18/05/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Wednesday 17 May, European Council President Donald Tusk endorsed the rhetoric of newly elected French President Emmanuel Macron on a Europe that protects its citizens and businesses (see EUROPE 11788). "Millions of Europeans see your victory as a sign of hope", Tusk stated. "Hope for a Europe that protects, (...) for a Europe that looks to the future", he said before his meeting with Macron in Paris. "A strong EU, capable of being sovereign in relation to the external world, capable of protecting its values, culture and economic interests, capable of protecting its external border, is the best, and perhaps the only guarantee of national and state sovereignty and independence", Tusk added. (MB)