Campaign to verify facts about the French Presidential election
4.4.2017
Question for written answer P-002511-17
to the Commission
Rule 130
Marine Le Pen (ENF)
According to the site Politico.eu (‘For EU, French vote is existential’ (Pour l’Union, le vote français est capital), 30 March 2017), the Commission is indirectly interfering in French politics, with a campaign to verify facts which is intended to counter the anti-European discourse of the Front National (‘In an unusual move, it’s getting involved in French politics, albeit indirectly, with a fact-checking campaign to counter the anti-EU narrative coming from Le Pen’s National Front’).
Is this correct?
If appropriate, has the Commission requested the agreement of the French Government for this interference in the French Presidential election?
In the interests of equity, will the verification campaign be applied to all parties and candidates, or only to the Front National and its Presidential election candidate?