During the EP plenary session (16- 19 April 2018) in Strasbourg, Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic and MEPs debate on the Future of Europe. This is the fourth in a series of plenary debates between EU government leaders and MEPs reflecting on the future of the EU. Statements by Daniele VIOTTI (S&D, IT), Pervenche BERÈS (S&D, FR), Marisa MATIAS (GUE/NGL, PT), Sylvie GUILLAUME (S&D, FR) and Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic.

Debate on the Future of Europe with Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic: extracts from the debate (Q&A) and final statement

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SOUNDBITE (French), Sylvie GUILLAUME (S&amp;D, FR), (on Migration): In February 2018 the French government voted on the common asylum policy, but the title is deceptive, was it your intention to use European umbrella to justify very unfortunate provision such as the arrest and detain anyone concerned by the Dublin regulation, including children.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, Harmonizing of rules means that we can have much better coordinated management of how we receive the refugees and I think we can draw inspiration from what our German neighbours have done, the timing for asylum and dealing with regular, could I ask you to look at the rules that prevail in Germany now, they are even more radical what is proposed by France, however with underlying the investment in receiving these populations and in people who get their papers, that is what we want to do.

SOUNDBITE (Italian), Daniele VIOTTI (S&amp;D, IT), (on the French-Italian border incident ):  Can I remind you what is happening at the French-Italian border for months, (different location) where the French police is acting at the boundary of legality by pushing away refugees, pregnant women, children and making them getting off the trains. Can I ask do you know about these facts?

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, Everything happening between France and Italy isn&rsquo;t happening due to the intention of one of the other, but in perfect coordination and I welcome the perfect agreement that we have between our countries to manage migratory flows in a situation you called rightly upon are always difficult in Human terms, they are very worrying.

SOUNDBITE (French), Pervenche BER&#200;S (S&amp;D, FR), (On the proposal of Udo Bullmann): The President of my group, Udo Bullmann presented a deal to you as French-German initiative, Nuclear for coal, you didn&rsquo;t reply to him so I invite you to do so.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, We have to have security supply, we have to reduce fossil fuel proportional, so we have a proportion of nuclear, but we have to maintain sovereignty. If closing plants means opening coal ones, that happened in Germany, so you see a two balance to suffer and that is clashing with the Paris agreement and if we speed up along this path without bearing in mind security supply and it means you are depend to non-European supplier, respective Russia, that is not a good decision.

SOUNDBITE (Portuguese), Marisa MATIAS (GUE/NGL, PT), (on the President's decision to intervene one time in Syria by military means): Almost unilateral through that engagement that was very dangerous, without consulting anyone what so ever and without putting it in front of any Parliament, not the French Parliament even, never mind the European ones.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, According to the French Constitution the President has to inform the National representation, that has been done, we decide that there should be a debate. Each country according to their Constitution has its own rules, but you cannot lecture me about democracy, telling me that you don&rsquo;t like the French laws, so they had been decided by the Sovereign French people and voted on them when they decided on the Constitution. And that will continue to be the case as far the powers of the French Presidents are. Now when we are talking about European policies the European laws prevail, but if you like democracy and sovereignty that doesn&rsquo;t mean that you should be mixing up all the rules.

SOUNDBITE (French), Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic, Saying that it is a special honour to address the House in Strasbourg.

Applause, later standing ovation, the French President goes to the first row of MEPs and shakes hands, (5 shots)

Debate on the Future of Europe with Emmanuel MACRON, President of the French Republic: extracts from the debate (Q&A) and final statement

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