Europe Today: Le Pen to run for French president as Trump revives Greenland row

Name: Europe Today: Le Pen to run for French president as Trump revives Greenland row
Uploaded: 2026-07-08T06:58:39+00:00
Duration: 20 min 2 s
Channel: euronews (in English)

00:14Good morning, it is Wednesday the 8th of July. I'm Maeve McMahon and this is Europe Today,

00:20your morning digest of European news and analysis, live here on Euronews.

00:25Coming up, guilty as charged, a French appeals court has upheld Marine Le Pen's conviction for

00:31misusing EU funds but shortened her ban on running for elected office. That means the

00:37far-right leader says she'll be running in the 2027 French presidential race. We'll be

00:42crossing to Strasbourg for reactions. Meanwhile, the US military has launched fresh strikes against

00:47Iran this Wednesday after Tehran attacked three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz.

00:52It comes as NATO allies gather today in Ankara for a second day of talks. Commission President

00:58von der Leyen and NATO's Mark Rutte have said the alliance must become more European and reduce

01:04its long-standing reliance on US security. We'll be bringing you all the latest from our NATO

01:10correspondent in Ankara, Shona Marie. And the French President Emmanuel Macron, the first European

01:16leader to visit Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, was in Damascus, where he signed a

01:21bilateral agreement with the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Shadda, aimed at encouraging investment

01:26to help rebuild the country after 14 years of war. Explosions were reported, though, near the area

01:32he was visiting during his trip. Plus a thriller on the football pitch just when it looked like

01:38Egypt was in the lead. Argentina staged a dramatic comeback last night. Inspired by the global superstar,

01:44Lionel Messi. The reigning world champion secured a 3-2 victory and will now face Switzerland in the

01:50quarterfinals this Saturday. And in other sports news, the International Olympic Committee has

01:56lifted some restrictions on Russian athletes, allowing them to compete in some events ahead

02:01of the Games in 2028. But first to France, where Marie Le Pen has announced she'll be the far-right

02:07national rally's French presidential candidate after an appeals court yesterday cleared the way for her to run

02:12next year. For more, we can go straight over to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, where our correspondent

02:17Marine Gwynne is standing by for us this morning. So, Marie Le Pen cleared to run, but still facing

02:24legal challenges. Tell us more.

02:30Exactly, Maeve. So, Marine Le Pen, very defiant last night, coming out saying she will be the national rally's

02:36candidate in those French presidential elections taking place next April. There were doubts because

02:43an appeals court was ruling on a conviction she received in March last year related to the embezzlement

02:50of up to 4.4 million euros in European funds. She was found guilty. The court upheld that guilty verdict.

02:58But it did significantly cut down the ban on public office, the five-year ban on public office. She had

03:05originally been handed down to just 50 months, effectively. She has already served those 50

03:10months. She's now cleared to run. Now, I'm in Strasbourg, Maeve, and there was a sense of apprehension

03:15of expectation all afternoon yesterday after that verdict came, because the court also said that

03:19Marine Le Pen must wear an electronic ankle tag for one year. She had previously said that she would

03:26not run for president in those conditions. It will clearly impact her ability to travel and so on.

03:31But last night, she came out saying she will be able to campaign without that ankle tag. Let's take a

03:36listen.

03:40As you know, I said that I would not campaign with an ankle bracelet. However, as I have the option

03:45of lodging an appeal to the court of cassation, which was not necessarily the case in other scenarios,

03:50and as an appeal to the court of cassation suspends the effect of the judgment, I will therefore be

03:55campaigning without an ankle bracelet. So this evening, I am a candidate. I am running

04:00for president.

04:05So Marine Le Pen there clearly saying she will not be stepping aside and making way for her

04:1030-year-old young protege, Jordan Bardella, as some had expected. She did say last night that she has

04:17Bardella's full support, and in her words, that they make a formidable couple, a winning partnership,

04:23she said, and she will have his support going into this presidential campaign. And on that,

04:27I'm joined now in the European Parliament by a member of Marine Le Pen's National Rally

04:32Party, a member of the European Parliament, Fabrice Légeri. Sir, good to have you with us

04:37this morning. First of all, do you believe Marine Le Pen made the right political judgment

04:43yesterday, choosing to stay on as your presidential candidate?

