In a newspaper column published across the European Union, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, has called on the European Union (EU) to learn from Brexit and consider various reforms that could herald, what he has tagged, a “European renaissance” ahead of the EU’s parliamentary elections.
In the opinion piece published on Tuesday, Macron presented a potentially radical list of proposals for EU reform, with warnings about the threat Brexit poses to the EU, as well as other versions of nationalism, which have gained traction over the years.
Some of these threats can be traced to rising tensions in the West with President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies, Britain’s intended exit from the EU and a more domineering China and Russia in the mix.
Macron’s article appeared in various publications across the states such as, The Guardian in Britain, El País in Spain and Die Welt in Germany, with emphasis on the need to defend Europe’s citizens in the face of rising global competition.
“In a few weeks, the European elections will be decisive for the future of our continent. Europe has never been as necessary since World War Two as it is now and yet never has Europe been in such danger,” Macron wrote. “Nationalism offers nothing. It is a project of rejection.”
Some of the reforms suggested by Macron include: the creation of a European Agency for the Protection of Democracies, by countering cyber-attacks and curbing election manipulations; a common border force and European asylum office for Schengen states, under a European Council for Internal Security; a European food safety force; a European Climate Bank for financing ecological proposals; an external European Security Council with the UK on board (regardless of its intended exit) among others.
These, he believes, will help in focusing on a “Europe that protects,” which he hopes would convince voters.
Macron’s previously stated concerns are also highlighted in the articles with emphasis on the need to address climate change, and also strengthen the European industry, to compete with its US and Chinese contemporaries.
The French president also attempted to sway the European citizens not to back nationalists by calling for institutions and states to partake in a “Conference for Europe,” to propose changes necessary for the bloc’s political projects without taboos, such as reviewing existing treaties.
