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.
The EU is comprised of sovereign entities, but those entities have chosen to give up certain competencies to the Union for various benefits. The EU already handles trade diplomacy and monetary policy through democratic institutions; it isn’t that hard to imagine that could also take on competencies related to defense.
The EU also could share the competency of defense with the various nations. After all, there are other countries which have sub national entities that have their own militaries.