«For too long Europe has not built up strategic autonomy. This is the struggle of our time.” Emmanuel Macron is once again in a “visionary” way the returnee from China, where he completed a three-day visit – accompanied in part by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen – marked by trade deals but also diplomatic work to reopen a diplomatic route to the root of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.”I think China shares our observation that today is war time,” said the Elysée boss in an interview with the French newspaper Les Echos. “Ukrainians are resisting and we help them. This is not the time for negotiations, even if they must be prepared and the foundations laid,” is the meaning of the observation “shared” by France and China, at least according to Macron. But at a time of Amid tensions and rising geopolitical risks, Macron is also concerned about the broader scenario in which European countries risk being broken up. “The last straw for Europe would be that, just if it manages to clarify its strategic position, it will fall victim to global unrest and crises that are not ours,” warns the French President, who warns of the danger that the European countries become “vassals”. other world powers. No, so to the «logic of the opposite blocks».
Macron’s third way for the EU
There are apparently two “elephants in the room” in Europe: China, of course, but also the USA – with whom many values and goals may coincide, but not necessarily long-term strategic interests, Macron points out in an interview with the French business newspaper. “We Europeans have to wake up,” recalls the French President. “Our priority is not to conform to the agenda of others in any region of the world.” On the contrary, the challenge is to open up a “third way”. “If the duopoly explosion accelerates, we will have neither the time nor the means to fund our strategic autonomy and we will become vassals. If we have a few years to build it up, we can be the third pole of the world order instead.
Metaphor aside, Macron suggests that the Europeans should not follow the US or other Pacific actors in their tough approach to the Taiwan dossier, effectively risking bringing a new conflict closer. “The question we Europeans face is: Do we have an interest in speeding up Taiwan?” Clear answer: no, claims the Elysée boss. “The worst thing would be to think that we have to fall behind and adapt to the American pace and a Chinese overreaction. Why should we go at the pace that others have chosen?” asks Macron, according to which the risk in this case would be that of a “self-fulfilling strategy” of a new conflict.
Strategic autonomy and military investment
For Macron, the “battle for Europe” must therefore again be the battle for strategic autonomy. Concept dear to the French President, who launched the idea of ”European sovereignty” in the fields of industry and technology, but also in the military, from the beginning of his first term. “Since the Sorbonne speech, we have won this battle on an ideological level: we have instilled the idea of a European defence, a united Europe that cancels debt together, and we have armed ourselves with defense and industrial policy tools,” Macron claims. But the path is not clear for all, and the leader of Elysium feels compelled to make a new appeal. “We don’t want to rely on others for critical matters. The day when we no longer have a choice in energy, defense or artificial intelligence because we no longer have the necessary infrastructure, we will temporarily leave history,” warns Macron.
For the Elysée, therefore, the maturing of the EU is about urgent and very concrete decisions and investments. Including military spending to support Ukraine, but not only. “We have created a European fund for missiles and ammunition with a budget of 2 billion euros,” reminds Macron, but that’s not enough. “It is clear that we need a European industry that produces faster. We have saturated our camps. If history accelerates, the European war economy must also accelerate,” demands Macron. Its last push from Beijing is reserved for the US, but on a purely financial level: “We must not rely on the extraterritoriality of the dollar.” Words that ring like music to the ears of those fighting the American superpower around the world.
Photo: EPA/Ng Han Guan / POOL
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