Europe must "wake up" to authoritarian tendencies among far-right parties and governments, French President Emmanuel Macron said.
"Everywhere in our democracies these ideas are flourishing, pushed by extremists and in particular by the far right. This bad wind is blowing in Europe, so let us wake up," Macron said in a speech in the eastern city of Dresden during his state visit to Germany.
Macron noted the "fascination with authoritarian regimes" in Europe, singling out Viktor Orban's government in Hungary for criticism, AFP reported.
Macron's trip comes two weeks ahead of European Union elections in which polls show his centrist coalition trailing the far-right.
It may even fight for third place.
Macron, who is undertaking the first state visit by a French president to Germany in a quarter of a century, made a plea to defend democracy against nationalist forces on his arrival on Sunday.
In Germany, all three parties in Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition are trailing the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the polls, despite a series of scandals engulfing the anti-immigration party.
"Europe is not just a place where we give each other common rules, it is a set of values", Macron said.
"We must find the strength and the commitment to defend it everywhere", he added.
Macron also highlighted the threat posed by Russian aggression following the invasion of Ukraine, saying Europeans have a "new responsibility" to guarantee peace.
There will be no peace in Europe without supporting Ukraine and preventing Russia from imposing the "law of might" on the battlefield, Macron said.
"Your security, our peace, is at stake in Ukraine," Macron told the audience in Dresden.
And Europe, he said, must think about "its own defence and security". The French president repeated the warning that "our Europe could perish". /BGNES
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