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A8 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 6 March 2019

Macron’s plea for Europe lays down battle lines for May vote

By LORI HINNANT in domestic politics. Macron’s party appears
SYLVIE CORBET It added that the French ahead of the far-right Na-
Associated Press presidency had informed tional rally in European Par-
PARIS (AP) — French Presi- all 28 EU governments liament elections.
dent Emmanuel Macron’s ahead of the publication. The French opposition criti-
plea to voters in 28 nations In a tweet Tuesday, Finnish cized Macron’s tribune on
to choose a stronger Eu- Prime Minister Juha Sipila of- Tuesday.
ropean Union has gained fered support for Macron’s “Macron is all alone on the
support from outside his call for “security, sustain- European stage. He got
borders — and a good deal able growth and ambitious angry with the countries in
of skepticism from within. climate policy.” the East, treating them as
In a column published for Sipila added that people though they were insane.
Tuesday’s editions through- needed to see “the EU that He got angry with Italy,
out the bloc, Macron ad- is capable of making de- treating it as a national-
vised voters in the May 23- cisions and implementing ist leper,” Jordan Bardella,
26 EU parliament elections In this Sunday, June 24, 2018 file photo French President them.” head of the candidate list
to reject nationalist parties Emmanuel Macron speaks with the media at the conclusion Belgian Prime Minister for France’s far-right Na-
that “offer nothing,” laying of an informal EU summit on migration at EU headquarters in Charles Michel said he par- tional Rally, told BFM tele-
down the battle lines for Brussels. ticularly hoped for “a Eu- vision. “He is now totally
the vote. Associated Press rope that protects liberty alone in his plans for a fed-
Instead, Macron called on general election on Sun- of EU political parties by for- and democracy,” accord- eral Europe, for a European
people to support parties day. eign powers. ing to the agency Belga. renaissance, while all the
who want to strengthen Eu- “Freedom, protection and To address migration, Ma- The German government people of Europe want to
rope. progress: we need to build cron called for stricter bor- said it’s important for pro- regain their power, their
Macron himself defeated European renewal on these der controls, a common European forces to set out national sovereignty.”
an anti-EU candidate to pillars. We can’t let nation- border force, and common their ideas for the future of Nadine Morano of the op-
become modern France’s alists with no solutions ex- asylum rules. the EU, but didn’t offer any position Republicans noted
youngest leader, but his ploit people’s anger. We Macron also called for immediate assessment of that France seems to figure
popularity at home has can’t sleepwalk to a dimin- Europe to lead the fight Macron’s latest reform pro- little in Macron’s plans.
dipped since taking office ished Europe. We can’t re- against climate change by posals. “In this column, the word
to the strains of the bloc’s main in the routine of busi- setting a target of zero car- In France, Macron’s ratings France appears just once,”
anthem, “Ode to Joy.” ness as usual and wishful bon dioxide emissions by remain low in popularity she told FranceInfo radio.
The column is his furthest- thinking,” he wrote. 2050 and cutting pesticide polls even if he appeared “This is Macronism — France
reaching attempt to shore He proposed the creation use in half by 2025. to regain a little support in has to disappear into this
up the EU, where national- of an agency to protect Macron’s office said the recent weeks, as he tries to European federalism.”
ist and populist candidates member states’ elections French president’ ap- quell the yellow vest anti- Since he arrived in office
have seen gains, including from cyberattacks and oth- proach is “legitimate and government protest move- in May 2017, Macron has
in neighboring Italy and er manipulations. He also useful” to open a European ment. made a point of visiting 19
most recently in the Estonia seeks to ban the financing debate without interfering The polls suggest that European countries.q
Counterterror police examine 3 explosive devices in London

By GREGORY KATZ airports and at a train sta- Police Service said the
Associated Press tion Tuesday, and Irish po- devices found near Lon-
LONDON (AP) — Three lice said they were helping don’s Heathrow and City
small explosive devices in British counterterrorism po- airports and at Waterloo
plastic mailing bags arrived lice with the investigation. Station “appear capable
at offices for two London London’s Metropolitan of igniting an initially small
fire when opened.” A staff
member did unseal the
bag sent to an office build-
ing on Heathrow’s grounds,
“causing the device to ini-
tiate,” the police depart-
ment said.
Part of the package
burned, but no one was
injured, police said. The
Compass Centre was In this handout photo provided by Sky News, a suspect package
evacuated as a precau- that was sent to Waterloo station is seen in England, Tuesday,
tion. The building is not March 5, 2019.
close to passenger termi- Associated Press
nals at Heathrow, Britain’s after another suspicious those packages.
busiest airport, and flights package turned up in the The Metropolitan Police
were not affected. mail room at busy Water- Counter Terrorism Com-
The Heathrow property is loo Station. The last was mand “is treating the in-
where the first of the three found just after noon at the cidents as a linked series”
explosive devices was dis- administration building for and “keeping an open
covered at about 9:55 a.m. City Airport, a much small- mind regarding motives,”
Transportation police re- er commercial airport. No the department said in a
ceived a call at 11:40 a.m. one had opened either of statement.q