Dictators are afraid of people. It would be very worrying if democracies were too.

For someone unfamiliar with Russia, the 9 May parade looks like the perfect moment to experience a popular celebration. This is, of course, very naïve.

Access to Red Square is possible only by special invitation, and the controls are draconian. This year, even the ‘Immortal Regiment’ march was cancelled because the authorities fear a civic presence – and even a hint of civic disobedience – on the square, where only the army is allowed.

The ‘Immortal Regiment’ was initially a grassroots initiative to commemorate World War II veterans, whose sons and daughters marched with their portraits on 9 May.

The authorities hijacked the initiative and then introduced it in a number of foreign countries as a way of demonstrating Russia’s influence.

But this year, the Kremlin fears that people could also march with portraits of military personnel killed in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine…

Clearly, the regime in Russia is afraid of its people, and probably rightly so. Russian society is like a volcano: it stays calm for decades and then erupts suddenly.

Much more surprising was the sight of French President Emmanuel Macron’s car, escorted by a police motorcade and horse-riding national guards, gliding along an empty Boulevard Champs Elysées on 8 May, on the anniversary of Victory Day against Nazism.

The reason for the solitary motorcade was that police banned gatherings around the ceremony area to ensure no disruptions related to Macron’s hotly contested pension reform law.

The surreal video footage sparked a flurry of reactions on social media. Many compared it to the popular infatuation over the coronation ceremony of King Charles III two days earlier, a particularly hurting contrast in the context of the love-and-hate Anglo-French relations.

Of course, the executive power, of which the French president is in charge, cannot be compared to a monarchy, which simply embodies statehood. If Macron’s popularity is low, the UK’s successive prime ministers have not fared much better in the last decade.

Macron is in his second and last mandate, which allows him to pass very painful reforms without worrying about his personal rating.

Similar reforms need to be passed in other EU countries because our population is getting older, as people live longer, and birth rates are not exactly thriving on the old continent.

France is just the symbol of what awaits us all.

These are challenging times for democracies and good times for populists, who always propose easy solutions, no matter how unrealistic.

That said, banning the French from the Champs Elysées on 8 May seems to be the biggest mistake Macron has ever made. It could also set a very bad example for others.

The theatre of democracy is the street. This is especially important at a time when it is very difficult for democracies to spark popular support.

This year, the European institutions’ “Open Day”, held on 6 May, failed to attract many visitors. Hopefully, this should ring an alarm bell for those making plans for next spring’s European elections.

Citizens waiving the European flag can mostly be seen when national politics are in trouble – be it in member country Bulgaria or aspirant Georgia.

“You don’t know what you got until you lose it,” John Lennon sang.

We Europeans certainly don’t realise how lucky we are, but also how fragile our achievements are.

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The Roundup

Addressing EU lawmakers on Tuesday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz stressed the need to reform the bloc, particularly if it wants to continue enlarging, and to strengthen the European Commission’s ability to bring member states to court over rule of law violations.

EU lawmakers voted on Tuesday to speed up the legislative process and adopt a law aiming to boost ammunition production in Europe to the tune of €500 million, in order to supply Ukraine.

While it would be possible and beneficial for Europe to replace Russian fossil gas supplies with green alternatives by 2028, it will require significant investment, upskilling and policy improvements, according to a study by the Oxford Sustainable Finance Group.

One month before the European Commission is expected to propose the deregulation of certain gene editing techniques, the German governing coalition remains unable to find common ground and might be forced to abstain.

The EU probiotics industry is currently hindered by a ‘fragmented’ internal market that confuses customers and distorts the playing field for businesses, according to stakeholders, who call for regulatory harmonisation.

Telecoms sector regulation must look to the future if Europe’s connectivity goals are to be met. Still, it is important not to lose sight of efforts to bridge the digital divide, according to stakeholders.

The legal service of the EU Council of Ministers slammed the EU proposal to fight child sexual abuse material (CSAM), criticising, in particular, the ambiguity of detection orders and their possible impact on privacy rights.

The European Parliament’s rapporteur for the EU proposal to regulate the short-term rental market wants to bolster competent authorities’ powers and make the accommodations’ registration process more stringent for platforms.

The European Union Agency for Railways (ERA) is striving to make Europe’s patchwork of national railway regulations fit for pan-European travel, working with national authorities to delete rules that hamper border crossings.

Georgia has implemented 80% of the European Commission’s recommendations to earn EU candidate status, the country’s Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili told EURACTIV, as Tbilisi races to convince it to progress to the next steps in the bloc’s accession process.

As always, don’t miss this week’s Transport Brief for a roundup of policy news.

Look out for….

• European Parliament plenary in Strasbourg, Monday-Thursday.
• High Representative Josep Borrell and Internal Markets Commissioner Thierry Breton receive representatives from the European defence industry on Wednesday.