EU must further protect workers, says Frenchman Macron

PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday that the European Union had failed to protect the less fortunate in the pursuit of a neoliberal agenda, indicating a more critical stance as Eurosceptics win before next spring's elections.

In recent months, Macron has presented the elections to the European Parliament next May as a battle between anti-immigrant nationalists and pro-EU "progressives".

On Tuesday, he addressed voter concerns that reinforced support for far right and eurosceptic parties in France, and paralleled Britain 's departure from the EU.

"We have to hear fear and anger. "We are angry at a Europe that has become too ultra-liberal," Macron told Europe 1 Europe Radio in an interview.

"This anger is directed against an ultra-liberal Europe that no longer allows our middle classes to live decently," he said, using an associated term in France to an excessively free market ideology.

An Ifop poll released on Sunday shows that the far-right National Rally party, formerly the National Front, for the first time outpaced Macron's party, Republic en Marche, during a poll for the European elections. He also showed the far-right and anti-EU parties with combined support of 30%, up from 25% at the end of August.

Macron said that Brexit was the result of the disenchantment of the middle and middle classes vis-à-vis Europe and the financial center of the City of London.

"When Britain decides to leave Europe, it's the middle class that says: this Europe, you sell me, the city is better off, but me, in the countryside or in industrial cities, I I am less well off, "he said. "We need to hear that, so we need a Europe that protects more workers."

The French leader, who defended at home a program to promote the business world including labor reforms and privatizations, simultaneously tried to calm the protectionist instincts in France by touting a "Europe that protects".

Macron also said on Tuesday that Europe should be a real army in order to be less dependent on the United States and the resurgence of Russia.

"We will not protect Europeans if we do not decide to build a real European army," said Macron.

"In the face of Russia, which is close to our borders and has shown that it can be threatening – I want to build a real dialogue on security with Russia, a country I respect, a European country – but we must have a Europe that can defend itself without relying solely on the United States, "he added.