At the end of the year and the beginning of the year, a controversy triggered a shock in the French political class: because of the decision to hang an EU flag alone at the Arch of Triumph, a landmark building on the Champs Elysées, to celebrate France's presidency of the European Union from January 1, the French government was reprimanded by some opposition, and even politicians publicly accused President Macron of "loving the EU more than France".
▲ On January 1, 2022, the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France was lit up by blue lights. (Photo from Xinhua News Agency)
Macron's EU vision
According to the French newspaper La Croix, BFMTV, and the European edition of the US political news network,Politico.eu the EU's twelve-star flag did not stay under the arc de Triomphe for long: it was hoisted on December 31, 2021, and taken off on the evening of January 1-2, 2022. The initial goal was to symbolically mark the beginning of France's presidency of the Council of the European Union for a period of 6 months. In addition, there are many landmark buildings lit up in EU blue, such as the Elysee Palace, Notre Dame Cathedral, Eiffel Tower and so on.
Clément Beaune, the French government's state secretary for European affairs, originally told AFP that "the EU flag will be hoisted under the Arc de Triomphe for a few days, accompanied by lights". However, after the flag was removed, the Elysee Palace insisted that it was "going according to plan (...). As with several other places of interest lit up in the blue of the European Union.".
The raising of the EU flag under the Arc de Triomphe is in line with Macron's vision of Europe. "2022 should be a turning point for Europe," he said in a New Year's address to the French. However, as he argues, promoting "European sovereignty" means creating a federal Europe that superimposes two sovereign state orders, one common and central, and the other unique to each member state.
"Patriotic victory"?
The raising of the EU flag marks the beginning of France's presidency of the EU on January 1. As a result, it turned into a struggle over France's history and identity, and taught that the presidential campaign that dominated France's tense political tensions until April would be less simple.
Several presidential candidates reacted almost immediately, outraged by it: from Marina Le Pen, Eric Zemoor, Nicolas Dupont-Aignan and Florian Philippot, who held an extremely right-wing stance, to Pekeres on the right.
Neither Le Pen nor Zemmer were "fans" of the European Union, and they quickly denounced the move as a provocation, an atrocity and an "offense to those who fought for France". Le Pen even claimed to appeal to the Supreme Administrative Court (Conseil d'État).
However, not everyone takes the same position. On the one hand, Florian Filippot, who supports Frexit, demanded the removal of all what he called the "infamous blue-and-yellow rags". Pécrés, on the other hand, did not demand the removal of the European flag, but "solemnly demanded that Macron raise the French flag again under the Arc de Triomphe, next to the flag of the European Union.".
The point of anger in these oppositions is that the French flag has been "replaced". Congressman Éric Ciotti, who lost Pécrés in the Republican primary, even publicly criticized Macron in an interview. "He didn't like France, he didn't like its roots, its history, its culture, its identity... I'm not saying he's anti-French, I think his vision goes beyond the borders of France, his vision is international, universal, rootless," he added, "I'm European, I believe in European integration, but I'm a Frenchman first and foremost."
Supporters of the French government and Macron defended the flag's placement, saying soldiers commemorating at the Arc de Triomphe would celebrate decades of peace brought by the European Union. They noted that other important monuments around Paris, including the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Elysee Palace, commemorate the presidency with blue lights, but have not sparked the same controversy.
After the EU flag was taken down, far-right figures led by Le Pen hailed it as a "patriotic victory," but the Elysées denied succumbing to controversy.
▲ On December 31, 2021, the Eiffel Tower, a landmark building in Paris, France, lit up the eu flag pattern. (Photo from Xinhua News Agency)
Is it compliant to fly the European flag alone?
In fact, Pekerez's request was in line with official advice. "Public buildings may fly the European flag, as long as they are together with the French flag (decree of 4 May 1963) and the European flag is placed to the right of the French flag," the French Ministry of Defence also stipulates.
That is why during France's last PRESIDENCY of the European Union in 2008, both flags were hoisted under the Arc de Triomphe. In addition, Sarkozy was the first head of state to place two flags in official photographs.
Similarly, it was the first proposal by the right to install the EU flag next to the French flag in the semi-circular venue of the National Assembly, a proposal made on 18 July 2007 by Bernard Accoyer of the Popular Movement Union Party (the predecessor of the Republican Party). But in vain, it was not until Claude Bartolone of the Socialist Party became speaker of the National Assembly and Gérard Larcher of the Republican Party became president of the Senate.
Multiple symbolism of a flag
In 1955, the European Council adopted 12 stars on a blue background as its flag, and in 1985 it became the flag of the European Community and later the flag of the European Union. As a result, not everyone has the same interpretation of the symbolism of the EU flag.
In the eyes of European parliamentarian Raphaël Glucksmann, it meant peace — "overcoming the growing nationalism that often plunges the continent into war." In the eyes of MP Bastien Lachaud, it represents the EU's ideological orientation, namely "universal austerity" and "free and distortion-free competition" within the single market.
Is it a big deal?
This defense seems to ignore the power of symbolism, especially in the pessimistic and difficult times ahead of major elections. France is one of the most skeptical of the EU among member states, with most people believing it is in decline.
The attacks on all of Macron's presidential rivals highlighted a major disagreement in the campaign: the unabashed pro-EU candidate, Macron, in opposition to candidates with varying degrees of Euroscepticism.
According to an internal poll by the ruling Party," the Republic Forward Party, support for the European plan is the glue that brings macron's diverse backers together. And the attack from rivals appears intent on stifling any attempt by Macron to use the EU presidency to seek re-election.
On the face of it, the anger generated by the EU flag flying alone under the Arc de Triomphe is a fussy political storm. But it also shows that over the next four months there will be a long list of possible disagreements over the interpretation of French history, the status of the European Union, and ethnic and religious diversity, and the flag-flying controversy is only the first of them. (Original title: The Triumphal Arch Raises the EU Flag, France Sets Off a Political Storm)