Good morning, Well, that was unexpected. On Monday, a court in Paris banned Marine Le Pen from running in the next presidential election – where she was one of the main contenders. Some celebrated the news. But here's the twist: taking the far right out of the race doesn't necessarily weaken it. In fact, it might even give it a boost. It's too soon to know what this means for the future of French politics. But we've tried to make sense of the ripple effects of the ruling and what it reveals about the far right's playbook. Also in today's newsletter: the UK remains the only country in Europe where people can be locked up in immigration detention with no release date, another Dutch city has banned ads for meat, and the new Michelin Guide is out.  Editor's noteNathan Domon  No end in sightIn the UK, immigration authorities can detain non-British citizens indefinitely – and they do. More than a third of those taken into immigration facilities last year spent longer than a month in detention. One in ten were held beyond half a year, all without a court ruling or judicial review. Immigration detention is used to establish the identity of detainees, process imminent deportation, and prevent absconding. Government guidelines warn against lengthy detention – both in respect of fundamental rights and to reduce costs – but don't set a hard upper limit. Britain's government says it aims to cap detention at 28 days, but this target is not legally binding. "Immigration detention should be strictly time-limited," Steve Valdez-Symonds, Amnesty International UK's Refugee and Migrant Rights Programme Director, told The European Correspondent, pointing to the harm caused by prolonged uncertainty. "The cruelty is exacerbated by the extraordinary and wholly unacceptable length of time for which some people are held." The UK has one of the largest immigration detention systems in Europe. Last year, immigration authorities detained more than 20,000 people. Around half were Europeans, mostly from Albania, Romania, and Poland.  | Danny Callaghan
Legal advice groups I've spoken with say some clients spend more than a year in immigration detention, often while experiencing physical and psychological health conditions. Yet, the UK is the only country in Europe without a statutory time limit on immigration detention. All EU member states, except Ireland and Denmark, are bound by the Return Directive, which sets a six-month limit, extendable to 18. Denmark, though not bound by the directive, applies the same limits. France caps detention at 90 days. Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands set an upper limit of half a year, but with options to extend in specific circumstances. |
Want to live long? Socialise more! Which Europeans live the longest? A high life expectancy is often attributed to living in a wealthy country with high-quality healthcare. That helps explain why life expectancy has risen sharply in places like Azerbaijan and Romania since 2010 — both have made major investments in healthcare and living standards. It also explains why Switzerland ranks first in Europe for life expectancy. But in second and third place are Italy and Spain – countries that typically rank lower in GDP and healthcare spending. So what's their secret? The Mediterranean diet likely helps – it's rich in vegetables, fish, and olive oil, and low in red meat and processed food. On top of that, their densely populated cities also encourage walking, keeping people active day to day. But new research highlights another important factor: social contact. In both cultures, spending time with others is central to everyday life – a habit made easier by walkable cities and the abundance of good food that brings people together.  Created by Meike Eijsberg.
 Marine Le Pen© European Union 2015 - European Parliament France ・ Analysis Le Pen is banned (for now). What's next?French far-right leader Marine Le Pen is banned from running in the next presidential election. Will it backfire or boost the far-right cause? Ciara Boulman and Nathan Domon On Monday, the bomb dropped: Marine Le Pen, leader of France's far-right party National Rally (RN), was found guilty of embezzling EU taxpayer money. From 2004 to 2016, nearly €3 million meant to pay parliamentary assistants in Brussels was used to pay party staff in France – people who weren't doing EU work at all. Le Pen was sentenced to four years in prison (two suspended, two under electronic surveillance) and fined €100,000. But the real blow? She's been banned from running for public office for five years – likely ending her 2027 presidential hopes. She's appealing the verdict, and a final decision is expected in summer of 2026. So technically, there's still a (tiny) chance she could run – if she's cleared. A blessing in disguise?With Le Pen out of the running (for now), all eyes are on her protégé, Jordan Bardella. He is young, super active on social media, and doesn't carry the baggage of the controversial Le Pen family name. That could help the party appeal to a broader crowd. But he'll only be 31 in 2027. Some wonder: is he ready for the top job? For the party, the ruling is a double-edged sword. Le Pen spent years trying to make the party look respectable and mainstream. That work has taken a hit. But at the same time, the ruling gives the far right exactly what it loves most: a chance to play the victim. Le Pen and her allies immediately said the ruling was "political". That the system is trying to silence her. That it's all a setup to block her path to power. Of course, no conspiracy here. The judges and many experts stressed that the court's decision was based on facts and simply upheld the law – and showed that everyone is equal before it. But that probably won't stop the far right from turning this into a rallying cry. They're already pushing the narrative that the system is "rigged" against them. A message that could galvanise, if not radicalise, their core voters. Straight out of the playbookThis isn't a new tactic. Far-right leaders across Europe often react the same way when they lose in court: they go after the judges. That's what we're seeing here, too. Le Pen's allies are calling out a supposed "tyranny of the judges". It's the same kind of language that was heard recently in Romania, where far-right candidate Calin Georgescu slammed a ruling barring him from the presidential race due to Russian interference as a "formalised coup d'état". For many, this kind of backlash in France isn't just noise, it's a warning sign of increasingly radicalising public debate, where attacking judges and institutions becomes normal. Some observers have expressed alarm at this "judge bashing", arguing that democratic backsliding, as seen in countries like Hungary, often begins with attacks on the independence of the judges. The international reaction to Le Pen's verdict was also telling. Figures like Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders, and Italy's deputy minister Matteo Salvini all rushed to her defence. Even the Kremlin chimed in, calling the ruling a "violation of democratic norms". That kind of support may energise the RN's base – but it could also damage the party's credibility with more moderate voters. Hypocrisy, anyone?At the heart of it all, this case shows the double standards of the far right. They love to rail against "corrupt elites" and immigrants "abusing social benefits" – but here we have a far-right leader funnelling taxpayer money into party coffers. They say they're tough on crime, hate corruption, and call for strict law and order – except when it applies to them. And they claim to defend democracy – yet they attack the very institutions that keep it running. For voters, this whole episode is a revealing moment. It shows what the far right really offers: not a fight for "the will of the people", but a system where rules can be bent when convenient, and where democratic norms are optional when they get in the way.
