French President Emmanuel Macron proposed a new “European political community” that would include both members and non-members of the European Union.
In a speech on Europe Day, Macron put forward a detail-light proposal to redraw the political map of Europe with a new organization that would give Ukraine a closer relationship with the EU short of a membership, and could also include the United Kingdom as well.
Macron spoke yesterday at the European Parliament in Strasbourg at an event that was both a celebration of Europe Day and a closing ceremony for the Conference on the Future of Europe. Europe Day marks the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration, which paved the way for the European Union in place today. The Conference is a yearlong European Union self-assessment process that includes town hall meetings with citizens of the bloc.
Macron was inaugurated over the weekend for his second term as president.
In the speech, Macron seemed animated in his desire to find a solution for Ukraine, still suffering from an ongoing invasion from Russia, and has pleaded for fast-track EU membership since Russia’s war began.
Macron called Ukraine’s desire to join the EU “legitimate aspiration,” and highlighted that it is not the only country that wishes to join the bloc. Moldova and Georgia are also keen to join the EU.
Macron said that with multiple countries wishing to join, this invites nations to rethink their geography and the organization of the European continent.
Ukraine hopes to be officially granted EU candidate status at a European Council summit next month in June.
However, Macron said that the process to allow countries to join takes several years in reality, potentially even decades.
He said that because of this, the EU either needs to lower the standards of this membership, or they need to also completely rethink the unity of Europe, and proposed new tiers of political affiliations with the EU.
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