PRESIDENT MACRON DELIVERED REMARKABLE ADDRESS AT CONFERENCE OF EUROPE

USPA NEWS - Today, on May 9, the anniversary of « Europe Day », the Presidents of the European Parliament, Commission and Council received the final report with proposals to reform the EU. French President Emmanuel Macron, delivered a remarkable address to the European Union Parliament, in Strasbourg, to mark the anniversary of the Conference on the Future of Europe, in the early afternoon, closing this ceremony. He said " in favor of reforming the European treaties « I want to say clearly today that one of the ways of this reform is the convening of a convention to revise the treaties. It is a proposal from the European Parliament, and I approve of it. I am in favor of it."President Macron’s statement is in line with Ursula Von Der Lyen’ « it is now up to us to take the most direct way there, either by using the full limits of what we can do within the Treaties, or, yes, by changing the Treaties if need be. This unprecedented, one-year journey of discussion, debate and collaboration between citizens and politicians culminated in a report centred around 49 proposals that include concrete objectives and more than 320 measures for the EU institutions to follow up on under nine topics."

Today, on May 9, the anniversary of « Europe Day », the Presidents of the European Parliament, Commission and Council received the final report with proposals to reform the EU. French President Emmanuel Macron, delivered a remarkable address to the European Union Parliament, in Strasbourg, to mark the anniversary of the Conference on the Future of Europe, in the early afternoon, closing this ceremony. He said "in favor of reforming the European treaties "I want to say clearly today that one of the ways of this reform is the convening of a convention to revise the treaties. It is a proposal from the European Parliament, and I approve of it. I am in favor of it." President Macron’s statement is in line with Ursula Von Der Lyen’ " it is now up to us to take the most direct way there, either by using the full limits of what we can do within the Treaties, or, yes, by changing the Treaties if need be. This unprecedented, one-year journey of discussion, debate and collaboration between citizens and politicians culminated in a report centred around 49 proposals that include concrete objectives and more than 320 measures for the EU institutions to follow up on under nine topics: climate change and the environment; health; a stronger economy, social justice and jobs; EU in the world; values and rights, rule of law, security; digital transformation; European democracy; migration; education, culture, youth and sport. This Europe that we are celebrating today, we decided a year ago, collectively, to take it to a new stage. It was with President David Sassoli who we all think of today, you have very both of them well said, and it was under the Portuguese presidency, dear Antonio. I want to salute the presidency and the elegance of the Portuguese Prime Minister who is with us today in order, in continuity, to be faithful to this commitment." President Macron declared as he introduced his lenghty speech. Fews hours later, President Macron traveled to Berlin where he met with his counterpart, Olaf Sholtz, German chancellor. President Macron, was the third European leader to deliver his remarks, after the two ladies, Metsola. the European Parliament’s President and ursula Von Der Lyen, chief of the European Commission.

EUREOPAN UNION ALWASY STTOD WITH UKRAINE AND WILLR EMAIN ITS SUPPORT As they were speaking, Volodymir Zelensky, the Ukrainian President was also addressing the west, in response to Vladimir Putin, his Russian’s counterpart, who was commemorating the 9th of May, as a « victory over nazism ». “Today, on May 9, freedom and hope for the future have the face of the European Union. It is in the name of this freedom and this hope that we support and will continue to support Ukraine, its president, Volodymyr Zelensky, and all the Ukrainian people. What is our objective in the face of Russia's unilateral decision to invade Ukraine and attack the people? To end this war as soon as possible. To do everything so that Ukraine, in the end, can hold out, and Russia never wins. To preserve peace on the rest of the European continent and to avoid any escalation. To end this war, we have adopted sanctions unprecedented, to permanently hinder the sources of funding for the war in Russia. To support Ukraine, we have mobilized as never before significant military, financial and humanitarian resources and we must step up our efforts to put in place an effective response in food security, and we we will continue. For justice to speak, we fight and will fight against impunity for the unspeakable crimes committed by Russia in Ukraine. However, we are not at war with Russia.

