President Macron today developed his ideas for the EU to deal with the “mortal dangers” it faces

Stating that a united Europe is facing “mortal dangers”, but also listing the areas in which Europe has made impressive progress in recent years, French President Emmanuel Macron, during a speech today in the main auditorium of the Sorbonne University , presented his views and his proposals regarding the axes on which the process of European integration should move from now on. President Macron underlined that his goal is a more united, autonomous and democratic Europe, noting that despite the difficulties that have existed in recent years, no member state of the European Union has shown that they are thinking of following the example of Britain, that is, of exiting the EU He said, however, that respect for the rule of law is essential for a country to stay in the EU. Referring to the achievements of recent years, President Macron underlined the common response to the health crisis, despite the fact that the health sector is not included in common European policies, as well as the progress achieved in the fields of energy and defence. He also underlined that Europe tends to have a unified policy in the areas of asylum and migration and a common plan to deal with the environmental crisis. The French president said that France played a leading role in the realization of the above successes, having as its basic philosophy that “the future of Europe is by definition also the future of France”. The French president went on to say that despite the successes of recent years, risks lurk and could prove fatal for Europe. He specifically referred to the fact that Europe is facing intense competition from China and the US, as well as its recent energy dependence on Russia. He noted that growth rates in the US and China are much higher than in Europe, pointing out that one of the reasons for this is that these two countries no longer respect the rules of international trade that they themselves agreed to in the past. . President Macron spoke of a change in the standards by which the European economy has developed in recent years, characteristically saying that “the time when we bought energy from Russia and products from China is over”. Referring to Russia in particular, he underlined once again that it should be defeated in the war with Ukraine and noted that to this end Europe should not set limits from the outset on the ways in which it will show solidarity with Kiev. He also noted the special role that France, as a nuclear power, can play in the issue of preventing and further escalating the war crisis with Russia, but also in general. He also highlighted the importance of closer EU defense cooperation with Britain both within the framework of the European Political Community and NATO, the existence of which he described as essential. Emmanuel Macron advocated the development of European defense cooperation, the development of the European defense industry, but also common diplomatic initiatives of Europe in its relations with third countries. The French president also emphasized the need for cooperation between the Schengen zone states both in terms of dealing with terrorism and drugs. Emmanuel Macron also pointed out that in order for Europe to maintain its economic growth, welfare state and environmental protection, it will have to change its institutional framework and simplify the rules under which it operates, to the benefit of both business and and citizens. The French president also did not rule out the application of protectionist policies in critical areas of economic activity for Europe and advocated changing the existing institutional framework so that a part of European savings could be mobilized towards the assumption of investment risks and the financing of European investment projects. designs. He noted the particular importance of the harmonization of taxation and bankruptcy law in the EU member states to achieve this goal. Emmanuel Macron also underlined that by 2030 Europe should become a leading power in five areas, namely in the artificial intelligence in quantum computing, space, energy and agricultural production. He pointed out that for this purpose, the European Central Bank should not only have as its main objective the containment of prices, but should also set development objectives. Finally, referring to the visible strengthening of the extreme right in the upcoming European elections, the French president, after repeating that there is a danger that Europe will die, underlined that the nationalists are no longer in favor of breaking up the united Europe nor in favor of their country leaving it. However, as he characteristically mentioned, they wish to remain in the common European house without respecting its common rules and without paying the rent.

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