‘Europe could die’ – Macron calls for stronger EU defence

French president Emmanuel Macron yesterday called for stronger, more integrated European defences as he outlined his vision for a more assertive European Union on the global stage.

In a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, he also said the continent must not become a vassal of the United States.

“There is a risk our Europe could die. We are not equipped to face the risks,” Mr Macron said.

With just three years left of his second and final term in office, Mr Macron wants to show his critics he retains the energy and fresh thinking that helped propel him into the presidency in 2017 and that he has not become a lame-duck leader.

In the speech lasting nearly two hours, he warned that military, economic and other pressures could weaken and fragment the 27-nation EU.

Russia must not be allowed to win in Ukraine, he said, calling for a boost in Europe’s cybersecurity capacity, closer defence ties with the post-Brexit UK, and the creation of a European academy to train high-ranking military personnel.

Europeans should give preference to buying European military equipment. “We must produce more, we must produce faster and we must produce as Europeans,” Mr Macron said.

The speech won a positive response from Mr Macron’s main EU partner, German chancellor Olaf Scholz, with whom he has often clashed on defence and trade issues.

“France and Germany want Europe to be strong,” Mr Scholz said in a post. “Your speech contains good ideas on how we can achieve this.”

Mr Macron has long called for European “strategic autonomy” involving less reliance on the US, a stance that has gained greater resonance in the face of Donald Trump’s bid to return to the White House. Mr Trump has often accused Europe of free-loading on defence at the United States’ expense.

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

Many EU officials believe there is currently no credible alternative to the US military umbrella.

Mr Macron said Europe also risks falling behind economically as global free-trade rules are being challenged by major competitors.

The European Central Bank should no longer just target inflation, but also growth and climate, he said.