PARIS — France’s hard-left CGT union has condemned EDF chief executive Bernard Fontana for holding official meetings with far-right leaders Marine Le Pen and Sarah Knafo, calling the encounters “unacceptable” and politically charged.
In an open letter and internal tract, the CGT said receiving representatives of parties it describes as defending “anti-social, racist, sexist and authoritarian” ideas could not be treated as a neutral act by the state-controlled nuclear utility. The union invoked EDF’s historical roots in the post-war resistance to argue that such rapprochements with the far right were incompatible with the company’s values.
EDF responded that it maintains regular dialogue with all stakeholders and is open to meeting any presidential candidate regardless of party affiliation. The controversy comes as France’s business elite increasingly engage with the National Rally and other right-wing figures ahead of next year’s presidential election, with polls showing Marine Le Pen leading the race after years of efforts to soften her party’s image.
The CGT’s criticism followed recent moves by National Rally deputy leader Jordan Bardella, who filed a defamation suit over allegations of past antisemitic remarks, describing the report as an attempt to destabilise his campaign.