French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday set out his vision for a more assertive European Union on the global stage, warning that Europe could "die" if it fails to build its own robust defense, or if it fails to undertake major trade and economic reforms to compete with China and the U.S.
Macron urged Europeans to become more ambitious in a fast-changing world to face the challenges of war, fierce trade competition, energy scarcity, climate change and increasing authoritarianism.
In a speech at Sorbonne University in Paris, he said that the continent is divided and "too slow and lacks ambition" at a time when the 27-member European Union needs to become a superpower, defend its own borders and speak with one voice if it wants to survive and thrive.
Macron also said the continent must not become a vassal of the United States.
"Our Europe today is mortal," Macron said. "It can die and that depends solely on our choices," he added. He called on people to make those choices now because, "it's today that Europe is between war and peace."
Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, now in its third year, is an existential threat and Europe isn't armed enough to defend itself when "confronted by a power like Russia that has no inhibitions, no limits," Macron said.
"Our ability to ensure our security is at stake," Macron said. "Russia mustn't be allowed to win."
With just three years left of his second and final term in office, Macron, 46, 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 nearly two-hour speech, he warned that military, economic and other pressures could weaken and fragment the EU.
He called for a boost in Europe's cybersecurity capacity, closer defense ties with post-Brexit Britain, and the creation of a European academy to train high-ranking military personnel.
Europeans should give preference to buying European military equipment, he said.
"We must produce more, we must produce faster, and we must produce as Europeans," Macron said.
The speech won a positive response from Macron's main EU partner, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with whom he has often clashed on defense and trade issues.
"France and Germany want Europe to be strong," Scholz said in a post. "Your speech contains good ideas on how we can achieve this."
Macron has long called for European "strategic autonomy" involving less reliance on the United States, a stance that has gained greater resonance in the face of Donald Trump's bid to return to the White House. Trump has often accused Europe of freeloading on defense 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," Macron said.
Many EU officials believe there is currently no credible alternative to the U.S. military umbrella.
Macron said Europe also risks falling behind economically as global free-trade rules are being challenged by major competitors. The European Central Bank (ECB) should no longer just target inflation, but also growth and climate, he said.
The EU should agree on exemptions to its own competition rules so it can support firms in sectors such as AI and green energy in the face of "oversubsidies" by the U.S. and China, Macron said.
Europe needs less fragmented markets for energy, telecoms and financial services, and must also cut red tape, he added.
The French leader hopes his speech will have the same impact as a similar address at the Sorbonne he made seven years ago that prefigured some significant EU policy shifts.
Since then, much has changed, with geopolitical challenges including the war in Gaza, Russia's invasion of Ukraine and disputes between China and the United States.
Referring to the trade practices of China and the U.S., Macron said, "The two world powers have decided not to respect the rules of global trade" by shoring up protections and subsidies while Europe's industry remains open and is stuck in overregulation.
"Let's do the same, we are in competition," he said.
"We must buy faster, we must produce more and we must buy more that is made in Europe. That is key," Macron said.
Thursday's speech was billed by Macron's advisers as France's contribution to the EU's strategic agenda for the next five years. The agenda is due to be decided after the European elections.
"Macron thinks that Europe's strategic fault lines are not just with illiberal assertive powers but also with the U.S," said Rym Momtaz of the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Paris.
"He accuses (them) of espousing unfair competition practices similar to China, and consequently paralyzing Europe's ability to assert itself as a real global power player," she said.
