSJU), an organization that runs Jewish religious schools in France.

[150] On 2 October 2020, he unveiled a plan to defend France's secular values against what he termed as "Islamist radicalism", saying the religion was "in crisis" all over the world, prompting a backlash from Muslim activists.

[155] According to Les Echos, extending national health insurance coverage to optics, hearing and dental care would cost €4.4 billion a year.

[156] In an interview published on 16 February 2017, Macron indicated that he was disappointed by the "humiliation" experienced by opponents of legalisation of same-sex marriage at the hands of La Manif pour tous during the push for passage of Law 2013-404.

[157] In a subsequent interview with Têtu in its edition of 28 February 2017, he said the law was both "desirable and necessary" but that the debate "fractured French society," and also denied allegations of a relationship with Mathieu Gallet, saying "if I'd been homosexual, I'd say so and I'd live it."

[163] On 2 October 2020, Macron announced his intention to ban homeschooling with medical exceptions by 2021, in order to address separatist Islamic indoctrination, which he saw as conflicting with the secular values of the French Republic.