EMMANUEL Macron has warned Europe is at its most unstable since just before the outbreak of WW2.

The French president said the continent faces being “dismembered” by the “leprosy” of nationalism and economic stagnation.

In an eerie warning he said the current state of EU politics reminds him of the inter-war period during which Nazism emerged.

Mr Macron was speaking ahead of a week-long series of events in France to commemorate the centenary of the end of WW1.

He said: “I am struck by similarities between the times we live in and those between the two world wars.”

“In a Europe divided by fears, the return of nationalism and the consequences of economic crisis, one sees almost systematically everything that marked Europe between the end of World War I and the 1929 crisis.

“You must bear that in mind, be clear-headed and know how to fight back.”

Mr Macron and his ministers have accused right-wing governments in Hungary, Poland and Italy of undermining the EU.

The French president also warned Europe risked being “pushed around by foreign powers” as a new world order dominated by populists emerges.

He raised fears the continent will become dependent on the US for security and China for infrastructure.

He also said Europe faces a growing threat from Russian meddling and financial markets that “sometimes play greater roles than that of states”.

The remarks came after he provoked outrage by trying to downgrade Armistice Day commemorations over fears they glorify war.

The French president ordered organisers to avoid “overly military” ceremonies in case they offended people.

He will host Theresa May for lunch in Albert, near the Somme battlefield, next Friday before the pair lay a wreath at nearby Thiepval cemetery.