“Our Europe can die,” warns Emmanuel Macron, who calls for “making choices now”

“Our Europe is deadly” and runs “immense risk” to find yourself “relegated”warned Emmanuel Macron, Thursday April 25, during a speech at the Sorbonne on the future of the European Union. “My message today is simple: we must be clear today about the fact that our Europe is mortal, it can die”declared the President of the Republic.

“It only depends on our choices, but these choices must be made now” because “on the horizon of the next decade”, “the risk is immense of being weakened, or even relegated”, he added. The French president notably mentioned a Europe “in a situation of encirclement” facing the great regional powers and judged that the values ​​of the “liberal democracy” European were “increasingly criticized” And “contested”.

“Europe must know how to defend itself”

On defense, “the most recent events have demonstrated the importance of anti-missile defenses, deep strike capabilities (…) in the face of uninhibited adversaries”estimated the head of state. “This is why what we need to bring about (…) is a credible defense of the European continent.”

“Europe must know how to defend what is dear to it with its allies whenever they are ready to do so, and alone if necessary. Do we need an anti-missile shield for that? Can -be”, he said. The French nuclear deterrent “is in essence an essential element in the defense of the European continent”he added. Faced with Russia, the head of state also pleaded for “a European cybersecurity and cyber defense capacity”.