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Emmanuel Macron’s first Sorbonne speech, in 2017, aimed to lay the groundwork for a sovereign Europe, a Europe of hope, and “the Europe that protects.” On Thursday, April 25, the French president delivered his second speech at the Paris institution, acknowledging the grim ways in which the world has changed by portraying Europe as a place that, in order to protect its citizens, must first protect itself.

Indeed, Macron presented an almost apocalyptic view, warning that “Europe can die” if confronted with the dangers that threaten it. The dramatic effect was deliberate; the president has done this before, declaring the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) “brain-dead” in 2019. Russia’s war in Ukraine has served as a shock treatment, and NATO is in better shape than ever.

Macron’s proposed solutions to defend Europe were thus appropriate for the challenges he described. First and foremost, the possibility of the American ally losing interest in Europe’s defense, whoever its president is, was clearly addressed: Macron stressed that the United States has two priorities: itself and China.

This observation necessitates the development of “a credible European defense” to ensure the security of Europe, which is “encircled” by “uninhibited regional powers” such as Russia and Iran. It is worth noting, incidentally, that Russia has been downgraded to a regional power; this will undoubtedly be noticed by Vladimir Putin, who found this classification insulting when it was first uttered by US President Barack Obama in 2014.

This European defense, supported by the European pillar of NATO but not only, must be able to respond to the “acceleration of global rearmament”. The “powerful Europe” advocated for by the French president would have to prioritize its own weapons production over massive purchases from the United States, as well as rely on France’s nuclear deterrent force, the European mission of which was reaffirmed.

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The “paradigm shift” that Macron has deemed necessary for Europe’s survival would apply equally to the economy and security. Again, he noted that the two superpowers, the US and China, “have decided to stop respecting trade rules.” To avoid falling behind and slipping into “impoverishment,” Europeans must invest massively and, most importantly, collectively in innovation, new technologies, artificial intelligence, and decarbonization.

None of these topics were particularly new to the president’s vocabulary. Those European partners most committed to the transatlantic bond will undoubtedly be concerned by his emphasis on the growing schism with the United States.

However, the clear assessment made in this speech is consistent with recent diagnoses made by former Italian prime ministers Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi, as well as on Thursday by Poland’s head of diplomacy, Radoslaw Sikorski. All have called for radical changes in Europe, which is portrayed as being too slow to address the profound upheavals occurring around the world.

On Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz praised the “good impulses” in his French counterpart’s speech. All that remains is to determine what these are, and, most importantly, to reach an agreement on an action plan to build a “powerful Europe.”