French President Emmanuel Macron has used drastic words to call on European countries to do more to defend the continent. Europe is at a crossroads and must do more to compete with rapidly rearming global rivals and become a ‘credible’ power. “There is a danger that our Europe will collapse,” the head of state warned in a keynote speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris on Thursday.
The greatest danger currently comes from the war in Ukraine. “The basic condition for our security is that Russia does not win this war of aggression,” Macron said. He proposed the creation of a European military academy. Moreover, Europe must strengthen the cyber security space and promote the domestic defense industry: “How can we build our sovereignty, our autonomy, if we do not take responsibility for building our own European defense industry?”
Macron regrets Brexit
The French president also spoke in favor of strengthening ties with Britain. He described the island’s departure from the EU as one of the “unprecedented crises” Europe has faced in recent years.
Economically, the old continent is in danger of falling behind in the international context and must reconsider its growth model. Presidential aides described the speech as France’s contribution to the EU’s strategic agenda for the next five years. The agenda will be set after the European elections, which will take place in June.
Uproar over ground troop considerations
Macron recently attracted attention by saying that the deployment of Western ground troops in Ukraine cannot be ruled out. Such considerations are rejected by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Chancellor Karl Nehammer (ÖVP) also stated that Macron’s initiative was “not a common position.”
In 2017, in the same beautiful lecture hall at the Sorbonne, Macron had already called for greater European sovereignty and stronger common defense.
Source: Krone
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