Any democratic project is “by its nature, mortal”, Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said on Monday, as a reaction to the speech of French President Emmanuel Macron, who said last week that the EU could “die”, reports AFP and Agerpres.
European leaders: Charles Michel, first of all, together with Emmanuel MacronPhoto: Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia Images
“Any democratic project, any democratic model is, by its very nature, mortal,” Michel said at an event marking 20 years since the 2004 enlargement, when ten states joined the EU. However, he emphasized, this finding is not intended to give “a pessimistic impression” regarding the state of the EU.
“I’m optimistic,” he said. “I think we have the necessary forces, the necessary tools and that we are lucid”, added the president of the European Council. In a speech with an alarmist tone held on Thursday at the Sorbonne in Paris, Emmanuel Macron insisted on the dangers that threaten the EU.
“We must be clear today that our Europe is mortal, it can die. This depends only on our choices, but these choices must be made now” because “in the horizon of the next decade, (…) there is a huge risk of being weakened, even relegated”, he added.
Charles Michel says that the EU must prepare for the entry of the Republic of Moldova into the community space
Asked about the growth of the European family to the East, Charles Michel reaffirmed that the EU should be “prepared” to integrate new members “until 2030”.
“What is the alternative? If the idea is to delay for decades, that would send a message to China, Russia, telling them that there is a playing field for them in our immediate vicinity,” he stressed. “Yes, it is a challenge, but not choosing this path would be a terrible and irresponsible error on the part of the EU,” he warned.
The European Council decided in December 2023 to start accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and granted Georgia the status of a candidate country. Bosnia obtained this status in December 2022, which marks the beginning of a long and complex process.
Four other countries from the Western Balkans are officially candidates, but have been blocked for years in the EU antechamber: North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Albania.
