European leaders embarrassed themselves over Ceuta

Sanchez' Spain swiftly dealt with the incursion of 60,000 Moroccan migrants sent to Ceuta as part of Morocco's hybrid warfare strategy, and after showing zero solidarity, anti-EU leaders backed down.

frenchdispatch.eu

Philippe's PNF Probe Survives Court Test as Lecornu Tops 2027 Polls

A whistleblower's status is upheld, and Renaissance voters would rather have the PM who isn't running than either man who is. Meanwhile, Didier Deschamps bows out after France's World Cup exit.

frenchdispatch.eu

The Death of FCAS: an Anatomy of Europe's €100 Billion Defence Scandal

The story of how the Franco-German fighter was killed, how Germany had its replacement ready beforehand, and what it tells us about Europe's sovereignty drive.

frenchdispatch.eu

Convict Candidate Marine Le Pen, Glucksmann Considers PS Primary

Marine Le Pen works around her conviction, Bardella settles for Matignon, and Socialists launch a scramble to find someone who can beat the RN in 2027.

frenchdispatch.eu

Le Pen Convicted: Three Years Prison, €100k Fine, but Eligible for the Presidency

The clock, not the bench, just cleared her for a 2027 run, but whether Marine Le Pen will run a campaign wearing an ankle tag or not is the question the Rassemblement National now has to answer.

frenchdispatch.eu

Marine Le Pen's Verdict Lands Tuesday, and France's 2027 Race Just Shifted

The presidential election dates are official, the RN is bracing for two outcomes, and a new poll has François Hollande leading a divided left.

frenchdispatch.eu

The EEAS Isn't Broken. The System Is.

France and Germany want to gut the EEAS. But dismantling the EU's diplomatic service won't fix EU foreign policy. The problem is structural.

frenchdispatch.eu

A Plan to Reinvent Paris, and a Judicial System That Failed a Child

France's Haut-Commissariat proposes abolishing the Métropole du Grand Paris, while the murder of 11-year-old Lyhanna exposes a judiciary drowning in backlogs.

frenchdispatch.eu

Yuliia Mendel and the Anatomy of a Disinformation Campaign

How Zelenskyy's former spokesperson became a vector for Russian disinformation, and why Tucker Carlson's platform was the point.

frenchdispatch.eu

Gabriel Attal enters the 2027 presidential race

The Renaissance leader declared his candidacy in rural Aveyron, as France again tops EU investment rankings and Ben-Gvir is banned from French territory

frenchdispatch.eu

Philippe's Le Havre problem just became a Presidential problem

The PNF has referred the Cité numérique file to a juge d'instruction. The centrist favourite is now fighting to stay clean.

frenchdispatch.eu

The E6: Federalism by Other Means

Europe faces threats on every front, and the six largest economies have stopped waiting for unanimity. The €11 trillion question is whether they can pull off federal economic policy without a treaty.

frenchdispatch.eu

Bardella Faces EU Fraud Probe Amid French Election Scandal

Bardella faces an EPPO investigation, Le Pen awaits her appeal ruling, an Israeli firm is accused of election interference in France, and Attal is making his move

frenchdispatch.eu

Macron: Orion 26 "clear signal" to adversaries; French Army swamped with recruits

France's largest military exercise since the Cold War wraps up, the new voluntary national service scheme is oversubscribed on day one, and the Socialist leader calls for a unified left ahead of 2027

frenchdispatch.eu

Macron Pledges to Defend Europe as France Braces for Iran Energy Crisis

The French President reaffirms mutual defence commitments in Athens, warns against panic over Strait of Hormuz disruption, and Glucksmann eyes 2027 on his own terms.

frenchdispatch.eu

Macron Leads European Push to Reopen Hormuz After French Soldier Killed in Lebanon

A deadly attack on a UN peacekeeping patrol and a global energy crisis converge in a defining week for French foreign policy

frenchdispatch.eu

Trump Chickens Out Again in Iran

How Donald Trump's colossal failure in Iran manages to hand Tehran exactly what it wants

frenchdispatch.eu

Rima Hassan Arrested, a French Ship Passes Hormuz Blockade, and Macron Courts Japan & Korea

An MEP faces terrorism apologia charges, a French vessel navigates the Iran-controlled strait, and Emmanuel Macron returns from Tokyo and Seoul with sixty new agreements in hand.

frenchdispatch.eu

France Beats Deficit Forecast, Macron Approval Climbs, Alstom Wins €915m Contract

INSEE figures beat government forecasts as the Lecornu government steadies the ship, Macron climbs in the polls, and French industry scores a huge win in Serbia

frenchdispatch.eu

France 2026 Municipal Elections, the Paris Mayoral Race, and Macron's New Aircraft Carrier

France's second-round municipal elections are underway, with the Paris mayoralty hanging in the balance between Dati and Grégoire, while Macron unveils the €10 billion France Libre aircraft carrier

frenchdispatch.eu

Balaclavas, Broken Alliances & Bond Ratings

From a far-right attack on an LFI rally in Lille to the collapsing centrist coalition between Renaissance and Les Républicains in Montluçon - and what Fitch's A+ rating means for France.

frenchdispatch.eu

Trump's ambassador blocked by Paris, and Mélenchon falls into a political hole after far-left violence

Paris briefly froze access for Trump’s envoy after a provocative embassy intervention, as new polling shows Mélenchon’s LFI haemorrhaging legitimacy amid violence backlash

frenchdispatch.eu

Quentin Deranque Case in Lyon: Seven Arrested, LFI Under Pressure, Macron and Merz Respond to Trump Tariffs

A homicide investigation in Lyon, mounting political pressure on La France Insoumise, and a growing EU pushback after Donald Trump’s tariff threats.

frenchdispatch.eu

Niger “prepares for war” with France as political violence escalates in Lyon

From Niamey’s anti-French rhetoric and Russian disinformation to the killing of a far-right activist in Lyon and Valérie Pécresse’s bid to reshape the French right.

frenchdispatch.eu

Russian Disinformation Targets Macron as French Prosecutors Move Against Elon Musk’s X

From the Storm-1516 propaganda operation to raids on Musk’s Paris offices, France confronts disinformation, platform abuse, and democratic destabilisation

frenchdispatch.eu

Macron Takes On Trump, Lecornu Survives Censure, France Bans Far-Right British Activists

Sébastien Lecornu survives two more censure motions, President Macron warns Donald Trump of “cascading consequences” for the west over Greenland, and France bans ten far-right British influencers

frenchdispatch.eu

🗳️New Year, New Elections

Rachida Dati feels pressure from far-right Knafo in Paris, Lécornu eyes March legislative elections following Mercosur censures, and Le Monde poll shows Marine Le Pen falling behind Jordan Bardella

frenchdispatch.eu