EU rushes to seal key deals as Le Pen threatens to shake up bloc

EU governments are racing to finalise major legislation before France’s 2027 presidential election, amid growing concern that a victory by far-right leader Marine Le Pen could disrupt the bloc’s budget, climate agenda and wider policy priorities.

Diplomats told the Financial Times that Paris has urged EU partners to reach agreements on key files before the election, including the bloc’s seven-year budget and major climate measures.

“France is pushing to get things done by year-end, saying ‘if we don’t get a good deal by year-end, we will stop negotiating’,” one EU diplomat said.

The Élysée Palace denied that France’s approach was driven by the election, saying: “We act in accordance with the institutions and in the interests of Europe, never based on electoral deadlines or their anticipated outcomes,”

EU officials are particularly concerned that a Le Pen-led government could seek to shift powers back to national governments and challenge policies promoted under President Emmanuel Macron.

The National Rally (RN), led by Le Pen, has pledged to reduce France’s contribution to the EU budget and opposes several elements of the bloc’s climate agenda, including the planned phaseout of new combustion-engine cars.

“[Le Pen] means that if there is no [EU budget] deal by the end of this year, then there probably won’t be a deal before the end of next year,” a third EU diplomat said. “So then we just have no budget.”

The prospect of a disruptive French presidency has added pressure to already difficult negotiations over the EU’s next long-term budget and other legislation.

“The window for getting things done is reduced,” a fourth EU diplomat said. “We realise today that the European project is extremely fragile.”

RN leader Jordan Bardella has warned the EU against attempting to finalise a budget before a possible change of government in France, while Le Pen has argued that France is not receiving sufficient value for its contribution to the bloc.

The French election is not the only potential challenge facing Brussels, with elections also due in Spain, Poland and Italy in 2027. One EU diplomat said Le Pen was “just one aspect of an urgent agenda.”