MUNICH, Feb 13 (Reuters) - French Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on Russia on Saturday to stop bombing civilians in Syria, saying this was crucial for achieving peace in the country.

"France respects Russia and its interests ... But we know that to find the path to peace again, the Russian bombing of civilians has to stop," Valls said in a speech at a security conference in Munich.

Valls also warned that the European project could "disappear" if policymakers were not careful.

"The European project can go backwards or even disappear if we don't take care of it," he said. "If Europe doesn't show it can respond, not only to economic challenges but also to security challenges, then the European project will be finished because the people won't want it anymore." (Writing by Paul Carrel and Shadia Nasralla; Editing by Noah Barkin)

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