Working with a coalition of six core European countries instead of 27 is the best way to reinforce Europe, former French Economy Minister Bruno Le Maire told Euronews on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Évian, France.
His comments come as the European Union's position on the global stage has been challenged and undermined in recent years, including by the administration of United States President Donald Trump.
"The single lesson that all the European leaders must draw from the past months, and I would say from the last two years, is that if they want to be relevant and strong, they need to be united. And they don't need to unite with 27 member states," he said in a Euronews interview.
"They need to give a new impetus to the European construction by building a European [project] with six core countries," Le Maire, who was the longest-serving economy and finance minister since World War II and the shortest-serving minister for armed forces, noted.
Le Maire listed France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the Netherlands — the EU's six largest economies — as the states that should band together to discuss key issues facing the bloc, ranging from the Iran conflict and support for Ukraine to chip manufacturing on European soil and nuclear energy.
