French President Calls for a ‘European Political Community’ That Would Also Include Non-EU Countries

Calling his election by the French citizens as the country’s President for another mandate a signal that the French had wanted more Europe, Macron has urged the European nations to work on creating a new community which would connect the European and democratic nations, regardless of their EU membership and aspirations.

Such a proposal was presented by the French President while commenting on Ukraine’s recent attempt to become an EU member, emphasizing that even if the country is granted EU membership now, it will take years for the same to become an actual EU member.

“But even if tomorrow we granted them the status of candidate for membership of our European Union, we all know perfectly well that the process allowing them to join would take several years, in truth, probably several decades … unless we decide to lower the standards of this membership,” the President said.

He also noted that Ukraine is not the only country aspiring to become an EU member, further listing Georgia, Moldova, and the six Western Balkan countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia.

During this speech, which he gave to those present on the occasion of the Day of Europe, which is celebrated every year on May 9, President Macron said that EU membership is not the only way to secure Europe’s stability, proposing the creation of what he called “a European political community”.

“This new European organization would allow the democratic European nations adhering to our core values ??to find a new area of ??political cooperation, security, cooperation in energy, transport, investment, infrastructure, movement of people and especially our youth,” he said.

According to him, joining this organization would not necessarily prejudge future EU membership, nor would it be closed to those who have left the latter, referring to the United Kingdom.

Macron said he would be working with the governments of all states interested in the project in order to complete it, showing his belief that the same would be “the stability and the future” of the continent of Europe.

Macron made such statements during the closing ceremony yesterday in Strasbourg, of the Conference on the Future of Europe, which has concluded its work after a year of collaboration between citizens and politicians. During this ceremony, a report with 49 proposals with concrete objectives and over 320 measures for the EU institutions to follow up on was submitted to the heads of the EU institutions, the Commission, the Council and the Parliament.