FRANCE - Immanuel Macron presided over a show of European force at France’s annual Bastille Day military parade on Sunday, calling for a “Europe of defence” alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders from the continent. The French president has argued for greater military co-operation in the bloc as the US cannot be relied upon to guarantee security under Donald Trump. “Never, since the end of the Second World War, has Europe been so important,” Mr Macron said in a statement issued to mark July 14, the anniversary of the storming of the Bastille fortress and prison by revolutionary forces in 1789. “The construction of a Europe of defence, in connection with the Atlantic Alliance ... is a priority for France. It is the theme of this parade,” Mr Macron said. The centrist French president has promoted the European Intervention Initiative as a step towards the “true European army” which he says is needed.