Electoral marketing or a visionary idea for the survival of the Old Continent: What do Danas interviewees think of Emmanuel Macron’s statement that Europe is mortal? – Politics

Macron’s position should be interpreted so that Europe should additionally strengthen its defense within NATO. This is particularly significant as a potential EU response should there be a change of leadership in the USA after the elections in November,” Mihajlo Brkić, former ambassador and vice-president of the Serbia Center Party, points out for Danas.

To recall, the French president warned at the Sorbonne, in front of university public opinion and in front of 26 EU ambassadors, that Europe is “deadly” and that it is about to be “kicked out of the game” in the face of competition from other great powers. Macron argued for a “powerful Europe”, which is respected, which “ensures its security” and which is able to restore its strategic autonomy.

According to Brkić, Macron’s announcement of the creation of a “strategic concept of credible European defense”, apart from a strategic approach, also has a tactical political dimension, as it represents the possibility of returning part of the military sovereignty of the Europeans in relation to the USA. This, he says, is a good electoral argument in an attempt to prevent a possible victory of the extreme right in the upcoming French elections.

“If this statement by Macron turns out to be truly strategic and not part of pre-election marketing, it would have great significance for our country as well.” “Serbia cannot become a member of NATO, for a number of reasons, but it could be part of the joint European defense forces, which would have a decisive importance for the geopolitical positioning of our country within Europe, and not in a political sense outside of it,” says the interviewee of Danas.

Elvira Kovač: The European project will forever remain unfinished

Elvira Kovač, the president of the EU Committee of the Serbian Parliament, does not agree with this statement of the French president, because, as she says, she is convinced that Europe cannot die, because “the European project will forever remain unfinished.”

“These are not words spoken these days or the last years of the crisis, they are a reflection of the European idea in the last 500 years.” These are the words of the great Erasmus of Rotterdam, because European thinkers and humanists have been convinced since the 15th century that Europe should be built anew and anew every day, and every day start anew, with the awareness that that project will forever remain unfinished.” Kovac points out.

According to her, Europe and the European Union have recently been put to the test in terms of preserving European values ​​and order, and the violation of international law contributes to this.

“Unfortunately, Serbia is a victim of the denial of international norms and principles,” assesses the interviewee of Danas.

Zoran Lutovac, the president of the Democratic Party, nevertheless puts Macron’s statement in the context of the European Parliament elections and says that the French president is trying, on the one hand, to prevent the further growth of the extreme right, and on the other hand, to prevent the penetration of the left into his electorate.

Srećko Đukić: Europe cannot live and survive as a continent without its own security guarantee

“In his speeches, Macron demonstrates a new vision of Europe, a new stage of its joint development within the framework of the EU and the European political community.” This is exactly what Europe needs and what has turned out to be its major shortcoming in the current crisis of international relations, which is particularly marked by the massive Russian invasion of Ukraine (Europe), “tickling” and uncertainty in relations with the USA (Trump) as a strategic partner that has unquestionably guaranteed the security of Europe since the Second World War.

Macron clearly says that Europe cannot live and survive as a continent without its own guarantee of security. The time of security consumers, swearing and swearing for America is an irreversible past”, assesses Srećko Đukić, a member of the Forum for International Relations.

According to him, there is of course European energy security, which had to be solved under Russian blackmail, as well as Europe’s global leadership in green transition, science and technology, and partnership with China.

“Europe just needs that strong, comprehensive, decisive step forward in integration around the aforementioned key priorities to become a global partner and ally in the new conditions of the US and China.” Europe lived a conformist life, was the best place to live in the world, distinguished itself as a consumer society, but all at the expense of its own leadership in the world and its own security. If we don’t want the end of Europe, the EU, “if we don’t want their death”, let’s embark on new challenges that we can achieve as we have achieved and unique integration within the framework of the EU.

