PARIS – French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday called for Europe tostop relying on the United States for its military defence as he pushed forfresh EU integration in the face of rising nationalism around the continent.
Relaunching his diplomatic agenda after the summer break, the 40-year-oldpresident said he would put forward new proposals in the coming months forthe EU to boost defence cooperation, as well as talks with Russia on theirsecurity relationship — an issue of concern for countries on Europe’seastern edge.
“Europe can no longer rely on the United States for its security. It is upto us to guarantee European security,” Macron told an audience of some 250diplomats, lawmakers and international relations experts.
His comments follow US President Donald Trump repeatedly distanced himselffrom the NATO military alliance, which groups the United States with mostof Europe and has underpinned European security since World War II.
Macron’s comments are likely to find support in EU powerhouse Germany afterForeign Minister Heiko Maas made a similar call for boosted militarycooperation last week.
Writing in the Handelsblatt newspaper, Maas called for Europe to “take anequal share of the responsibility” and “form a counterweight” to Washingtonas Europe-US relations cool.
France and Germany have both backed the idea of a small joint Europeanresponse force over the last year, and have announced plans to develop afighter jet together.
*Swipes at Hungary and Italy*
Macron came to power last year vowing to overhaul the EU and has pushed fordeep political reforms — including a separate budget for the eurozone –which have so far met with lukewarm support.
His agenda has been hit in particular by the rise of a new eurosceptic andnationalist government in Italy, as well as resistance from rightwingleaders in Poland and Hungary.
He admitted that “France seems sometimes to be on a solitary path”.
But Macron lashed out at the rising tide of nationalism and called forcountries to heal divisions which have widened over how to tackle theongoing influx of migrants in particular.
“France wants a Europe which protects, even as extremism has grown strongerand nationalism has awoken,” he said.
“Divisions between north and south over economics, between east and west onmigration, too often fracture our European Union,” he added, urging a”humanist” approach to the changes brought by globalisation.
As for the solution, he insisted his approach would be to “give up nothingof the ambitions set out a year ago” when he came to office, which wouldmean creating a more integrated European Union with greater strategicautonomy.
“Do China and the United States think of Europe as a power with similarindependence to their own? It is not the case,” he said.
*‘Xenophobes bring no solutions’*
He also took at a swipe at ruling populists in Hungary and Italy, drilynoting that their anti-EU rhetoric seemed to vanish when it came toaccepting economic development aid from the EU.
“There is a clear approach of European opportunism while claiming to benationalist,” he said, calling out Hungary’s Viktor Orban by name.
He did, however, acknowledge that a lack of European solidarity had playeda role in prompting bitter disputes in recent months with Italy overmigration.
“But does that excuse xenophobic comments?” he added in what appeared to bea veiled jab at Italy’s far-right League.
“I don’t think so, and I think these xenophobes bring no solutions to theproblem they complain of.”
In a typically expansive overview of his foreign policy, Macron called forEurope to build “strategic partnerships” with neighbours Turkey and Russiadespite their differences.
Britain will also be in line for a “strategic partnership” after itsdeparture from the EU scheduled next year — but Macron warned that Brexitmust not come at the cost of the unity of the rest of the EU. – APP/AFP