French Minister accuses Barroso of fuelling the far-right

EurActiv reported that French Industry Minister Arnaud Montebourg accused European Commission President José Manuel Barroso on the 23 June 2013 of fuelling far-right and populist movements in Europe as EU institutions failed to defend the interests of ordinary people.

His comments came just before France's conservatives narrowly saw off a challenge from the far-right National Front to win a by-election in the southern French constituency of Villeneuve-sur-Lot. President François Hollande's Socialists had already been eliminated in the first round.

In return, The European Commission accused some French politicians of using the EU as a 'scapegoat'. Relations had been tense since France insisted that cultural subsidies should be excluded from EU-US trade talks.

• Primary Source

BBC News, 24.06.13: EU's Barroso in 'scapegoat' spat with France http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-23030836

ESO: Background Information: Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership: Commissioner Karel De Gucht welcomes Member States’ green light to start negotiations http://www.europeansources.info/record/press-release-transatlantic-trade-and-investment-partnership-commissioner-karel-de-gucht-welcomes-member-states-green-light-to-start-negotiations/

EUOBserver, 24.06.13: Barroso hits back at French critics http://euobserver.com/political/120626

Libération / Le Figaro, 25.06.13: Sparks fly (via PressEurop) http://www.presseurop.eu/en/content/news-brief/3912371-sparks-fly

EurActiv, 26.06.13: ‘No crisis with Brussels’, says French EU minister http://www.euractiv.com/future-eu/crisis-brussels-french-eu-minist-news-528898

ESO: Background Information: France must cut spending and reform pensions, says EU http://www.europeansources.info/record/france-must-cut-spending-and-reform-pensions-says-eu/

Blog: Open Europe, 26.06.13: 'Le Barroso bashing' continues in France http://openeuropeblog.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/le-barroso-bashing-continues-in-france.html

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