John Downing: Emmanuel Macron looks to his legacy as he seeks to reclaim ‘Mr Europe’ role

French president Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech on Europe at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Photo: Reuters

John Downing

Emmanuel Macron has returned to the scene of one of his early triumphs, soon after his election in 2017, when he argued the EU was “too weak, too slow and too ineffective”.

This week he was back at the storied Sorbonne University in Paris, to deliver a two-hour speech aimed at reclaiming his title as “Mr Europe” – and also boost his party’s dangerously flagging European Parliament campaign ahead of voting in six weeks’ time. His messages will have special resonance for Ireland – not least his call for stronger, more integrated European defences as part of a more assertive EU on the global stage.