In an open letter to European citizens published in newspapers in all 28 member states of the European Union (including the UK), French President Emmanuel Macron called for a “revision of the Schengen area”. The “EU renaissance” opinion piece reaps the main propositions covered by the union’s reform which include migration, defense, commercial policy, and climate change. The letter comes ahead of European legislative elections that are around the corner and urges a shake-up of EU institutions to stop member states from “retreating into nationalism”.  Change within the EU, in the field of defense, border and asylum, would be carried out by new bodies, respectively the European Council for Internal Security (with the UK on board), a Europe-wide border force agency and an asylum office. “We will need a common border force and a European asylum office, strict control obligations and European solidarity to which each country will contribute under the authority of a European Council for Internal Security,” he writes.