The French leader said Europe’s decadeslong project of peaceful cooperation might perish the continent doesn’t shore up critical gaps in its architecture.

On Thursday, Emmanuel Macron said Europe is not currently equipped to deal with the military, economic and trade risks that the continent is and will face in the future. “There is a risk our Europe could die. We are not equipped to face the risks,” Mr Macron said during his speech at Sorbonne University in Paris on Thursday.

In a nearly two-hour speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, Mr Macron claimed the 27-member European Union (EU) was “too slow and lacks ambition” before demanding that the bloc does not become a “vassal of the United States”.

Europe must not become a vassal of the US, he said, as he outlined his vision for a more assertive EU on the global stage.

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French President Emmanuel Macron will outline Thursday his vision for a stronger Europe, pushing EU members to be less dependent on the United States but also hoping to boost his party's flagging campaign in EU elections.