Romania's far right takes aim at France
Although Simion had initially conceded defeat, on Tuesday, May 20, he abruptly changed course and filed complaints – so far all rejected – against alleged French interference. "Nicusor [Dan] is not the president of Romanians. Nicusor is a puppet of France," attacked the former ultra football supporter, calling on his supporters "to take to the barricades."
While Simion also, without evidence, accused neighboring Moldova – a country led by a strongly pro-European government – of having spent "€100 million" to "buy votes" in favor of the winner, it was mainly the French intelligence services that he targeted, accusing them of having supposedly "manipulated social media and used algorithms to influence Romanian citizens." These were precisely the same accusations Romanian authorities had previously leveled at Moscow during the original election held in November 2024.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
8 hours ago
- LeMonde
Petition against French law unbanning pesticide reaches threshold for Parliament debate
A new law in France allowing the reintroduction of a banned pesticide has sparked a record-breaking petition opposing it, which on Saturday, July 19, had gathered more than 500,000 signatures. The so-called Duplomb law has stirred public anger for permitting a return of acetamiprid, a chemical known to be toxic to pollinators such as bees and to ecosystems. Acetamiprid has been banned in France since 2018, but remains legal within the European Union. The law was adopted on July 8 but has not yet come into effect. The legislation, named after the conservative lawmaker who proposed it, was presented in Parliament as a measure to "reduce constraints" on French farmers. But its move to bring back acetamiprid prompted a 23-year-old master's student, Eléonore Pattery, to launch a petition against it that quickly snowballed, gathering support from many people, including actors and several left-wing lawmakers. The Assemblée Nationale's official website showed it had accumulated more signatures than any other. At 6:00 pm Saturday, the counter had passed 550,000. Debate in Parliament Under French rules, if a petition reaches 500,000 verified signatures, the Assemblée Nationale may choose to hold a public debate limited to the content of the petition itself. Petitions do not in themselves trigger a review or repeal of the legislation but unprecedented public support may prompt renewed parliamentary discussion on the matter. The petition calls for the "immediate repeal" of the law and a "citizen-led consultation involving health, agricultural, environmental and legal stakeholders." Pattery, who describes herself as "a future environmental health professional," called the new law a "scientific, ethical, environmental and public health aberration. "It represents a frontal attack on public health, biodiversity, the coherence of climate policies, food security, and common sense," she said. In late June, before the law's passage, several thousand demonstrators – including farmers, environmental organisations and scientists – rallied across France calling for the bill to be withdrawn.
LeMonde
12 hours ago
- LeMonde
Avignon staging of Pelicot trial brings theater of the real to a new height
Four hours of breathless intensity. Rarely have we witnessed such focus, such unity between actors and audience, such a sense of urgency in a theater. Bringing the landmark Pelicot rape trial to the stage requires meeting the gravity of a historic legal moment. That was certainly the case on Friday, July 18, in Avignon, during this one-off performance presented by Swiss director Milo Rau. His show, Le Procès Pelicot ("The Pelicot Trial"), will remain in the annals as a model for what theater of the real can be. How could four months of courtroom proceedings that deeply shook French society and reverberated far beyond its borders be condensed into four hours on stage? How could all traces of spectacle or sensationalism be avoided? Rau and his dramaturge, Servane Dècle, answered these questions with unwavering rigor and absolute faith in the power of theater, an art form intrinsically tied to justice since its Greek origins. Just a stone's throw from the Avignon courthouse where the trial was held, the Cloître des Carmes, a major venue of the festival, served as the perfect setting to replay the trial's pivotal moments and to reflect on the unfathomable events that unfolded over more than a decade in a quiet village in southern France. No set was needed; everything unfolded through spoken word. On a bare stage, two rows of wooden benches positioned at stage left and right, as in a courtroom, held the actors dressed in dark colors. At center stage, a small table behind which two actresses stood, serving as both narrators and as the presiding judge and vice president of the court.
LeMonde
14 hours ago
- LeMonde
The EU must assert itself in its trade relationship with the US
"Trump always chickens out." The phrase, coined by a columnist at the Financial Times, has been circulating widely in recent weeks. The idea that the US president speaks loudly but does not always follow through on his threats has fueled complacency among stock markets regarding the risks his trade war poses to the global economy. However, accusations of cowardice may not apply to Donald Trump alone. The European Union's hesitance in the face of Trump's maneuvering has also raised questions about whether the 27 member states can truly engage in the kind of power struggle that is now essential. While Brussels believed it was on track to minimize the tariffs on European exports to the United States, Trump dashed the EU's hopes by announcing on July 12 that he would unilaterally impose a 30% tax starting August 1. Is this a final bluff to extract further concessions, or a definitive move that could deal a severe blow to European growth? In any case, as the American president ramps up the pressure, the EU continues to waver, trying to salvage what it still can. European leaders have responded with lackluster retaliatory measures that have done little to deter Trump, who seems indifferent to the economic consequences of his actions. This game of high-stakes bluffing is likely to benefit the party setting the rules, to the detriment of those who are forced to adapt, always a step behind and uncertain of the game's true objective. Setting ambitious goals The confrontation appears to be based on a misunderstanding. The EU seeks to negotiate in good faith, aiming for fair trade based on the principle of comparative advantage between countries. But the US president has little interest in this quest for a mutually beneficial, purely commercial agreement. His ambitions go further. He aims to undermine Europe by any means, because he despises everything it stands for: supranationalism, multilateralism, progressivism and the primacy of law. Yet the EU has no reason to apologize for what it represents, nor to make concessions on its tax policy or the regulatory framework it has established for digital services. In this final stretch of negotiations, Europe must give the talks a political dimension, moving beyond the technical aspects that have dominated the debate so far. The EU should clearly set out its red lines and aim high. Settling for a compromise as unfavorable as the one the United Kingdom accepted in May would be unacceptable. If the 27 member states, as the US's top trading partner, fail to demonstrate that they carry more weight than a single country, it would send a disastrous message about the purpose of the European project. The EU's strategy of absorbing American provocations without actually implementing the retaliatory measures at its disposal has shown its limitations. The "proportionate, robust, and well-calibrated" reprisals promoted by the 27 member states do not measure up to what is a clear act of aggression, one whose aim goes beyond simply rebalancing the US trade deficit – its goal is to subordinate Europe. If Europe were to "chicken out," the consequences would not be purely economic.
