<p class="title">European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday for the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris which this year honoured European military cooperation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After riding down the iconic Champs Elysees boulevard in a military vehicle escorted by motorcycles and a cavalry procession, Macron joined leaders that also included Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for the parade which began with a display of tech innovations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The attractions included hi-tech military gear such as drones, miniature autonomous vehicles, soldiers armed with anti-drone guns, and what looked like a "flying soldier" - a man swishing in the air on a flyboard, drawing cheers from the leaders and spectators.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, one of the key events of the French Revolution. The day has become a national holiday in France.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some 4,300 soldiers, around 200 vehicles and over 100 aircraft, some from other European countries, are taking part in the parade that was opened by Spanish troops.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a Bastille Day message to the French people published before the parade, Macron said he wanted to highlight France's irrevocable commitment to consolidate French and European security.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Never since the end of the Second World War has Europe been so necessary. 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," Macron said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Acting together and strengthening our ability to act collectively is one of the challenges that the European Intervention Initiative, along with other key European projects, wants to address," he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The European Intervention Initiative is a 10-country coalition of European militaries ready to react to crises. The French-led initiative, which includes Germany, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, was launched last year.</p>
<p class="title">European leaders including German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday for the traditional Bastille Day military parade in Paris which this year honoured European military cooperation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">After riding down the iconic Champs Elysees boulevard in a military vehicle escorted by motorcycles and a cavalry procession, Macron joined leaders that also included Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa for the parade which began with a display of tech innovations.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The attractions included hi-tech military gear such as drones, miniature autonomous vehicles, soldiers armed with anti-drone guns, and what looked like a "flying soldier" - a man swishing in the air on a flyboard, drawing cheers from the leaders and spectators.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bastille Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789, one of the key events of the French Revolution. The day has become a national holiday in France.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Some 4,300 soldiers, around 200 vehicles and over 100 aircraft, some from other European countries, are taking part in the parade that was opened by Spanish troops.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In a Bastille Day message to the French people published before the parade, Macron said he wanted to highlight France's irrevocable commitment to consolidate French and European security.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Never since the end of the Second World War has Europe been so necessary. 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," Macron said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"Acting together and strengthening our ability to act collectively is one of the challenges that the European Intervention Initiative, along with other key European projects, wants to address," he added.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The European Intervention Initiative is a 10-country coalition of European militaries ready to react to crises. The French-led initiative, which includes Germany, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Estonia, the Netherlands, Spain and Portugal, was launched last year.</p>