French President Emmanuel Macron painted a bleak picture of Europe today, saying it was “in mortal danger” and “under siege”, risking being pushed aside in competition with other major powers, AFP reported.
To save Europe, Macron called for a new push for the European Union.
Today we must be aware of the fact that our Europe can perish, the French president pointed out in his speech on his vision for the EU, launching his campaign for the European elections.
“It depends solely on our choice, but that choice must be made now” because “in the next decade /…/ there is a huge risk of being weakened or even pushed out”, he assured the 500 guests, among them the ambassadors of the other 26 EU member states, students, teachers and members of the French government at the Sorbonne.
The French president spoke of Europe being “under siege” by major regional powers and noted that the values of European “liberal democracy” were increasingly criticized and contested.
“The risk is that Europe will fall behind and we are already beginning to see this despite all our efforts,” Macron warned, calling for a “strong Europe” that “commands respect”, “guarantees its security” and regains its “strategic autonomy”.
In the geopolitical context exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, he called on the EU to continue strengthening its defenses within NATO, mentioning among other things the possibility of Europe acquiring its own anti-missile shield.
In this regard, Macron announced that he would invite the Europeans to build a “strategic concept” for a “reliable European defense”. He also called on Europe to strengthen its defense industry and came out in favor of a “European loan” to invest in armaments – a taboo subject, especially in Germany.
In the field of trade, the French president called for a “revision” of European trade policy and for the “protection of our interests” in the face of Chinese and American trade practices.
“This cannot happen if we are the only ones in the world who follow the trade rules as they were adopted 15 years ago, if the Chinese and the Americans no longer follow them by subsidizing key sectors,” he said.
Macron’s speech is considered the start of the election campaign for the European elections from June 6 to 9, on the eve of which, according to polls, the far-right French National Assembly party has a large lead over the presidential Revival party, according to AFP.
