France, Feb. 11 -- His remarks were made in an interview published on Tuesday, ahead of a meeting of EU heads of state scheduled for 12 February.

"Today, our Europe faces an immense challenge in a world in turmoil," the French leader said, urging the bloc to respond to what he called a "wake-up call".

US 'threats and intimidation'

He warned against complacency, stressing that US "threats" and "intimidation" were not over.

His comments were part ofan interview with several European publications including France's Le Monde, English language publications The Economist and The Financial Times, and Germany's Suddeutsche Zeitung.

Ahead of an EU meeting on competitiveness on Thursday, he advocated for "simplifying" and "deepening the EU's s...