Macron’s ideas, messages, visions are no less today than the visions that the founders of today’s Union sent to the world in the distant 1950s. Macron, leading France, is “obsessed” all the time with views on the future of Europe, the perspective of NATO,” Đukić states and recalls Macron’s earlier statement about the brain death of the alliance.

This is where, as Danas’ interlocutor says, Macron is on the best track of the great French political thought of a series of visionaries and creators of post-war Europe.

He also notes that the French, after all, have always been ahead of other Europeans.

“Macron’s ideas represent a true platform for the new integration of Europe, security, energy, new technologies, global leadership, as coal and steel once were.” France, as an “engine of ideas”, I believe will find the full support of the widest range of European political forces and win. In conclusion, the question arises as to how much the Serbian nation is aware of the upheaval that will happen and to which side,” Đukić points out.

Dragan Šormaz, president of the Euro-Atlantic Council of Serbia, assesses that the aggression against Ukraine brought something good because Europe realized that Russia-China-Iran are the axis of everything bad today, an alliance of those who have an interest in imperially ruling the world, lies, stifling democracy, civil rights , personal freedoms.

Shormaz says that Europe realized that Russia is not a country, that it is an empire and that it naturally wants to expand its territories and influence. That is why Europe must help Ukraine as much as possible, that is why President Macron even announces the sending of the army if necessary, and he is not the only one, because more and more countries take the same position.

“We heard the same thing in the US Congress and from the Republicans these days – ‘now we send weapons so we don’t have to send soldiers.’ The West has realized, and President Macron says it the loudest, that Russia must be defeated in this war, or the European system and democracy will fall apart under the Russian boot. When the war is over, there will be no new attempts at civilized cooperation with Russia, all cooperation will be reduced, brought to a minimum, because Europe realized that it is a waste to spend resources and time to help Russia become a democratic state,” explains Shormaz.

He points out that what Serbia should count on is that it will never be on the Russian side of the wall. According to his rallies, until we understand this, we are working against the interests of Serbia and its citizens.

Milovan Božinović: De Gaulle’s revolutionary idea of ​​”Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals” is further than ever

Milovan Božinović, a career diplomat, recalls that during his first mandate, Macron tried to present himself as an innovator and reformer of the EU, and the ideas of a “two-speed” EU, a division into a solid, historical EU core and other, younger members, had the greatest resonance. unequally compatible with the “mother” fabric of the EU.

“Countries aspirants to EU membership mostly understood that they were rejected until some distant date.” Also, Macron’s reform ideas were aimed at containing Germany, which is a French historical obsession, since during the first term Germany was at the peak of power and imposed its concepts and practices on the entire EU. Under him, the cult of French-German friendship began to fade,” Božinović told Danas.

That whole constellation, as Danas’ interlocutor says, was completely destroyed by the beginning of the war in Ukraine, which from the American point of view was an opportunity to systematically and long-term eliminate the EU as a factor in global politics.

“Europe today is exactly what de Gaulle feared the most: that Europe, and thus France, will become an American vassal and an instrument for maintaining American domination.” Today, France is going through a kind of renaissance of degolism, as that constant of French politics without which its civilizational substance is destroyed. Today, in the eyes of most French people, Macron is a supporter – often a fanatic – of drowning France in some kind of fictitious amalgam of “real Europe” that will be easier for others to manage. All in all, Macron’s speech at the Sorbonne is an attempt to ensure that the traditions of Degolism as a national consensus on the position and future of France are not forgotten and that they will be “creatively” incorporated into his policy, which was largely profiled as anti-Degolism,” explains Božinović.

It’s just that, as he says, many things are different today than they used to be. NATO implements a brutal policy of disciplining its membership, the German neighbor is in crisis and has no concept of how to proceed, all economic ties with Russia have been arrogantly cut and instead of cooperation, a proxy war is being waged.

“De Gaulle’s revolutionary idea of ​​’Europe from the Atlantic to the Urals’ is further along than ever.” All in all, as it often happens in daily politics, Macron addressed the majority Degolovian France in order to appease it, but not to win it over,” concludes this career diplomat.