The 40-year-old centrist, who promised to make 2018 the year of “national cohesion”, also pledged to give the bloc a “jolt” through so-called EU citizen consultations.
During his first year-end address on Sunday, he told the 11 million viewers who tuned in: “We need to recover a European ambition to be a more sovereign, more united, more democratic Europe.
“I need your help and determination to map out our ambitious European project … and need for us, together, not to give way on anything, neither to the nationalists nor to the sceptics.”
His pro-EU comments were slammed by far-left MP Eric Coquerel, who compared the young president to ‘Kaa’, the manipulative snake in The Jungle Book infamous for hypnotising his rivals.
Mr Coquerel, a member of the far-left France Unbowed party, told France Info radio yesterday: “The president thinks European citizenship is superior to French citizenship… But European citizenship per se doesn’t exist.
“Emmanuel Macron is the Mr Kaa of politics, you know, the villainous snake in The Jungle Book who tries to hypnotise people… He did exactly that during his New Year’s speech – manipulate the French.
“There’s just too much blah blah blah – he’s all talk and no action.”
He added the president was obsessed with his own self-image.
The president also addressed his government’s decision to toughen its stance on illegal immigration, saying that while immigration officials would continue to welcome refugees and migrants in the most “humane and effective” manner, France was not in a position to take in “everyone”.
Mr Macron pledged to continue battling radical Islamic terrorism both at home and abroad, but also to “foster peace”.
Mr Macron also vowed to rapidly push through a raft of economic and political reforms over the course of the coming months as part of his ongoing efforts to “profoundly transform” France.