French President Emmanuel Macron | Benjamin Cremel/AFP via Getty Images Emmanuel Macron: ‘Europe is not a supermarket’ ‘We have to promote a Europe that goes toward greater economic and social wellbeing,’ French president told newspapers ahead of Brussels summit.

France will work with Germany to push for greater European integration and will have a "pragmatic" relationship with Britain once it leaves the bloc, French President Emmanuel Macron told a roster of European papers ahead of his first European Council meeting with EU leaders in Brussels Thursday.

Macron's interviews — with eight European newspapers, including Le Figaro, the Guardian, Süddeutsche and Le Soir — touched on EU reform, Brexit, the Paris climate change agreement and foreign policy.

The president said he hoped the French "renaissance" kickstarted by his election would also help Europe find "new ambition" and turn fears into renewed "energy."

The centrist, pro-European Macron pledged to work closely with Germany to deepen social protection for lower middle classes across the bloc and shore up support for the European project. "We have to promote a Europe that goes toward greater economic and social wellbeing," he said, or risk being "wiped out by the rise in illiberal democracies and authoritarian regimes."

He warned Central and Eastern European countries not to treat Europe "as a supermarket" when it comes to respecting democratic values.

“Europe isn’t a supermarket. Europe is a common destiny. It is weakened when it accepts its principles being rejected. The countries in Europe that don’t respect the rules should have to face the political consequences. And that’s not just an East-West debate.”

He also reiterated a straightforward approach to Brexit, saying discussions should remain at the European level, not devolve into "bilateral discussions," and that "pragmatism" will determine France's post-Brexit relationship with the U.K.

France will "strengthen" cooperation with Britain on counterterrorism, he added, "because our destinies are linked: Terrorist groups don't know European borders."

Macron extended an olive branch to U.S. President Donald Trump — with whom he shared a firm, "not innocent" handshake last month — saying he hoped he would "change his mind" and return to the Paris Climate Agreement. "Everything is linked," Macron told Le Soir. "You can't say you want to lead an effective fight against terror and not do something about climate change."

He had sharp words for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad and Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that France would not hesitate to act alone if Syria used chemical weapons or failed to respect humanitarian corridors, calling these his "red lines."

The fight against Islamic terrorism is his absolute priority, he said, calling terrorist groups "our enemy" and warning he would be "intractable" on the issue.