Climate action makes economic sense, says the OECDThe global economy could thrive if we took climate action more seriously, according to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). They concluded that if all countries followed the path to decarbonisation outlined by the Paris Agreement, the world’s economy would gain a share equivalent to Sweden, or 0.23% of global GDP. Similar findings were discussed in a 2017 report on climate investment by the OECD. How so? The report outlines how low-carbon economies are more efficient and secure than our fossil-fuelled ones that depend on us finding and extracting resources that will one day run out. Investments in clean, efficient energy will improve productivity and innovation, and policy certainty will encourage private investment. Extreme weather caused by climate change, like floods and wildfires, will be avoided, which could otherwise devastate Europe’s economy by 2050.  | Laoise Murray
Sadly, the EU is distracted: instead of focusing on climate action, a trade war with the US, reduced tax revenue, inflation and a lack of innovation are priorities for policymakers. All EU member states missed the deadline in February 2025 to submit revised carbon reduction plans under the Paris Agreement. However, the real deadline is September, when the plans will be analysed ahead of COP30 in Brazil. |
After 125 years, are the Michelin stars still shiny?This year's Michelin Guide was released on Monday. As seen in Ratatouille, Emily in Paris – the guide continues to fuel a very specific Parisian fantasy – prestigious, refined, and elite – even though it now reviews restaurants on a global scale. Decisive for a restaurant's success, the Michelin stars are famous for their particular protocol: incognito inspectors bound by absolute secrecy. But how did the guide build such legitimacy? Created in 1900 by Michelin, a highly successful tyre brand, the guide was originally a reference book for gas stations and restaurants – intended to promote car travel and, ultimately, sell more tyres. In 1926, the concept of stars was introduced, and less than a decade later, the now-famous Michelin inspectors became professionals. Today, in the age of constant online reviews, sales of the guide have dropped, but it continues to find ways to stay relevant.  | Juliette Ovigneu
Some rules have changed: restaurants can pay a subscription fee to be included in the guide. But the selection of inspectors and the frequency of their visits remain obscure and criticised – Michelin has even been accused of removing stars just to create buzz. During the pandemic, many restaurants lost their stars simply because they couldn't open. Secrecy sells, and it might be exactly what keeps the Michelin Guide alive. |
You won't see meat in these streetsNo more advertisements of juicy hamburgers while waiting for the bus: another Dutch city, Nijmegen, has banned fossil fuel and meat advertisements. The city of Haarlem was the first in the world to implement such a ban in 2022, followed by Bloemendaal and Utrecht. Local politicians hope this restriction will encourage citizens to eat less meat. Though experts do not expect direct behavioral change, they acknowledge the potential longer-term impact: as long as meat continues to be publicly promoted, it remains the norm. They emphasise the role supermarkets can play in shifting consumer habits. Promoting plant-based food instead of meat could help steer people in a different direction. In a similar vein, the second-largest Dutch supermarket chain Jumbo has already taken a step in that direction by stopping meat discounts.  | Julianne van Pelt
As these Dutch cities make bold moves, things look very different at a European level. In 2023, the EU allocated €29 million in subsidies to promote meat consumption. While surveys show that European citizens are willing to shift toward less meat-heavy diets, the agriculture lobby continues to stir the European money pot with a heavy hand. |
Every day, our correspondents recommend one song to you. Today, Nathan Domon chose this one. We hope you enjoy!  Le pénitencier Johnny Hallyday "Le pénitencier" ("the prison") is a French adaptation of "The House of the Rising Sun" by Johnny Hallyday – known as the "French Elvis". It's not quite my usual pick, but the title feels uncannily appropriate this week.
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We should be thrilled that the rule of law still works in France. Yet on Tuesday, Marine Le Pen had the audacity to compare herself to Alexey Navalny and Ekrem İmamoğlu – actual victims of authoritarian regimes where the rule of law is a joke. The very fact she stood trial, with due process, is proof France isn't Russia or Türkiye. Not yet, anyway. Nathan Domon Leading Editor for Western Europe PS: Can you tell us what you think of today's edition of the newsletter? Every day, as a small reward for your feedback, we will show you a cute animal picture. This newsletter was edited by Nathan Domon, the visuals were created by Philippe Kramer, the language editor was Will Sherriff, and the executive producer was Julius E. O. Fintelmann. |
