European leaders need to "wake up" and act amid a "considerable" risk that the European Union will disappear in the future, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned in an interview with The Economist.

The bloc emerged in the wake of World War II with the aim of avoiding conflict and bringing economic prosperity to the region. Over time, it grew in size and influence. However, the EU has recently faced deep challenges that have shaken its foundations: from the migration crises to economic and financial turmoil and the rising support for extremist parties.

"I don't think I'm being either pessimistic or painting an overly gloomy picture when I say this. I'm just saying that if we don't wake up, face up to this situation and decide to do something about it, there's a considerable risk that in the long run we will disappear geopolitically, or at least that we will no longer be in control of our destiny," Macron told The Economist last month, according to a transcript posted last week.

According to the French president, the EU has been too focused on growing as a market. He also said that the U.S. has changed its strategy by looking more at the Pacific region rather than the Atlantic and that the emergence of China "clearly marginalizes Europe." Macron also mentioned that authoritarian regimes in Turkey and Russia – neighboring nations to the EU – pose a challenge.