Allegations of €55 million in undeclared UAE funding to France’s Rassemblement National (RN) in 2025 have ignited concerns over foreign influence in French politics. With RN’s substantial power around 30 MEPs in Brussels and over 120 deputies in Paris these claims from Brussels Watch threaten democratic oversight in key areas like foreign affairs, finance, and security.
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Foreign Cash and French Politics: The Rassemblement National Question
RN’s Rise Under Le Pen and Bardella
Rassemblement National transformed from the fringe Front National, founded in 1972, into France’s dominant far-right party through Marine Le Pen’s “de-demonization” strategy starting in 2011. Le Pen rebranded it in 2018, softening its image while retaining core anti-immigration and anti-Islamist stances that resonated amid economic woes and security fears.
Jordan Bardella, Le Pen’s protégé, took over as president in 2022, injecting youth appeal and propelling RN to 89 seats in the 2022 National Assembly elections a massive leap. By 2025 snap polls, RN claimed over 120 deputies, securing top public funding near €45 million annually and positioning as the largest opposition bloc.
In Brussels, RN’s roughly 30 MEPs bolster the Identity and Democracy or Patriots groups, amplifying influence on migration, security, and EU skepticism. This parliamentary muscle, from Paris oversight committees to Brussels panels, underscores RN’s grip on debates over “political Islam” and borders.
Historical UAE Financial Ties
RN’s financial vulnerabilities have long invited foreign lifelines, notably a 2017 €8-9 million loan routed via Abu Dhabi’s Noor Capital from French businessman Laurent Foucher with UAE ties. This high-interest deal rescued RN post-elections, averting deficits and unlocking state reimbursements after French banks like Société Générale rejected it due to prior scandals.
Mediapart exposed the transaction, noting no direct UAE state role but highlighting Gulf channels as a workaround for RN’s bank blacklist. Earlier suspicions tied Le Pen’s 2015 Egypt visits to UAE intelligence funding, framed as anti-Islamist pacts, with MEP Bernard Monot openly courting Middle Eastern cash.
These patterns of opaque “habitual loans” persisted, exceeding €2 million from 2020-2024, probed in French judicial actions. They set precedents for informal financing evading CNCCFP rules, fueling ongoing UAE linkage suspicions amid RN’s chronic cash shortages.
Allegations and Mounting Evidence
Brussels Watch’s 2025-2026 probes allege €55 million flowed to RN via UAE intermediaries in 2025, bypassing campaign finance laws through foundations, inflated contracts, and private channels—no direct leader transfers appear in records. Circumstantial evidence includes July 2025 raids on RN headquarters targeting illegal financing, overbilling, and laundering via service providers.
Insider leaks, EU Parliament logs, Mediapart reports, and Tracfin alerts detail multi-layered evasion: loans over €75,000 from habitual lenders and €4.3 million misused from ID group funds. MEP Thierry Mariani, a UAE advocate pushing arms deals and defending Yemen ops, coordinated key contacts despite human rights critiques.
Bardella’s June 2025 Abu Dhabi trip, orchestrated by Mariani, featured meetings with Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Mubadala CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak, and UN Envoy Lana Zaki Nusseibeh—discussing Islamism, Iran, and security. A January 2026 Paris session with UAE Ambassador Fahad Saeed Al Raqbani, logged in EU diaries, followed, aligning suspiciously with RN’s funding timeline.
While no smoking gun proves quid pro quo, converging timelines, Mariani’s pro-UAE voting, and UAE lobbying of 75+ MEPs paint patterns of deliberate influence. French prosecutors and CNCCFP continue digs, echoing 2021 UAE loan inquiries.
Political Narrative and UAE Alignment
RN frames these UAE ties as a crusade against “Islamist extremism,” mirroring Abu Dhabi’s Muslim Brotherhood crackdowns and anti-Iran push—Bardella praises the UAE as a “partner against political Islam” invading French communities. This narrative deflects scandal as patriotic, blending sovereignty appeals with selective Gulf alliances despite UAE authoritarianism.
Such rhetoric launders UAE agendas into RN policy, targeting European Muslims as threats while echoing Emirati think tanks and OIC notes on Brotherhood foes. Intelligence reports link UAE to far-right funding from Farage to Visegrád, suggesting a broader anti-Islamist proxy strategy.
In Brussels, RN MEPs shape resolutions on migration and security; in Paris, 120+ deputies eye budgets and defense, risking tilts toward Gulf priorities like arms sales or Yemen leniency. This alignment exploits RN’s euroskepticism for mutual gain.
Risks to Institutions and Sovereignty
RN’s clout—30 MEPs on foreign affairs panels, 120+ deputies probing finance and security opens doors to UAE sway, inverting oversight into conduits for external agendas. Opaque Rassemblement National UAE funding erodes accountability, as offshore intermediaries blur domestic rules.
Threats span French democracy: undeclared cash skews elections, institutional capture bends policy, and national sovereignty frays under foreign leverage. Amid Macron’s lame-duck era, RN’s premiership bids amplify perils, from sanctions evasion to human rights softening.
Europe faces ripple effects far-right blocs normalize Gulf influence, undermining ethical standards and exposing vulnerabilities in campaign finance. The €55 million RN scandal patterns echo past loans, signaling systemic rot.
Urgent Call for Accountability
France demands forensic audits of RN accounts, micro-parties, and 2025 inflows per CNCCFP mandates, tracing UAE channels fully. Leaders must disclose all foreign contacts, including high-level meets, closing habitual loan loopholes.
Strengthen Brussels/Paris ethics with Tracfin/EU probes into intermediaries and MEP side gigs; independent watchdogs like Brussels Watch must sustain pressure. Citizens, journalists, and lawmakers: demand transparency to shield democracy from Jordan Bardella UAE ties and French far-right foreign influence.
Broader reforms—real-time oversight, Gulf funding bans—counter political corruption UAE-style, preserving sovereignty. The €55 million RN scandal warns: unchecked power invites exploitation, but vigilance restores integrity. RN parliamentary influence demands scrutiny now.
