Macron: Europe is deadly, it must strengthen defense and arms production

Commercial presentation Update: 25/04/2024 14:02
Issued by: 25/04/2024, 12:34

Paris – Europe must strengthen its defenses and invest more in its own weapons production to better face global security threats for which it is not currently prepared. This was announced today by French President Emmanuel Macron, who in a speech at the Sorbonne in Paris spoke about the priorities of his European policy before the June European elections. According to him, European countries must get rid of their defense dependence on the United States and strengthen ties with Britain. He also said that Europe must support its companies, continue to work on the independence of its industry and better protect its borders against illegal migration.

“We must be aware of the fact that today our Europe is mortal. It can die and it only depends on what we choose. And we must make this decision now,” Macron said, referring to the Russian threat and the Middle East conflict.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine the year before last year, the European Union has been trying to increase the production of weapons and ammunition, but it is still not enough to quickly supply Kiev and simultaneously replenish the EU countries’ own defense stocks. Within the EU, Macron is one of the main supporters of purchases from European manufacturers, which he repeated in today’s speech. “We have to produce more, we have to produce faster and we have to produce like the Europeans,” he said. He also proposed the creation of a European defense academy or the coordination of the fight against cyber threats.

According to him, Europe cannot rely on the US, for which European security is not a priority. Washington cares about two things above all, its own future and the challenge posed by China, Macron said.

During the almost two-hour speech, the French president repeated the words about the “mortality of Europe” and other fundamental topics. Among other things, he spoke about the need to strengthen the competitiveness of European companies and get rid of dependence on key raw materials imported from non-European countries, led by China. The EU has taken important steps in this direction in recent years and must continue to do so, said the head of the Elysee Palace.

Macron returned to the Sorbonne with a major political speech after seven years, during which the EU had to cope with the departure of Britain, the covid-19 pandemic and the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He spoke to French voters at a time when, according to polls, the centrist coalition led by his Obnova party is in danger of being defeated by the far-right National Union (RN) party in the June European elections. Polls predict that Macron’s liberal European Parliament faction will retreat from the position of the third strongest grouping in the European Parliament.

As in previous elections, one of the key election topics will be migration, in the regulation of which, according to him, European countries should go further than before. “A powerful Europe is also a Europe that controls its borders,” Macron said. EU countries should be able to protect borders more effectively together against illegal migration, for example by strengthening cooperation with countries of origin of migrants. The EU recently agreed on a major reform of migration and asylum rules, but according to Macron, it should go even further in the joint process.

The French president also proposed a review of liberal European trade and economic policy in light of how governments in Washington and Beijing subsidize their companies. “It cannot work if we are the only ones in the world who respect the rules written 15 years ago that the Chinese and the Americans no longer follow and support their critical industries,” Macron said. The EU, which prohibits state support for companies with exceptions, has in recent years begun to take measures against unfair competition from Chinese companies. However, the debate about steps towards the unprecedented state support of American industry did not lead to concrete measures.

Macron also appealed to the European Central Bank not only to take inflation into account when determining monetary policy, but also to take into account the need to “decarbonize the economy”.

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