French minister Darmanin warns Le Pen or Mélenchon win would end the EU

He told an audience in Barcelona a win for either would leave no European Community. The RN wants to cut France's 30.9 billion euro EU contribution the most, Le Figaro reports. France votes for president on 18 April.

Gérald Darmanin, a French government minister, warned in Barcelona that a win for Jean-Luc Mélenchon or Marine Le Pen would end Europe as we know it. He said both candidates' projects are built on the end of this Europe. There would still be a continent and countries talking to each other, he said, but no European Community.

France pays 30.9 billion euros into the EU budget, according to Le Figaro. The National Rally (RN) wants to cut that contribution the most and voted against it, according to Le Figaro.

Darmanin again put both extremes in the same camp, this time on their vision of Europe. He called for someone very pro-European to win the presidential election, whose first round is set for 18 April. That winner, he said, should change Europe. The next head of state's task, Darmanin said, will be to transform Europe from a Europe of discussion into a Europe of power.

The money has already faced one vote. On 15 October 2026, deputies adopted the 30.9 billion euro French contribution to the EU budget planned for 2027, despite opposition from LFI, Jean-Luc Mélenchon's party, and the RN. Marine Le Pen plans to put a cap on what France pays in, which Le Figaro describes in an upcoming tribune.

Mélenchon and Le Pen have given no reply, the election site's report shows. One paper ran the warning without its condition. 20 Minutes dropped 'if they are elected' and put 'in the same basket' 'once again' in its heading.