Macron Outlines Need for 'European Sovereignty'

Facts

• On Tuesday, French Pres. Emmanuel Macron outlined his vision of greater 'European sovereignty' in a keynote speech at the Nexus Institute in The Hague during a visit to the Netherlands.¹
• Macron arrived in Amsterdam on Tuesday morning for a two-day visit at the invitation of King Willem-Alexander. The first official state visit by a French president to the Netherlands in 23 years reportedly will include various bilateral talks on sustainability and greater European independence.²
• During his speech, Macron said that the continent should maintain close ties with its allies but that Europe needed to choose its partners and 'shape our own destiny' instead of being only bystanders to the 'dramatic evolution of this world.'³
• The French president stressed that both the COVID pandemic and the Ukraine war had underscored the need for greater European independence in key areas such as trade, competitiveness, and European industrial policy.⁴
• Pointing to the need to boost European industrial production, Macron also called for a new strategic approach to achieve greater autonomy in the energy sector after Europe had largely freed itself from its reliance on Russian energy supplies.⁵
• Macron's remarks come after he said in an interview Sunday following a three-day trip to China that Europeans should avoid being 'America's followers' and reject being drawn into a confrontation between China and the US over Taiwan.⁶

Sources: ¹Dw.com, ²Nl times, ³France 24, ⁴Voa, ⁵South china morning post and ⁶Politico.

Narratives

• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Politico. While Macron's recent remarks are causing a stir, his call for more European 'strategic autonomy' ultimately only reflects the position of a growing number of EU leaders with respect to Washington. The US remains the EU's most important ally, but a so-called partnership that is limited to complete submission to US positions is not in Europe's strategic interest and must therefore be rejected.
• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by NPR Online News. Macron's renewed call for more 'European sovereignty' also towards the US only shows his detachment from reality, as it certainly does not reflect sentiment across European leadership. However, even though his statements should certainly not be taken lightly in Washington, it's not the first time Macron tries to distinguish himself by calling for more European autonomy. The US-EU alliance will certainly get over it.