The European Union has been “shaken” according to Emmanuel Macron, who warned the bloc is faced with existential threats that could see it “die”.
France’s president, speaking at the Berlin Global Dialogue conference, delivered a stark speech followed by a panel discussion about the dire circumstances the EU finds itself in.
The French leader, embattled domestically, took the opportunity on the global stage to try and set the agenda for European reform. He pointed to three main areas that had radically altered in recent years that would force member states to adapt or face extinction as powerful actors.
He warned Chinese imports, the end of cheap Russian gas, and unreliable US military support have critically undermined the potential of the EU.
“Our former model is over”, Macron said plainly.
The French president told the panel: “The European model… we were based on exports and a big part of [this was] the car-making industry [exporting] to China.
“We were based on low-cost energy – Russian gas. We were based on a defense umbrella from the US, without any question. And everything now is shaken.”
Explaining how the landscape has shifted across those three key areas, the 46-year-old said: “China has over-capacities and is clearly a competitive place, so it’s no more a secured place for our exports.”
On Friday, EU member states will vote on whether to impose tariffs on Chinese car imports, as the European Commission conducts an anti-subsidy investigation in China’s EV industry.
Discussing the ongoing war in Ukraine, Macron noted the impact the war has had on EU states’ reliance on Russian fuel. Austria, for example, still imports 97 percent of its gas from Russia. However, states around Europe and beyond have been stung by rising fuel prices as a result of Putin’s incursion into Ukraine.
He said: “Russian war killed local energy and the killer of our competitiveness today is a big gap in terms of energy prices everywhere.”
Finally, appearing to take a dig at both Joe Biden and Donald Trump, Macron argued that European states could no longer rely on the US for security and defence.
Joe Biden oversaw the disasterous withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, while analysts believe Trump could undermine Ukraine’s fight for sovereignty but forcing through an unsatisfactory peace deal.
The French leader said: “Very clearly post-Afghanistan some people can have doubts [about the US] and the potential change in leadership in the US means that this is not a guarantee [that the US will continue to protect Europe].”
