French president: EU must first reform, Balkans can wait
French President Emmanuel Macron says the EU should not allow new members to join until it is integrated deeper and reformed.
Source: Beta
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(Tanjug/AP)
"I don't want a Balkans that turns toward Turkey or Russia," he continued, "but I don't want a Europe that, functioning with difficulty at 28 and tomorrow as 27, would decide that we can continue to gallop off, to be tomorrow 30 or 32, with the same rules."
EU and Western Balkans leaders will hold a summit next month, but chances are small of Brussels inviting any of the countries to join the EU any time soon.
Earlier on Tuesday, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker warned of the possibility of "war" if EU's door remains closed.
"If we remove from these countries, in this extremely complicated region, I should say tragically, a European perspective, we are going to live what we already went through in the 1990s. I don't want a return to war in the Western Balkans," Juncker said.
", so Macron is definitively not an equal to Putin. icj1
Well, the public debt of France is circa 100% of its gdp, while the public debt of Russia is almost equal to zero.Also, France's GDP per Purchased power parity (PPA) is equal to Russia's PPA. Also, France's military is depleted,while it is not the case for Russia. Thus, yes, France and Russia are not equals. France is indeed weaker than Russia.
(Victor Hugo, 23 April 2018 17:54)
Monsieur Macron,
Who needs your E.U.?
As it is, you no longer even have the country France was.
You have allowed rule from Berlin and Islamists. You surrendered long ago.
Vive la France?
No. Mourn for France.
(Betsy Lalich, 21 April 2018 05:49)
He stated yesterday he is equal to Putin lmao
(trizo, 18 April 2018 10:40)
Yeah, that's laughable. He presides over an economy that is almost double the size of the economy that Putin presides over, so Macron is definitively not an equal to Putin. Even people like Temer of Brazil or Moon of South Korea preside over economies that are larger than Putin's. Putin is an equal to people like Rajoy of Spain :)
(icj1, 20 April 2018 03:15)
Indeed.He also presides over a country that has nearly 10 times higher debt/gdp ratio than those of russia.
(andrew, 20 April 2018 17:11)
Good point... That means that creditors trust France much more than they would trust Russia.
(icj1, 21 April 2018 03:29)
He stated yesterday he is equal to Putin lmao
(trizo, 18 April 2018 10:40)
Yeah, that's laughable. He presides over an economy that is almost double the size of the economy that Putin presides over, so Macron is definitively not an equal to Putin. Even people like Temer of Brazil or Moon of South Korea preside over economies that are larger than Putin's. Putin is an equal to people like Rajoy of Spain :)
(icj1, 20 April 2018 03:15)
Macron will be voted out of office by the French long before the EU is reformed.
Neither Macron, nor do I believe the French, will be an obstacle to Serbia's admission to the EU.
That said, Serbia's admission to the EU, sad to say, won't be be a path without obstacles that other EU members did not have before them.
(Karl, 19 April 2018 11:08)
EU is a failing project that sooner or later it will break till to non existence. All the W. Balkan countries should look for their best interests and forget some shattered EU dreams. It's time to look for new potential allies like China, Turkey or even Russia. They don't want us and we don't need them.
And of course he wants France and/or himself to lead that deepened union. The picture with the halo of stars around his head says it all. He wants a federal Europe tailored around the French model because in the end, big countries in Europe want to impose their system on the rest. The fact is that many in Europe don't want a "United States of Europe". The Dutch along with the Scandinavian countries and others are already rebelling against his ideas and then of course there are also the Visegrad countries. The former don't want deeper integration with a common budget and finance ministers that will lead to a flow of money south with them footing the bill. The latter don't want Brussels to meddle in their affairs. Macron's recent role in the bombing of Syria makes you think that he has visions of grandeur. In the meanwhile, he is very unpopular back home in France.
But go ahead, don't give the Balkans prospects for EU accession. Russia, China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be thankful.
(Joe A, 17 April 2018 15:44)
The first step to what we know today as the EU was the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community and was realised in order stop France and Germany to going to war again.