04:47Yeah, good morning. Thank you for the invitation. Of course, Marine Le Pen made yesterday the right

04:51decision. This is the first victory for French democracy, because it's not up to judges to decide

04:58who will be the candidate and who will run for presidential election.

05:02Yet the French judges did uphold her conviction. She is guilty, along with other members of your

05:08party, of embezzling millions in European funds. What does it say about your party that your first

05:14choice presidential candidate faces such serious charges? First of all, I would like to clarify

05:19again that she is not guilty, because this is not, there is no personal enrichment. And Marine Le Pen

05:26is further appealing to the top Supreme Court in France in judicial matters, the Cour de Cassation.

05:33And she will demonstrate that she is not guilty at all. So that's the main point I have to say

05:41about that. And then, of course, that means that we are confident that, well, there is no mistrust in

05:50the eyes of French people, because French people know absolutely what this is about.

05:54She's confident she will be able to campaign without this electronic ankle tag. Yet this is

05:59sure to cast a shadow. She is facing this sort of home imprisonment for a year, essentially.

06:06How do you think that will impact the campaign? She won't be able to go out on the campaign trail.

06:10Well, as Marine Le Pen is appealing further to the top Supreme Court, this, let's say,

06:16temporary sanction decided by the appeal court will be suspended. And we are confident, again,

06:23that Marine Le Pen and our colleagues will not be found guilty by the top court, Cour de Cassation.

06:30So I must ask you, we're here in the European Parliament. What does the fact that Marine Le Pen

06:34is the candidate mean for Europe? We know in the past she has campaigned to take France out of the

06:41Eurozone, out of the European Union. Does she inevitably need to now soften her stance and become

06:47more palatable to Brussels? Well, already in the last presidential elections in 2022, Marine Le Pen

06:55supported a policy which is to improve the European Union as insiders. So our policy is not

07:02for exit. Our policy is to join forces with other governments, with other nations in order to improve

07:10the EU functioning. And I can say as a member of the European Parliament that we have already managed

07:18to get many results in the past months here in the European Parliament. So that shows it is possible.

07:25I can give you some examples. Return regulation, less, well, cutting the red tape, the omnibus

07:32regulations and so on and so on. So I'm confident this will be an opportunity for all, not only for

07:39French people, but also for other European nations. Okay, Fabrice Lageri, that's all we have time for,

07:44I'm afraid, but thank you for joining us this morning on Europe Today. I'm sure we'll be following

07:48this story very, very closely over the coming weeks and months. Maeve, back to you.

07:53We will indeed, Marie-Gwynne. Thank you so much. We'll come back to you a little bit later

07:56on the programme. But now moving on to Ankara, where NATO leaders are meeting for their second

08:01day of talks after US President Donald Trump reignited the confrontation over Greenland and

08:07lashed out at other allies over Iran. For more, we can go straight over to Ankara and bring in

08:12our NATO correspondent, Shona Murray. Good morning, Shona. So look, Donald Trump arrived

08:16yesterday and almost straight away berated his allies. Tell us more.

08:22Well, good morning, Maeve. That's right. I mean, even the most seasoned NATO diplomats have

08:26been saying for the past few weeks that this summit would be straightforward, that it would

08:31pass off without incident because of the numbers being pledged and spent on defence, $50 billion

08:37yesterday at the NATO Defence Industry Forum. But the idea was that Donald Trump would be

08:43placated by that. But of course, he had other plans. The first moment he basically touched

08:48down here in Ankara, he lambasted allies over not helping him in the war in Iran. And then,

08:52as you said, he reignited that confrontation with Denmark over the US trying to control

08:59Greenland. Take a listen. Greenland doesn't help Denmark. Denmark doesn't spend money to

09:07really help Greenland. But it's an important part for the United States. And it's surrounded

09:12by China ships and Russian ships. And that's not going to happen. The ships is not going to

09:19happen. It was Greenland that, and it continues to be, that should be controlled by the United

09:26States, not by Denmark. Now, the Prime Minister of Denmark obviously responded, saying Greenland

09:31is not for sale. But it's obviously tarnished somewhat, this summit. Then, moreover, overnight,

09:37Maeve, we know that the United States launched strikes against Iran in command and control centres.

