Macron warns EU has 'lost its way' in the wake of Brexit

Macron warns EU has 'lost its way' in the wake of Brexit

French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said the European Union has 'lost its way', calling for a 'new generation of leaders' to revive the bloc in the wake of Brexit.

'The building of Europe has been weakened by the spread of bureaucracy and by the growing scepticism that comes from that,' Macron said in an address to both houses of parliament. 

'The last 10 years have been cruel for Europe. We have managed crises but we have lost our way.'

Macron laid out his political, security and diplomatic priorities at an extraordinary joint session of parliament at the chateau of Versailles on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron laid out his political, security and diplomatic priorities at an extraordinary joint session of parliament at the chateau of Versailles on Monday

Macron is not the first French leader to hold a so-called joint Congress, though past presidents have tended to use the address in times of crisis or constitutional reforms

He said he understood why many Europeans see the EU as bureaucratic, distant and uncaring. 

As a result, he said France and Germany will launch conferences open to everyone in an effort to get citizens more closely involved in EU activities.

Additionally, he said European countries should work more closely to help political refugees while fighting migrant smuggling and strengthening borders against illegal migration.

The French president also vowed to lift a state of emergency that has been in place since 2015, but also to harden permanent security measures to fight Islamic extremism and other threats.

He insis ted on the need to 'guarantee full respect for individual liberties' amid concerns that new measures would allow police too many powers.

'I will re-establish the freedoms of the French people by lifting the state of emergency this autumn, because these freedoms are the precondition of the existence of a strong democracy,' Macron said in the address to both houses of parliament.

The French leader last month set out a tough new anti-terrorism law designed to allow the lifting of the state of emergency, which has been extended five times.

The current provision expires in mid-July, when Macron's new centrist government is expected to extend it again until November 1 while the new law is prepared.

France's youngest leader since Napoleon wants it to be an annual feature of his presidency

The legislation has received the go-ahead from France's top administrative court despite concerns from rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that it will enshrine into law draconian powers allowed under the state of emergency.

Amnesty complained last month that French authorities were abusing anti-terrorism measures by using them to curb legitimate protests.

The new anti-terror law would give French authorities greater powers to act to protect an event or location thought to be at risk from attack, without first seeking permission from the courts.

The draft law would also allow places of worship thought to be promoting extremism to be shut down for up to six months.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe argued it struck the 'right balance' between respecting freedoms and reinforcing security.  

Macron's speech came two days after authorities charged a young man with plotting a possible attack against the president or minority groups.

He also ordered a strategic review of the French military to respond to evolving threats, and pledging to reinvigorate French diplomacy.

Macron said he would maintain France's military interventions against extremists abroad while insisting on the importance of maintaining 'the path of negotiation, of dialogue' for long-term solutions.

Macron's aides also say that by convening parliament's 925 lawmakers to the 17th century palace built outside Paris by Louis XIV - the 'Sun King' - the president is seeking to restore old-fashioned grandeur to the role, his aides say

He said 'threats have never been so great' and said countries need to cooperate more than ever.

Critics who fear Macron is trying to amass too much power have staged protests over Monday's event.

After his new centrist party dominated parliamentary elections and split the opposition, political rivals are comparing Macron to Napoleon, or the Roman king-of-the-gods Jupiter.

They are especially angry that he wants to strip worker protections through a decree-like procedure, allowing little parliamentary debate.

Macron is not the first French leader to hold a so-called joint Congress, though past presidents have tended to use the address in times of crisis or constitutional reforms. 

France's youngest leader since Napoleon wants it to be an annual feature of his presidency.

'He is going to put in perspective his actions for the next five years, and even beyond that,' an aide to the president told Reuters.

Macron's aides also say that by convening parliament's 925 lawmakers to the 17th century palace built outside Paris by Louis XIV - the 'Sun King' - the president is seeking to restore old-fashioned grandeur to the role, his aides say. 

While many in France still hold dear the display of presidential power, Macron's style has grated with others who lament the strong powers the constitution drawn up by war hero Charles de Gaulle bestows on the presidency. 

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