The EU, with all it's faults, has prevented war in Europe for over half a century which this continent never before experienced for such an singly extended period.
The Balkans, without the intervention of the EU would have not recovered from the wars of the 90's and conflicts would not have resolved so peacefully had the EU not existed.
Macron is right, issues exist and need to be fixed but the Western Balkans should not be put on hold. In fact efforts should be made to ensure that the Balkans have a say in the matters that will affect them once they also become fully fledged members.
(T, 17 April 2018 15:09)
EU is a failing project that sooner or later it will break till to non existence. All the W. Balkan countries should look for their best interests and forget some shattered EU dreams. It's time to look for new potential allies like China, Turkey or even Russia. They don't want us and we don't need them.
And of course he wants France and/or himself to lead that deepened union. The picture with the halo of stars around his head says it all. He wants a federal Europe tailored around the French model because in the end, big countries in Europe want to impose their system on the rest. The fact is that many in Europe don't want a "United States of Europe". The Dutch along with the Scandinavian countries and others are already rebelling against his ideas and then of course there are also the Visegrad countries. The former don't want deeper integration with a common budget and finance ministers that will lead to a flow of money south with them footing the bill. The latter don't want Brussels to meddle in their affairs. Macron's recent role in the bombing of Syria makes you think that he has visions of grandeur. In the meanwhile, he is very unpopular back home in France.
But go ahead, don't give the Balkans prospects for EU accession. Russia, China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be thankful.
(Joe A, 17 April 2018 15:44)
The first step to what we know today as the EU was the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community and was realised in order stop France and Germany to going to war again.
The EU, with all it's faults, has prevented war in Europe for over half a century which this continent never before experienced for such an singly extended period.
The Balkans, without the intervention of the EU would have not recovered from the wars of the 90's and conflicts would not have resolved so peacefully had the EU not existed.
Macron is right, issues exist and need to be fixed but the Western Balkans should not be put on hold. In fact efforts should be made to ensure that the Balkans have a say in the matters that will affect them once they also become fully fledged members.
(T, 17 April 2018 15:09)
He stated yesterday he is equal to Putin lmao
(trizo, 18 April 2018 10:40)
Yeah, that's laughable. He presides over an economy that is almost double the size of the economy that Putin presides over, so Macron is definitively not an equal to Putin. Even people like Temer of Brazil or Moon of South Korea preside over economies that are larger than Putin's. Putin is an equal to people like Rajoy of Spain :)
(icj1, 20 April 2018 03:15)
Indeed.He also presides over a country that has nearly 10 times higher debt/gdp ratio than those of russia.
(andrew, 20 April 2018 17:11)
Good point... That means that creditors trust France much more than they would trust Russia.
(icj1, 21 April 2018 03:29)
He stated yesterday he is equal to Putin lmao
(trizo, 18 April 2018 10:40)
Yeah, that's laughable. He presides over an economy that is almost double the size of the economy that Putin presides over, so Macron is definitively not an equal to Putin. Even people like Temer of Brazil or Moon of South Korea preside over economies that are larger than Putin's. Putin is an equal to people like Rajoy of Spain :)
(icj1, 20 April 2018 03:15)
Monsieur Macron,
Who needs your E.U.?
As it is, you no longer even have the country France was.
You have allowed rule from Berlin and Islamists. You surrendered long ago.
Vive la France?
No. Mourn for France.
(Betsy Lalich, 21 April 2018 05:49)
Macron will be voted out of office by the French long before the EU is reformed.
Neither Macron, nor do I believe the French, will be an obstacle to Serbia's admission to the EU.
That said, Serbia's admission to the EU, sad to say, won't be be a path without obstacles that other EU members did not have before them.
(Karl, 19 April 2018 11:08)
", so Macron is definitively not an equal to Putin. icj1
Well, the public debt of France is circa 100% of its gdp, while the public debt of Russia is almost equal to zero.Also, France's GDP per Purchased power parity (PPA) is equal to Russia's PPA. Also, France's military is depleted,while it is not the case for Russia. Thus, yes, France and Russia are not equals. France is indeed weaker than Russia.
