The French president issues a dark and prophetic warning

A region in mortal danger

In 1940, after France had been defeated by the Nazi blitzkrieg, the historian Marc Bloch condemned his country’s inter-war elites for having failed to face up to the threat that lay ahead. 

Today Emmanuel Macron cites Bloch as a warning that Europe’s elites are gripped by the same fatal complacency.

France’s president set out his apocalyptic vision in an interview with The Economist in the Elysée Palace. 

It came days after his delivery of a big speech about the future of Europe

Mr Macron’s second theme is that an alarming industrial gap has opened up as Europe has fallen behind America and China. 

France’s president reserves special contempt for populist nationalists. Though he did not name her, one of those is Marine Le Pen, who has ambitions to replace him in 2027. 

His plans could fall victim to the unwieldy structure of the eu itself. They require 27 power-hungry governments to cede sovereign control of taxation and foreign policy and to give more influence to the European Commission, which seems unlikely.

The Economist 2 May 2024

https://www.economist.com/leaders/2024/05/02/emmanuel-macrons-urgent-message-for-europe