France's Macron says NATO "brain death" remarks were a wake-up call

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said his remarks that NATO is "brain dead" had served as a useful wake-up call to alliance members.

Macron's blunt verdict ahead of a Dec. 4 summit in Britain drew strong reaction from European peers who believe Europe needs still to rely heavily on the NATO alliance for its defence.

(Reporting by Michel Rose and Sudip Kar-Gupta; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Christian Lowe)