The European Movement in France («Mouvement Européen – France») has called on the French President to sign Declaration n°52 of the Lisbon treaty to officially recognize EU symbols in France. Following this, Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will recognize the European flag and anthem later this month.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon and his parliamentary group, la France Insoumise, tried to ban the European flag from the National Assembly by changing internal Assembly rules. The fact is, France never signed Declaration 52, that unites 16 countries declaring « that the flag with a circle of twelve golden stars on a blue background, the anthem based on the ‘Ode to Joy’ from the Ninth Symphony by Ludwig van Beethoven, the motto ‘United in diversity’, the euro as the currency of the European Union and Europe Day on 9 May will for them continue as symbols to express the sense of community of the people in the European Union and their allegiance to it ».

The European Movement’s French branch called on Emmanuel Macron to sign the Declaration last June, after Jean-Luc Mélenchon denounced the EU flag as a Christian symbol. Yves Bertoncini, President of the European Movement in France, drew attention to the French flag while appearing in various national media, noting that the white color on the flag of the French Republic first symbolized monarchy.

Raising the European flag doesn’t represent a Christian Europe; neither does it limit public debate on the decisions and the future of the European Union. It simply symbolizes our belonging to the European project, to which the French people feel attached.