No 'Frexit': French Far-Right Plans Internal EU Overhaul to Restore National Sovereignty

French far-right leader Jordan Bardella detailed a sweeping geopolitical vision for France on Monday, vowing to remain within the European Union and NATO while radically overhauling both institutions to restore national sovereignty.

The proposed strategy marks a notable shift toward reforming Western alliances from within, rather than abandoning them outright.

"We do not want to leave the European Union, we want to change everything without destroying anything," Bardella told Politico.

Overhauling the European Union

Bardella argued that global political trends over the past decade validate a return to core national values. He claimed the world is moving back toward borders, national interests, and sovereignty—concepts he said the EU has actively tried to deconstruct.

He sharply criticized the bloc’s current trajectory, targeting its economic, energy, and border policies.

The EU in its current form preaches economic degrowth and was irrational regarding nuclear energy for years, according to the far-right leader.

Migration remains a central target of his critique. Bardella pushed back against the expectation that Europe must welcome hundreds of thousands of people annually, noting that 30 million migrants have arrived on the continent over the past decade.

This influx, he warned, is fundamentally reshuffling the societal deck across Europe.

A Gaullist Approach to NATO

On the military front, Bardella ruled out a full departure from NATO but promised to withdraw France from its integrated military command.

He described this as a "deeply Gaullist proposal" designed to restore French freedom and independence in military and diplomatic affairs.

However, he emphasized short-term stability, pledging not to redraw treaty maps while a war is raging on the continent.

If his party secures the presidency, Bardella said the immediate priority will be a new style of French leadership aimed at ending the conflict in Eastern Europe.

This involves securing a ceasefire in Ukraine, followed by solid security guarantees to ensure Kyiv can defend its borders and sovereignty.

He did not mince words regarding Moscow, labeling Vladimir Putin's Russia a "multidimensional threat" to French and European interests.

He pointed specifically to Africa, where direct aggression and anti-French propaganda by the Kremlin-backed Wagner mercenary group have directly undermined Paris.

Breaking American Defense Dominance

In a direct appeal to regional allies, Bardella urged European nations to prioritize domestic defense industries over American hardware.

"The message I want to deliver to all our European partners: buy Rafales rather than F-35s," he said.

He warned that relying on American defense contractors exposes European militaries to the extraterritoriality of U.S. law.

Purchasing American fighters, he argued, effectively gives Washington the ultimate authority to dictate whether or not European-owned combat aircraft can even take off.