(Victor Hugo, 23 April 2018 17:54)
The first step to what we know today as the EU was the creation of the European Coal and Steel Community and was realised in order stop France and Germany to going to war again.
The EU, with all it's faults, has prevented war in Europe for over half a century which this continent never before experienced for such an singly extended period.
The Balkans, without the intervention of the EU would have not recovered from the wars of the 90's and conflicts would not have resolved so peacefully had the EU not existed.
Macron is right, issues exist and need to be fixed but the Western Balkans should not be put on hold. In fact efforts should be made to ensure that the Balkans have a say in the matters that will affect them once they also become fully fledged members.
(T, 17 April 2018 15:09)
EU is a failing project that sooner or later it will break till to non existence. All the W. Balkan countries should look for their best interests and forget some shattered EU dreams. It's time to look for new potential allies like China, Turkey or even Russia. They don't want us and we don't need them.
And of course he wants France and/or himself to lead that deepened union. The picture with the halo of stars around his head says it all. He wants a federal Europe tailored around the French model because in the end, big countries in Europe want to impose their system on the rest. The fact is that many in Europe don't want a "United States of Europe". The Dutch along with the Scandinavian countries and others are already rebelling against his ideas and then of course there are also the Visegrad countries. The former don't want deeper integration with a common budget and finance ministers that will lead to a flow of money south with them footing the bill. The latter don't want Brussels to meddle in their affairs. Macron's recent role in the bombing of Syria makes you think that he has visions of grandeur. In the meanwhile, he is very unpopular back home in France.
But go ahead, don't give the Balkans prospects for EU accession. Russia, China, Turkey and Saudi Arabia will be thankful.
(Joe A, 17 April 2018 15:44)
Macron will be voted out of office by the French long before the EU is reformed.
Neither Macron, nor do I believe the French, will be an obstacle to Serbia's admission to the EU.
That said, Serbia's admission to the EU, sad to say, won't be be a path without obstacles that other EU members did not have before them.
(Karl, 19 April 2018 11:08)
Monsieur Macron,
Who needs your E.U.?
As it is, you no longer even have the country France was.
You have allowed rule from Berlin and Islamists. You surrendered long ago.
Vive la France?
No. Mourn for France.
(Betsy Lalich, 21 April 2018 05:49)
He stated yesterday he is equal to Putin lmao
(trizo, 18 April 2018 10:40)
Yeah, that's laughable. He presides over an economy that is almost double the size of the economy that Putin presides over, so Macron is definitively not an equal to Putin. Even people like Temer of Brazil or Moon of South Korea preside over economies that are larger than Putin's. Putin is an equal to people like Rajoy of Spain :)
(icj1, 20 April 2018 03:15)
He stated yesterday he is equal to Putin lmao
(trizo, 18 April 2018 10:40)
Yeah, that's laughable. He presides over an economy that is almost double the size of the economy that Putin presides over, so Macron is definitively not an equal to Putin. Even people like Temer of Brazil or Moon of South Korea preside over economies that are larger than Putin's. Putin is an equal to people like Rajoy of Spain :)
(icj1, 20 April 2018 03:15)
Indeed.He also presides over a country that has nearly 10 times higher debt/gdp ratio than those of russia.
(andrew, 20 April 2018 17:11)
Good point... That means that creditors trust France much more than they would trust Russia.
(icj1, 21 April 2018 03:29)
", so Macron is definitively not an equal to Putin. icj1
Well, the public debt of France is circa 100% of its gdp, while the public debt of Russia is almost equal to zero.Also, France's GDP per Purchased power parity (PPA) is equal to Russia's PPA. Also, France's military is depleted,while it is not the case for Russia. Thus, yes, France and Russia are not equals. France is indeed weaker than Russia.
(Victor Hugo, 23 April 2018 17:54)