Historical correction, it was NATO who said that.

NATO’s first Secretary General Lord Hastings Lionel Ismay stated that the organisation was created to “keep the Soviet Union out, the Americans in, and the Germans down.”

But De Gaulle agreed with it. He kept France out of NATO, had France build their own nuclear arsenal and made sure France became less dependent on US-controlled oil. De Gaulle also described the US dollar's role as the reserve currency as ”US imperialism". Which is the same thing the BRICS are saying today.

The times are changing fast and like those of the Pan-European Movement* who actively tried to prevent WWII, it's time to realise that in the coming post-fossil-fuel era rationale, the future of Europe lies in Europe. Whether we like it or not. It's high time we face up to that reality and start cooperating effectively.

* http://www.international-paneuropean-union.eu/#/EN/History_of_PEU