Paris (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron called on Thursday (25) for stronger and more integrated European defenses and said the continent must not become a vassal of the United States, as he outlined his vision for a Union European more assertive on the global stage.
With three years to go before the end of his second and final term, and after losing his parliamentary majority in 2022, Macron, 46, wants to show his critics that he maintains the energy and fresh thinking that helped propel him to the presidency in 2017.
“There is a risk that our Europe will die. We are not equipped to face the risks,” Macron said in a speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris, warning that military, economic and other pressures could weaken and fragment the EU, made up of 27 nations.
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Macron said Russia must not be allowed to win in Ukraine and called for an increase in Europe’s cybersecurity capability, closer defense ties with the UK post-Brexit and the creation of a European academy to train senior military personnel .
“There is no defense without a defense industry… we have had decades of underinvestment,” he declared, adding that Europeans should give preference to purchasing European military equipment.
“We need to produce more, we need to produce faster and we need to produce like Europeans,” said Macron.
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Strategic autonomy
Europe “has to show that it is never a vassal of the United States and that it also knows how to talk to all other regions of the world,” he said.
Macron has long defended European “strategic autonomy”, which involves less dependence on the United States, a position that has gained greater resonance in light of Donald Trump’s new candidacy for the White House. Trump has always accused Europe of taking advantage of defense at the expense of the United States.
However, many EU officials believe there is currently no credible alternative to the US military umbrella, and some suspect Macron of pressuring French industrial interests.
Economic challenges
Macron said Europe also risks falling behind economically in a context where global free trade rules are being challenged by major competitors, and said Europe must aim to become a global leader in artificial intelligence, quantum computing, space, biotechnology and renewable energy.
The EU must agree exemptions to its own competition rules so it can support companies in sectors such as AI and green energy in the face of “excessive subsidies” from the United States and China, Macron said.
Europe needs less fragmented markets for energy, telecommunications and financial services, and must also reduce bureaucracy, he added.
The French leader hopes his speech will have the same impact as a similar speech he gave at the Sorbonne seven years ago that prefigured some significant changes to EU policy.
Since then, much has changed, with major geopolitical challenges including the war in Gaza, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and rising tensions between China and the US.
