French President Emmanuel Macron has warned Europe of a return to the 1930s because of the spread of a nationalist “leprosy” across the continent, in an interview published Thursday (1 November).

He also warned that Europe risked losing its sovereignty if it is “pushed around by foreign powers.”

“I am struck by similarities between the times we live in and those of between the two world wars,” he told the newspaper Ouest-France, urging people to be aware of the threats.

EN IMAGES. Bain de foule à Honfleur pour Emmanuel et Brigitte Macron |Mais qu'ils sont beaux via @ouestfrance https://t.co/AJBuDSjn5v — Caus de Rerg (@Caus_de_Rerg) November 1, 2018

“In a Europe divided by fears, the return of nationalism, the consequences of economic crisis, one sees almost systematically everything that marked Europe between the end of World War I and the 1929 (economic) crisis,” the paper quoted him as saying.

#Macron «L’Europe est face à un risque: celui de se démembrer par la lèpre nationaliste et d’être bousculée par les puissances extérieures. (…) Je suis frappé par la ressemblance entre le moment que nous vivons et celui de l’entre-deux-guerres.»

???? #OuestFrance pic.twitter.com/g9sAEbApT6 — Bob le Centriste (@BobLeCentriste) November 1, 2018

“You must bear that in mind, be clear-headed and know how to fight back,” he added.

Macron, who is about to start a week-long visit to north and eastern France to mark the centenary of the end of World War I, has recently criticised fellow European Union members for giving up on EU principles.

Macron warns Visegrad Four not to leave EU values behind French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday (26 October) warned eastern EU members not to fall out of step with the bloc’s principles, singling out Hungary and Poland whose nationalist governments have clashed with Brussels.

‘Europe faces a risk’

He has notably singled out Hungary and Poland whose nationalist governments have clashed with Brussels, as well as Italy which has a populist government including the far-right League party figures.

Macron warns of populism ‘leprosy’, Italy hits back French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday (21 June) populism was spreading across Europe like a disease that Europeans should fight more vigorously instead of criticising the actions of pro-European governments like his.

Looking ahead to his tour of World War I battlefields, the president said he was looking for the lessons of history, while seeking to promote “a more sovereign and multilateral” Europe.

“Europe faces a risk — that of being broken up by nationalist leprosy and of being pushed around by foreign powers. And thereby losing its sovereignty,” he said.

“That is to say having its security depend on US choices, having China play an ever greater role when it comes to essential infrastructures, and Russia sometimes tempted to try its hand at manipulation, and have financial interests and markets sometimes play greater roles than that of states.”

Macron, who has been losing ground in the opinion polls, is attempting to position himself as the champion of centrist politics and multilateralism in the run-up to European parliamentary elections in seven months’ time, saying he expects the duel to be one between “progressives” and “nationalists”.

According to the latest Vivavoice poll, released on Tuesday, Macron has lost 10 points since August with his approval rating now at 26%.

The poll, carried out between 19 and 22 October, with a margin of error of between 1.4 and 3.1%, also suggested that nearly two out of three people have a “poor opinion” of him.

In December 2017, Vivavoice recorded approval for Macron at 46%.

On 11 November in Paris, as part of the celebration of the end of World War I, a meeting between US President Donald Trump and his Russian colleague Vladimir Putin is expected.