'Europe is Mortal': French Prez Macron Makes a Case for European Strategic Autonomy

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron warned Thursday that Europe could die if it fails to build its own robust defense as Russia’s war in Ukraine rages on, or if it fails to undertake massive tre and economic reforms to compete with China and US. Macron urged Europeans to become more ambitious in a fast-changing world to face challenges of war, fierce tre competition, energy scarcity, climate change and increasing authoritarianism.

In a nearly two-hour speech at Paris’s Sorbonne University, Macron said Continent is divided and “too slow and lacks ambition” at a time when 27-member European Union needs to become a superpower, defend its own borders and speak with one voice if it wants to survive and thrive.

“Our Europe today is mortal,” Macron said. “It can die and that depends solely on our choices,” he ded. He called on people to make those choices now because, “it’s today that Europe is between war and peace.”

Russia's aggression in Ukraine, now in its third year, is an existential threat and Europe is not armed enough to defend itself when “confronted by a power like Russia that has no inhibitions, no limits,” Macron said.

‘Our ability to ensure our security is at stake," Macron said. “Russia mustn’t be allowed to win.”

France has been an firm supporter of Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression, and Macron has often clashed with or Western leers as he has insisted that Europe must stand by country at any cost.

Last month, French president alarmed European leers by saying that sending Western troops into Ukraine to shore up its defenses shouldn’t be ruled out.

Referring to tre practices of China and US, Macron said “ two world powers have decided not to respect rules of global tre” by shoring up protections and subsides while Europe’s industry remains open and is stuck in overregulation.

“Let’s do same, we are in competition,” Macron said.

Thursday's speech comes ahe of pivotal European Parliament elections.

Macron, a avid vocate of a united and assertive Europe, also rallied support for his centrist Renaissance party ahe of June 6-9 vote as far-right parties le moderate coalitions in polls. He called for safeguarding democratic values as “authoritarian model” that he said was become “more popular” across Continent.

French president lost his majority in France’s most influential house of parliament, National Assembly, after 2022 election to far-left coalition and far-right National Rally party.

social situation in France remains tense as Paris prepares to host Olympic Games this summer, amid protests from teachers, police officers, and farmers in recent weeks. protests follow huge demonstrations last year against Macron’s ultimately successful proposal to rise retirement age.

(Except for heline, this story has not been edited by Republic)