Monday 9 May 2022 09:11 PM Macron invites Britain to join an alternative 'European political community' trends now Macron invites Britain to join an alternative ‘European political community’ with 'full political integration'... one and a half years after Brexit became official By Peter Allen For Mail Online Published: 21:07 BST, 9 May 2022 | Updated: 21:08 BST, 9 May 2022 Viewcomments French President Emmanuel Macron today invited Britain to join a new ‘European political community’ outside the EU. Mr Macron – who was fiercely opposed to Brexit – said this new status would allow the UK to enjoy full political integration within the 27-country bloc, and have a say in crucial decisions. In a keynote speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Monday, Mr Macron said he was all in favour of ‘creating what I would call a European political community. ‘This new European organisation would allow democratic European nations adhering to our core values to find a new space for political cooperation, and security. In a keynote speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Monday, Mr Macron said he was all in favour of ‘creating what I would call a European political community. ‘Joining it would not prejudge future membership of the European Union, and it would not be closed to those who have left the latter’. During a trip to Berlin later in the day, Mr Macron confirmed that Britain would be invited to ‘take its full place’ in the new community. Mr Macron also said that Ukraine’s wish to join the EU could take decades, so the new political union might act as a stop-gap measure. ‘Ukraine by its fight and its courage is already a heartfelt member of our Europe, of our family, of our union,’ said Mr Macron. ‘Even if we grant it candidate status tomorrow, we all know perfectly well that the process to allow it to join would take several years indeed, probably several decades.’ Britain's departure from the EU was finalised on 31 January 2020 Mr Macron, who won a second five-year term in his own country last month, said he was also in favour ‘of the revision of EU treaties,’ as proposed by the European Parliament. He said this would make it easier for the bloc to deal with emergencies such as the Ukraine War and the Coronavirus pandemic. However, 13 of the 27 EU countries have already made it clear that they are opposed to the launch of a procedure to change the treaties. It was Mr Macron’s first speech on Europe since his re-election and came as Russian President Vladmir Putin celebrated Russia’s victory over Nazi Germany in Moscow with a military parade. Mr Macron is still in regular contact with the Russian head of state, despite condemning the war crimes associated with Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. France currently holds the presidency of the EU, making Mr Macron’s words particularly important. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility