Seven leading candidates in France's presidential race faced off on Thursday in a debate hosted by MEDEF, the country's largest employers' federation, at the Roland-Garros stadium in Paris. With less than eight months until the election, the economy, public debt and pension reform took centre stage, exposing deep ideological rifts.
The lineup included two former prime ministers under Emmanuel Macron: centrist Gabriel Attal and centre-right Édouard Philippe. They were joined by hard-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, far-right candidate Marine Le Pen, centre-left MEP Raphaël Glucksmann, conservative Bruno Retailleau of Les Républicains, and Green party leader Marine Tondelier.
Divergent visions for Europe
Candidates presented starkly different approaches to France's relationship with the European Union. Mélenchon vowed to "disobey anything coming from Europe that conflicts with the interests of the French people," and called for amending the EU's founding treaties, warning that otherwise France would "perish politically, socially, and industrially."
Le Pen argued for deep cuts in both French state spending and France's contributions to the EU, which are projected at nearly €29 billion for 2026. "This contribution has skyrocketed in recent years, even though the European Union has not contributed much to our economy, other than a considerable number of standards, restrictions, and a wide variety of rules," she said. She also proposed scrapping thousands of EU norms, criticising France for always trying to be "the top student in the class."
Philippe, by contrast, focused on external competition. He warned that China's competitive advantage was hurting France and backed quotas requiring Chinese companies to produce goods on French soil. "We must convince our European partners to speak the language of power to China and the United States," he said, while acknowledging that Germany, Italy and Spain were outperforming France industrially.
Glucksmann pushed back, saying he had "never met any French entrepreneurs who've told me that the main threat comes from German or Dutch competition. Everywhere you look, people are talking about China. The main challenge for the next president of the Republic is to bang his fist on the table in Brussels." He also accused Le Pen of harbouring an "anti-Europe ideology."
Debt and deficit: no consensus
All candidates agreed that France's fiscal position—among the worst in the eurozone—was serious, but they differed sharply on remedies. Philippe labelled Mélenchon's proposal to cancel a large portion of the public debt as "dangerous." Attal echoed that, asking sarcastically: "You're proposing to cancel out debt, but you still want to keep raising taxes—is that pure sadism?"
Mélenchon defended his plan, insisting there was room for "manoeuvre" and accusing rivals of "caricaturing" his ideas. He warned that failing to raise wages would push France into recession, telling business leaders: "That is your responsibility."
Le Pen said she would present a €125 billion cost-cutting plan before the budget debate begins, aiming to tackle the debt. The draft finance bill is expected to be tabled in the coming weeks.
Pension reform remains a flashpoint
The debate also revisited the contentious pension issue. Macron's reform, which raised the retirement age from 62 to 64, sparked mass protests and was suspended by the National Assembly until January 2028—meaning the next president will have to decide its fate.
Tondelier firmly opposed raising the retirement age, while Mélenchon defended retirement at 62 initially, with a move to 60 "as soon as possible." Le Pen backed returning to 62 for most people, but supported 60 for those who started working at 20 or younger.
Retailleau said he would detail his pension plans in the coming days, suggesting the retirement age should be linked to "life expectancy." He noted that France works three weeks less per year than many European neighbours, arguing that working more was essential for the economy.
Philippe insisted that France needed to "do what all the other countries in Europe, whether right-wing or left-wing, have agreed to do: work longer."
The debate underscored the deep divisions among the candidates, with the economy likely to remain a central battleground as the campaign intensifies. For more on the candidates' positions, see our analysis of the first debate's key moments and the controversy over Mélenchon's debt plan.
