Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally group in France’s National Assembly, has spoken out against Ukraine’s possible membership of the European Union. In her view, Paris would be among the first to face economic losses.
“If Ukraine joined the European Union, we would be the first losers, on two counts,” Le Pen wrote on X on 7 October.
She pointed to two sources of damage for French agriculture. The first is “strong unfair competition” from Ukrainian producers on the single market. The second is a substantial cut in the share of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget that currently supports French farmers.
The comments come as talks on Ukraine’s accession continue. Brussels is discussing transitional arrangements for the farm sector to soften the impact on the bloc’s internal market. The National Rally has consistently opposed fast-track European integration for Kyiv, citing risks to French producers and the burden on the EU budget.
Le Pen’s stance fits a broader line she has taken: she has previously said that, given the state of public finances, France can no longer provide Ukraine with financial aid on the previous scale, while still allowing for military training and equipment supplies.