09:42So there's a real concern that that might overshadow today's proceedings, which, of course,

09:45we're supposed to be talking about Ukraine, the war in Ukraine, and also the defence of the

09:50European continent. Of course, Donald Trump is due to meet Vladimir Zelensky, the Ukrainian

09:54president today, this afternoon, around 2.30. But still, you know, it's not really as straightforward

09:59as NATO allies had hoped. Maeve?

10:01Hearing some big announcements coming out of that summit there on spending, Shona, did

10:06that not please President Donald Trump?

10:10Well, certainly there was. I mean, $50 billion on tanks, submarines, Patriot Systems Interceptors,

10:17and, of course, about $10 to $20 billion on drones, anti-drone technology, which is obviously

10:22important for modern warfare. So the idea was that that would settle, you know, Donald Trump's

10:27claims that Canada and Europe have fallen behind over the past few decades when it comes to defence

10:32spending. But I sat down with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Canada, Anita Anand, and I asked her

10:38about Canada's pledges.

10:41We see the Russian threat moving further and further north towards the Arctic Circle.

10:46And we therefore need to be at all times prepared across various domains. 40% of Canada's landmass

10:57is in the Arctic. 70% of our coastline is in the Arctic. These submarines make sense from a threat

11:08perspective, from a geopolitical perspective, but also in terms of ensuring that we are,

11:16scaling up in areas that will defend and protect the homeland.

11:21Do you think the issue with Greenland and Donald Trump is over now? Do you think that's settled?

11:25Canada stands with Denmark and Greenland. We, in fact, opened a consulate in Greenland in early

11:33February. And so I'll be meeting with the Foreign Minister of Denmark today. I'm sure we will discuss

11:41the importance of continuing to uphold the support for territorial integrity and state sovereignty.

11:49And as for future predictions, very difficult to say, but all that for Canada means that we are

12:00fundamentally supporters of international law and of multilateralism, including the principle of state

12:07sovereignty and territorial integrity. How important is it that Canada is working with Germany and Norway?

12:13That's very much the focus of Canada's foreign policy and our work to ensure that we're not only

12:22focused on the Arctic, but also NATO's eastern flank, where our largest military operation is Operation

12:29Reassurance in Latvia, where we lead the multinational brigade group and will do so at least until 2029.

12:38Do you think that Ukraine has turned the tide somewhat on the war in Ukraine, the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

12:44I do. I will say that there is every reason to see Ukraine as having the capability, the expertise,

12:57and the know-how on the battlefield to fight and win this war. Countries around the world are seeking

13:05out the expertise of the Ukrainian armed forces and President Zelensky's overall strategy in the war.

13:13Always keeping in mind the importance of territorial integrity and state sovereignty, again, of Ukraine.

13:20The Donbass area, this is Ukrainian territory. Crimea, this is Ukrainian territory. We must never forget that.

13:30Do you think it's going to come back, Crimea?

13:31I do. And I will say Ukraine is going to win this war.

13:37And then just final question, Minister, as a woman, because we saw this picture that Donald Trump posted

13:45by Georgia Maloney, who's going to be at this summit today, saying there should be a restraining order.

13:50And they used to be close friends. Obviously, they've fallen out.

13:52Well, of course, Canada's approach to diplomacy is very much about the policy initiatives that we are

14:01undertaking with many countries, Italy included. You mentioned our relationship with Europe earlier in the interview.

14:11I'll just say, of course, this is a time where, from a Canadian perspective, we are encouraging

14:19women to run for public office and to seek leadership positions.

14:28And for more on the outcomes of that NATO summit in Ankara and Shona Murray's reporting, you can visit

14:33yournews.com. But now it is time for our World Cup segment.

14:42Well, reigning world champions, Argentina enjoyed a dramatic night coming from 2-0 down to win,

14:49thanks to a stunning late intervention from the superstar Lionel Messi, who set up one goal before scoring the winner.

