Macron secretly adjusted the blue on the French flag: ‘very elegant’

Playing with symbols of the nation is something you usually don’t give up on in France. But Emmanuel Macron seems to have won. Last July, the French media discovered that the president had quietly changed the color scheme of the national tricolor: the bright blue turned dark blue. Since then, the flag has flown at the Presidential Palace (ELC), the National Assembly and various ministries.

According to the broadcaster, the adjustment was not initially noticed by anyone Europe 1 Dark blue, officially ‘Navy Blue’, is not only implemented because it is very elegant, but also reconnect with the original Tricolor flag Of the French Revolution. The tricolor flag of 1794, the symbol of France’s glorious past, was changed to a lighter variant by order of President Valerie Kiscard D’Stoying in 1976, as it matched the Catholic flag ‘Mary Blue’ inspired by the European flag.

Macron’s decision would not have been made last year without heated internal debates in the Presidential Palace. The journalistic detective mission showed that it was not Macron, but former Elysee director Arnaud Jolens who made the decision. Some also see the influence of Admiral Bernard Rozelle, Macron’s commander-in-chief: French naval vessels always use the dark blue variant of the flag.

While the new-old French tricolor is less in tune with the EU flag, those in the Elysee say the peaceful reintroduction is not a sign of anti-European sentiment, perhaps worried that riots could erupt shortly before France takes over EU leadership in January. 1. With the presidential election set for April next year, Macron’s decision may raise even more difficult questions.

The French flag (similar to the Russian flag) is somewhat derived from the world’s oldest tricolor, the Dutch flag. Dating orange-white-blue and later red-white-blue since 1572 was an inspiration to the French revolutionaries because the Netherlands was the first modern republic in Europe. The French flag is attached to the coat of arms of Paris with red and blue and the royal white of the bourbon.