Macron summons French party leaders for crisis summit on Ukraine, Middle East, and energy

Strategic briefing in the Élysée crisis room

French President Emmanuel Macron will convene party leaders and presidential contenders at the Élysée Palace on Friday, 18 September 2026, at 10:30 local time (08:30 UTC). The confidential gathering will take place in the underground Vega crisis room, located on the first basement level of the presidential palace. Macron called the session alongside Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, Senate President Gérard Larcher, and National Assembly President Yaël Braun-Pivet. Military commanders and the directors of France's domestic, foreign, and military intelligence agencies will present classified briefings. Representatives from the General Secretariat for Defense and National Security and the Directorate General for Energy will also take part in the closed-door discussions. Presidential aides described the upcoming session as a highly sensitive meeting of intense strategic importance.

Global crises and domestic energy risks

The summit responds to an intelligence briefing held on Tuesday, 15 September 2026, which left officials alarmed over rapidly shifting geopolitical conditions. Agenda items will center on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, including tensions involving Iran. Disruptions to Middle Eastern shipping routes have raised European energy prices and heightened domestic concerns over fuel price volatility. To mitigate potential social tensions linked to rising living costs, the Lecornu administration plans to propose extending targeted fuel subsidies through the end of the year. Macron also intends to outline the diplomatic and military measures France has implemented in response to these compounding crises.

The French presidency summarized the primary objective of the consultation in an official statement:

Given the rapid deterioration of the international situation in recent days, the President of the Republic has convened party leaders represented in Parliament to a meeting on the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine and their consequences in France on security and energy.

Intelligence sharing ahead of the presidential election

The meeting will use the Saint-Denis format, a cross-party consultation mechanism first introduced by Macron on 30 August 2023 to address national cohesion following summer unrest. Because the French Constitution prohibits Macron from seeking a third consecutive term in next spring's presidential election, the executive branch seeks to prepare prospective successors. An executive source stated that Macron wants all presidential candidates to share the same baseline intelligence to ground the campaign debate in verified facts. Government officials emphasized that providing this intelligence briefing does not require opposition parties to endorse executive decisions.

The presidency stated:

Military authorities and intelligence services will share information in the possession of the head of state.

Attendance of party leaders and presidential contenders

Party leaders and declared candidates across the political spectrum have responded to the Élysée invitation. Gabriel Attal of Renaissance, Olivier Faure of the Socialist Party, Marine Tondelier of Les Écologistes, and Fabien Roussel of the French Communist Party confirmed their personal attendance. Tondelier postponed the scheduled start of her maternity leave to participate in the security consultations. François Bayrou will represent the centrist MoDem, which has not designated a presidential candidate. Jordan Bardella will attend alone on behalf of the National Rally because candidate Marine Le Pen is traveling. La France Insoumise has yet to decide whether Jean-Luc Mélenchon or coordinator Manuel Bompard will attend, while Édouard Philippe of Horizons, Raphaël Glucksmann of Place Publique, and Bruno Retailleau of The Republicans had not submitted formal responses by midday Thursday.