14:55Egypt, as you can imagine, is left devastated and also complaining about controversial calls during

15:00the game and saying the tournament is rigged in favour of Argentina. Meanwhile, Switzerland progressed

15:05at the expense of Colombia. After 120 goalless minutes, the Round of 16's first penalty shootout was needed,

15:12with the Swiss holding their nerve to win 4-3. Meanwhile, everyone is still talking about the

15:18Belgian Red Devils' win over the US earlier this week and the fact that Foller and Balagoon was allowed to

15:23play.

15:23It's even top of the agenda in Strasbourg today, where MEPs are gathering for their

15:28regular plenary session. So let's head back now to the European Parliament in Strasbourg and bring

15:33in once again our correspondent, Marit Gwynne. Marit, look, a group of MEPs have signed a letter

15:38calling for an investigation here. Will this have any impact?

15:44Well, yes, exactly, Maeve. This row has now reached the corridors of the European Parliament here in

15:50Strasbourg. And as you said, a group of MEPs yesterday addressing a letter to the 27 football

15:56associations of the European Union urging them now to request an official investigation into the

16:03decision-making process that led FIFA to overturn that suspension on US striker Foller and Balagoon

16:11that allowed him to play in that Round of 16 match against Belgium in the early hours of Tuesday

16:17morning. Of course, Belgium in the end winning that match 4-1. But there is a sense of outrage here

16:23over the way that Donald Trump personally interfered, pressured Gianni Infantino, who is the FIFA

16:30president, into lifting this suspension to allow the US striker to be able to play. One MEP behind

16:38this initiative saying it's a disgrace and that this is a perversion of justice. And so the message

16:44is clear from Strasbourg. We haven't had a response to that letter yet. But MEPs here saying that political

16:50meddling has no place in football and that crucially, the rules of the game have to be respected, Maeve.

16:57Okay, Mary Gwynne, thank you so much for that live broadcast there from Strasbourg. And now as we

17:01enter the quarter-final stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026, we were curious to hear how people were

17:07feeling about this year's standout stars. So we sent our reporter Adnan Liel to the streets of Brussels

17:13to find out who their favourites have been so far.

17:16Really for me, Messi, because he's been playing exceptional level, he's played way better than in 2022.

17:24Allens, he's doing something historical for Norway and he also has like a natural ability with a ball,

17:30he's just a beast. The best performance I think anyone has ever had in this World Cup is Fosinia.

17:35I think Mbappé, that's what at least I heard around, because as Italian I'm not following so much.

17:41Honestly, I think that Hakimi has proven many, many times that he was a great player and let's go Morocco.

17:48Haaland, for the way that he played and the way that he scored two goals against Brazil,

17:53also makes me sad because I also like Brazil.

17:55It's either Erling Haaland or Kylian Mbappé.

17:59So, in the case of our team, Portugal, we'd say Diogo Costa, our goalkeeper, definitely.

18:04And for the other teams, I would say Kylian Mbappé.

18:07Our team is definitely Diogo Costa, also the best looking one, if we can say that,

18:11not only for Portugal, but from the whole World Cup.

18:15And let us know who you think the best player has been so far.

18:18You can always write to us here at Europe Today at Euronews.com.

18:22And of course, there'll be no World Cup final tonight,

18:24but the quarterfinals will get underway tomorrow with France facing Morocco.

18:30So, may the best team win.

18:32But that brings this edition of Europe Today to an end.

18:35So lovely to have you with us, as always.

18:38Have a lovely day.

18:38You can visit, of course, Euronews.com for more news and analysis,

18:41or reach us also on social media.

18:43Take care and stay with us here on Euronews.

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19:04Let us know who's new country to Schwant,

19:05or become the people I am.

19:16What's your new country, to have you three?

19:18Are you becoming three person?

19:18Let us know who's new country.

19:19If or not know who you are, we'll be home,

19:22let us know who's new.

19:23Pay theline, for a while.

Europe Today: Le Pen to run for French president as Trump revives Greenland row

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