French President Emmanuel Macron issued a dire warning to the European Union on Thursday in Paris, cautioning that the continent’s very survival hinges on its ability to shed its innocence and confront harsh realities. Failure to do so, Macron emphasized, would have devastating consequences.
French President Emmanuel Macron addressed a packed Sorbonne University auditorium for over two hours, stressing that Europe’s survival in a world of rapid change depends on its ability to act swiftly and decisively in the face of emerging threats and opportunities.
“We need to be lucid, and recognise that our Europe is mortal. It can die. It all depends on the choices we make, and those choices need to be made now,” he said.
Macron said that the fact that Russia has returned to European soil due to a nuclear power changes everything, and the fact that Iran is about to obtain the nuclear weapon changes everything.
As the clock ticks down to the European elections, Macron’s speech was interpreted as a bold bid to resuscitate the flagging campaign of his Renaissance party, injecting a sense of passion and purpose into its electoral efforts and potentially reshaping the political landscape.
Despite Macron’s efforts, his loyalists find themselves in a distant second place, trailing far behind the formidable force of Marine Le Pen’s hard-right movement, a worrying sign for the president’s re-election bid.
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In a pessimistic appraisal of Europe’s lack of preparedness for the “change of paradigm” now facing the world, Mr Macron said hostility from Russia, lack of interest from the US, and competition from China risked leaving the EU “marginalised and relegated”.
“The era when the EU bought its energy and fertiliser from Russia, outsourced its production to China and depended on the US for its security – that era is over,” he said.
With the global dynamics in flux, he implored European leaders to get ready for historic decisions on defense and economic growth, emphasizing that a substantial injection of protectionism is necessary to defend European interests and foster a stronger, more resilient Europe.
Europe must establish a robust and autonomous defense capability, he declared, enabling the continent to project military power and pursue its interests without reliance on the United States, if and when necessary, to ensure its sovereignty and security in an uncertain world.
President Macron envisioned a unified European defense strategy, where national armies maintain their autonomy but converge towards shared objectives, such as a continent-spanning missile defense system, and proposed the establishment of a European military academy to foster cooperation and a shared sense of purpose among the continent’s military forces.
With both China and the US – the world’s biggest economies – “no longer respecting the rules” of open international commerce, it was vital that the EU fight its own corner. “We cannot be the only ones obeying the rules,” he said. “We are too naïve.”
President Macron said he “totally assumed” his refusal to rule out sending ground troops to Ukraine, which he first articulated at a speech in February. He said “strategic ambiguity” was an important part of the new geopolitical order. “Why should we tell the Russians what our limits are?” he asked.