Macron’s warning: “Europe could die” / “We must not be the vassal of the USA”, also says the French leader, who wants a strong EU role in the world

President Emmanuel Macron called on Thursday to build a stronger and more integrated European defense in the context of the threat from Russia, and warned that the old continent must not be a vassal of the United States, writes Reuters.

With just three years left in his second and final term, without a parliamentary majority and on the brink of a severe defeat in June’s European elections, French President Emmanuel Macron gave a much-anticipated speech on the future of Europe on Thursday, in which he issued several proposals and warnings.

“There is a risk that our Europe will die. We are not equipped to face the risks,” Macron said in his speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, warning that military, economic, trade and other pressures could weaken and fragment the European Union.

Macron said the West must not allow Russia to win in Ukraine and called for an increase in Europe’s cyber security capability, closer defense ties with Britain post-Brexit and the creation of a European academy to train personnel high-ranking military.

“There is no defense without a defense industry,” he said, adding that Europe “has had decades of underinvestment” and that Europeans should prioritize buying European military equipment.

“We have to produce more, we have to produce faster and we have to produce like Europeans,” he said.

With eyes on Russia, but also on the USA

Unsurprisingly, Macron pointed out that the main danger to European security is the war in Ukraine.

He also spoke about the effect of Britain leaving the EU. Macron described Brexit as one of the “unprecedented crises” Europe has faced in recent years, “an explosion whose negative effects, as far as I can tell, have meant that today nobody dares to propose exits, not even from Europe , not even from the euro”.

At the same time, he warned that in the context of all global tensions, Europe must not remain in the shadow of the United States.

Europe “must show that it is never a vassal of the United States and that it knows how to talk to all the other regions of the world,” the French leader said.

Macron also warned that Europe risks falling behind economically as global free trade rules are challenged by big competitors, and called for red tape to be cut for small and medium-sized businesses.

A difficult context for Macron

The French leader, writes Reuters, hopes that his speech will have the same impact as the one he gave at the Sorbonne seven years ago, which foreshadowed some significant changes in EU policy.

Much has changed since then, with the emergence of major geopolitical challenges, including the war in Gaza, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and rising tensions between China and the US.

Thursday’s speech was presented by Macron’s advisers as France’s contribution to the EU’s strategic agenda for the next five years.

This agenda is to be set after the European elections, when EU leaders will negotiate the bloc’s leadership positions.

Macron is falling in popularity domestically as his centrist Renaissance party trails the far-right Rassemblement National (National Assembly – RN) in polls ahead of the June 6-9 European Parliament elections.

Another challenge for Macron is that in the European Parliament, his group, Renew, is now the third largest but could fall to fourth, polls show, which would further limit his influence.