Your trusted source

French President Emmanuel Macron has warned against a surge of populism, and urged Europe to “resist” political tendencies comparable to those in the inter-war years in the 1920s, Politico reports.

“In a Europe that is divided by fears, nationalist assertion and the consequences of the economic crisis, we see almost methodically the rearticulation of everything that dominated the life of Europe from post-World War I to the 1929 crisis,” Macron told French newspaper Ouest France in an interview published late Wednesday.

The French president’s remarks come ahead of November 11’s Armistice Day celebrations to mark the centenary of the ceasefire between German and Allied forces in 1918. Macron is due to host a ceremony in Paris on November 11 with international guests including U.S. President Donald Trump.

In his interview, Macron warned that attempts to weaken Europe from the inside come amid renewed threats from the outside.

“Europe is facing a risk: that of dismemberment through nationalist leprosy and being pushed over by external powers, and therefore to lose its sovereignty,” he said.

Such a loss of sovereignty could happen through “having its security dependent on American choices and changes, a growing presence in China on essential infrastructures, a Russia that is sometimes tempted by manipulation as well as big financial interest, and markets” that sometimes exceed the control that states can assume, Macron warned.