Macron hurls challenge to Europe - reform or decline

French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech atop the Pnyx Hill as the Acropolis hill with the ancient Parthenon temple is seen in the background in Athens, Greece, September 7, 2017. REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis

ATHENS (Reuters) - Europe risks subjugation to China and the United States unless it becomes more sovereign and democratic, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday in a speech underlining the scale of his ambition to reform the European Union.

In a speech delivered symbolically on the Athens hill where ancient Greeks gave birth to democracy a few thousand years ago, Macron, a fervent europhile, said the continent would face its demise without a radical overhaul of its governance.