French President and European Commission President Discuss Ways to Strengthen the European Union

Paris, July 22 (KUNA) -- French President Emmanuel Macron held talks today, Wednesday, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on ways to strengthen the European Union. The French presidency, in a statement, quoted Macron as saying in a post on his X account that “the dialogue continues with President von der Leyen, and our path toward the European Union is clear: it entails a more sovereign and competitive Europe, a stronger European defense sector backed by a robust industrial base, and steadfast support for Ukraine,” without clarifying whether he met von der Leyen in person or spoke with her by phone. The French president added that the path also includes “fair competition with our main trading partners, preference for European products, and increased public and private investment to prepare for the future in key sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology, space, energy, and semiconductors, as well as the Common Agricultural Policy to ensure our agricultural and food sovereignty.” Macron concluded by saying, “We must also have stricter rules for digital platforms to protect our children and our democracies. Let us move forward.” (End) M.B. / R.J.