French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Europe to assert itself on the world stage, saying it is time to start acting like a “power”.

In the face of growing threats from China, Russia and now the US, he told a group of European newspapers that the continent faced a “wake-up call”.

"Are we ready to become a power? This is the question in the field of economy and finance, in defence and security, and in our democratic systems.

“In another era we might have said it is the moment to ‘assume our majority’,” he said ahead of an EU summit in Brussels later this week.

  • Bullerfar@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    I know how much the French hate Macron (with good reasons), but you can’t really argue against these points. Some things gotta happen. Federilization, another voting system etc. Otherwise EU will be undermined and destroyed by the superpowers and become a lot of small versailstates. We cant find in this world, when bound on hands and feet by a few orbans here and there…

  • Lembot_0006@programming.dev
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    5 days ago

    Does Europe have any power? If yes, then Ukraine is the perfect place to demonstrate it. Imagine how powerful 1 million artillery shells per month would look. A hundred tanks and planes per month would look powerful too. Thousand missiles per month might send the powerful message too.

    Talking and urging isn’t powerful.

  • Formfiller@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    That means cutting ties with Israel and the Zionist oligarchs trying to implement mass surveillance. They don’t seem to understand that basic reality though because they keep trying to force the digital ID through Zionist Larry Ellisons company Oracle onto their populace.

  • ameancow@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    This is like telling Lemmy US leftists that they need to start reinforcing their communities and getting social and start grassroots movements to get better representation in their states.

    It’s a great message, but the mob is too varied and complacent to actually treat the situation as dire as it really is.

  • HrabiaVulpes@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    Problem is - if you look at how “World Powers” behave, do you really wanna live in such countries?

    Which Europeans would just love to invade neighbors like Russia and USA?

    Which Europeans would love to deregulate their countries in order to enrich elites like USA?

    Or perhaps which Europeans would love to live under state surveillance while their country buys out foreign infrastructure like China?

  • Akasazh@lemmy.world
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    5 days ago

    I really like Macron in his foreign policy mode, it just a shame he pissed the bed by opening a loophole that will be abused if ever an amoral president gets in power.

  • ARANDOMTURKISHGUY@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    This very hard. Europe down in recent years. Usa is dont care Europe. Rising far right population. Well very diffucult job.

  • FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    He’s right.

    They need to focus on making every European nation a nuclear power. You can’t trust the US when we’re on our second consecutive brain-damaged president in a row.

  • Zorque@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    It’s less about being a power. The British Empire was “A Power”. The US is “A Power”. Russia has been “A Power” and wants people to think it still is. China is “A Power”.

    Unless you use it to the benefit of the people, it’s just posturing.

  • Paranoidfactoid@lemmy.world
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    4 days ago

    I lived in Strasbourg during the 2018 Christmas terrorist attack. French gendarmerie kicked ass. Europe needs a standing army. Go build one.