In Versailles, EU leaders are expected to approve a declaration that reads like a French wish list.
In rhetorical terms, however, the political center of gravity is already shifting in Macron's direction. “But the French interpretation is a more autarkic approach, which is building new walls.”
"Everybody agrees that we have to take a critical look at our dependency on certain countries, and Ukraine has made that even more clear,” said a diplomat from a more economically liberal EU member.
#Strategic war in europe code
And his use of the phrase "open strategic autonomy" has become code of its own, used by those who want a more balanced approach. However, Rutte was also quick to stress that the European economy should stay open. “We have to enhance our open strategic autonomy, something France has been urging for a long time,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday at an event in Paris.Īsked by POLITICO whether the Netherlands and other countries such as the Nordics are shifting position on the concept, Rutte replied: "Yes, we are." is vital to the protection of Europe and that NATO is now more relevant than it has been for decades.īut even former skeptics are now embracing Macron's overall agenda, at least up to a point. Some EU members - particularly economic liberals and countries with strong transatlantic ties - have always been resistant to Macron's buzzword of "strategic autonomy," fearing that it is code for dirigisme, protectionism and a ploy to get Europe to "buy French."Īnd when it comes to the war's impact on defense policy, a number of senior European officials are drawing a quite different lesson from Macron - namely that the U.S.
Alan Donnelly, convenor, The G20 Health and Development Partnership