« WE WORK ON BEHALF OF EUROPEANS ON THE SITUATION IN UKRAINE » EPXLAINED PRESIDENT MACRON He then completed by speaking on behalf of Europeans regarding the situation in Ukraine: "We are working as Europeans for the preservation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, for the return of peace to our continent It is up to Ukraine to define the terms of negotiations with Russia. But our duty is to be at its side to obtain the ceasefire, then to build peace. Then we will be there to rebuilding Ukraine as Europeans, always, because in the end, when peace returns to European soil, we will have to build new balances of security and we must, together, never give in to the temptation of either humiliation or the spirit of revenge, for they have already ravaged the paths of peace too much in the past." PRESIDENT MACRON RECALLED THE CHALLENGES TO BE FACED BY EU IN NEAR FUTURE----------------------- As President of the Council of the European Union and as President of the French Republic, I too will ensure that this exercise does not simply remain an exercise in style or an example of a method, but that it leads and of course practical work, strong and concrete developments so that the citizens of Europe can reap the benefits. Because this conference should not stop there.... President Macron recalled the challenges faced with threats in Europe, since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine, he who has always advocated for a European defense, since his first five-year term: "In terms of defense to invest even more strongly, identify the capabilities which are to be built and to build European industrial sectors for this, to prepare us for new forms of conflict, whether in space, cyber, maritime and to better protect the countries present here which are on the border of European Union... adding that "Faced with a new risk, a new threat which has been transformed in recent weeks, it is our duty. And everything we are defending today would become a dead letter if we did not know how, in the coming weeks and months, to give credibility to our ability in Europe with our cooperation, our allies, our alliances, to also defend ourselves and in particular to defend our eastern flank."

PRESIDENT MACRON APPROVES PROPOSAL TO REFORM EUROPEAN TREATIES President Macron then came out in favor of a reform of the European treaties "The challenge you pose to us is to be as effective in a way in times of peace and without crisis. And being effective means deciding quickly in a united manner, knowing how to invest massively in the right places, not letting nobody on the side of the road, that's what being European is about. Faced with this, we will also have to reform our texts, that's obvious. And also, I want to say clearly today that one of the ways of this reform is the convening of a convention to revise the treaties. It is a proposal from the European Parliament, and I approve of it. I am in favor of it." He nevertheless insisted on the great part of the work which is announced to carry out this reform while facing current and future challenges: "I would like us to discuss it with the audacity and freedom necessary from the European Council of the month of June. This will suppose moving forward for greater simplicity. We know the way, that is to say moving forward by continuing to generalize qualified majority voting in our decisions for our main public policies. We will have to continue also to move forward and define the ways and means to be more united, to clarify our objectives, and the objective of all our institutions, by establishing objectives which will enable us to keep our Europe united: growth, full employment, our climate goals. President Macron, thus thanked Ursula Von Der Lyen, for her proposal, which he approves and warning that the work will be colossal, and where to ensure better democratic control of the European Union: "Finally reforming and opening this site, it is obviously also that, and you evoke it very well in your work, of the legitimacy of democratic control, of deepening this unprecedented democratic adventure, and therefore of continuing democratic innovations as we have been able to do through your work . I thank Madam President for having already initiated this with a clear commitment just now. But we know that we must go further." he said.

UKRAINE WILL BE A MEMBER OF HEART OF EUROPEAN UNION President Macron insisted on Ukraine's heartfelt adherence to the European Union, "The war in Ukraine is the legitimate aspiration of this people, just as Moldova and Georgia to join the European Union invite us to rethink our geography and the organization of our continent, and I want to do so here with the same sincerity and the same rigor with which you have conducted your work and with which I am speaking to you today. Ukraine, through its fight and its courage, is already today a heartfelt member of our Europe, of our family, of our union." IT WILL TAKE DECADES TO GET UKRAINE TO JOIN HAS PRESIDENT MACRON EXPLAINED President Macron has all the same, recalled the necessary standards and was demanding of such membership of Ukraine in the European Union "But even if we grant him the status of candidate tomorrow - the instruction is done and I hope that we will go quickly - accession to our European Union, we all know perfectly well that the process allowing them to join would take several years, in fact, probably several decades, and it is the truth to say that, unless we decided to lower the standards of this membership and therefore to completely rethink the unity of our Europe and sometimes the principles in the name of which we are demanding of some of our own members and we all hold to them." President Macron acknowledged as he was delivering his Remarks at the Closing ceremony of Conference for the future of Europe, launched a year ago, on May 9 2021, in Strasbourg, EU Parliament.