Emmanuel Macron judges that the risk for Europe is to leave “Of the history». LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP
“The paradox would be that when we put in place the elements of a real European strategic autonomy, we began to follow American policy, by a sort of reflex of panic”, considers in particular the Head of State in an interview with echoes.
«Strategic autonomy must be Europe’s fight.» In an interview with echoes published this Sunday but produced on Friday from China, Emmanuel Macron once again defends his vision of the place of the Old Continent in the world. No less than nine times the word “autonomyin the mouth of the Head of State during this interview.
«We do not want to depend on others on critical mattersargues the President of the Republic, who went to China for a three-day state visit this week. The day when you no longer have a choice on energy, on how to defend yourself, on social networks, on artificial intelligence because we no longer have the infrastructure on these subjects, you leave the story for a moment.»
Asked about Taiwan even before the start of major Chinese military maneuvers around the island on Saturday, Emmanuel Macron said that Europe should not participate in further straining relations between the United States and China. “If there is an acceleration of the conflagration of the duopoly, we will not have the time nor the means to finance our strategic autonomy and will become vassals when we can be the third pole if we have a few years to build it“, he says.
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Refusal of “block-to-block logic”
The Head of State thus considers that the EU must not deviate from its line of conduct, despite the geopolitical crises of the moment, in Taiwan or in Ukraine. “The trap for Europe would be that when it achieves a clarification of its strategic position, where it is more strategically autonomous than before the Covid, it is caught in a disruption of the world and crises which would not be the ours“, he judges, insisting further:”The paradox would be that when we put in place the elements of a real European strategic autonomy, we began to follow American policy, by a kind of panic reflex.»
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Saying don’t wantenter into block-to-block logic», the tenant of the Élysée Palace believes that Europe must «assume to have similarities of view with the United States». «But whether on Ukraine, the relationship with China or the sanctions, we have a European strategy“, he insists. Emmanuel Macron nevertheless recognizes a stronger dependence on Washington since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and the international sanctions against Moscow. “We have certainly increased our dependence vis-à-vis the United States in the field of energy, but in a logic of diversification because we were far too dependent on the russian gas he admits, also questioning the EU’s past strategy. “For too long Europe has not built this strategic autonomy for which I am fighting“, deplores the President of the Republic.
According to him, “today, the ideological battle is won and the milestones are laid». «Five years ago, strategic autonomy was a chimera. Today, everyone is talking about it. It’s a major change“, he congratulates himself, implicitly highlighting his role in this changeover.