‘Europe could die’: French President Macron sounds alarmist during speech

“We must be aware of the fact that our Europe is mortal, that it can die,” Macron said. The French head of state painted a picture of a Europe that is in danger of being hemmed in by other great powers, a Europe where the values ​​of European liberal democracy are being “increasingly criticized” and “contested”.

The French president fears an increasingly poor Europe and also insists on a strong, credible European defense that is not dependent on the US. Europe is in danger from Russian aggression according to Macron. And “Europe is not sufficiently armed for the risks we now face.” He also believes that there will be no security in Europe if Russia wins the war against Ukraine.

Macron delivered his speech at the Sorbonne, the prestigious university in Paris where he gave an influential speech seven years ago on the need for European sovereignty and strategic autonomy. He noted that Europe is now “saturated” with these concepts and has “rarely made as much progress” as during the pandemic and the war in Ukraine.

But “we are still too slow, not ambitious enough,” Macron believes. “It only depends on our choices, but those choices have to be made now.” Otherwise, according to the French president, there is “an immense risk” that Europe will be “weakened or even relegated to the back burner” by the next decade.

Investment plan

That is why, according to Macron, “a major budgetary investment plan” is needed. He estimates the need for investments in areas such as defense, artificial intelligence and decarbonization at 650 to 1,000 billion euros per year. Europe’s financial strength must therefore “double”. He suggested a “joint borrowing capacity”, but also an expansion of the mission of the European Central Bank, which could also have a “growth target” in addition to curbing inflation to 2 percent. Because masses of private money also have to be mobilized, Macron once again advocated the development of the European capital union.

In addition to a plea for the development of a stronger European defense, Macron also defended a revision of European trade policy, which should be more focused on defending European interests. “It doesn’t work if we are the only ones in the world who respect the trade rules as they were written fifteen years ago, if the Chinese and Americans no longer respect them and subsidize their own essential sectors,” he said.

At the Elysée it was said that Macron’s speech serves to assert French influence with a view to the installation of a new European Commission, but the speech is of course also seen as an entry into the European election campaign in France, where his candidate Valérie Hayer is easily defeated in the polls by Jordan Bardella of the far right RN.

The nationalist parties “no longer dare to say that they want to leave the euro or leave Europe,” Macron noted. They want to continue living in the European “building”, but “without paying the rent” and “without respecting the rules of co-ownership”. According to the French president, this could be just as dangerous for Europe if the pro-Europeans become “timid”.