Emmanuel Macron defends snap election and calls for moderate parties to unite against far right – Europe live

French president says calling snap election was the only path forward after the far right's success in the EU elections

Macron is now speaking about economic goals.

Speaking at a press conference, Emmanuel Macron said that in Sunday's vote in the European election citizens have expressed their concerns and difficulties. We must bring a democratic response, he said.

Returning to the sovereign people is, in my opinion, the only republican decision in this context.

Do we think that (Republicans party leader) Mr. Ciotti - and The Republicans who follow him - who up until now explained that the ruling majority was too lax and that we needed to rein in our public spending faster, would govern effectively with the (far-right) National Rally, whose program has been independently costed at about 100 billion euros a year for our taxpayers?

We must, first and foremost, continue relentlessly to act for greater security and (state) firmness, and implement the laws that have been passed, like our European texts, to reduce illegal immigration.