Emmanuel Macron today expressed his concerns about our continent in his speech on Europe. The French president said that Europe is in a weak position on the international stage.
Europe correspondent Stefan de Vries about Macron’s speech
4 min 29 sec
According to Macron, the question is whether Europe is able to defend itself in a war. “Our Europe is mortal, and can actually die,” he said, among other things. He therefore came across as a bit scared to Europe correspondent Stefan de Vries. ‘He thinks that Europe is in bad shape. He acts a bit like we’re Calimeros.’
Also read | President Macron calls for more sanctions against Iran after attack
He is especially afraid because the European elections are approaching, says De Vries. ‘His party is doing poorly in the polls.’ That is striking, because Macron was elected seven years ago on the promise that his party would remain the right-wing alternative to Marine Le Pen. But her party and a party that is also radical right can count on almost 38 percent of the votes, while Macron’s party remains stuck at only 16 percent of the votes in the latest polls. The parties to the right of Macron have now more than doubled in size.
More autonomy
Macron further advocated a change in the economic model of the European Union. ‘He especially wants Europe to stand on its own two feet. Europe must protect its borders and have the economy in its own hands and no longer be dependent on the other two blocs, the United States and China.’ Europe must become more autonomous, says Macron.
In his speech, Macron once again distanced himself from his own attitude during the first months of the war in Ukraine. He then wanted to keep the line open with Moscow and was therefore in regular contact with Putin. He has turned 180 degrees in this regard, says De Vries. “He talked about possible troops in Ukraine a few months ago, and he has increased French support for Ukraine.”
