Macron Renews Call For a Sovereign Europe

"French President Emmanuel Macron called on Europe to forge its own sovereignty, in an address that risks heightening trans-Atlantic tensions after he said on a trip to China last week that Europe shouldn't be pulled into tensions between Washington and Beijing over Taiwan.

Mr. Macron delivered the speech Tuesday at The Hague, where the French leader began a two-day state visit to the Netherlands. He said conflict in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic had exposed Europe's reliance on foreign suppliers of essentials like medicine and energy. Europe has turned to the U.S. for natural-gas deliveries that have allowed it to end its decadeslong dependence on Russian supplies.

"If you accept to depend on other powers, you put yourself in a situation not to decide for yourself," Mr. Macron said. "Defending sovereignty doesn't mean to shy away from our allies, it means we must be able to choose our partners and shape our own destiny," he added.

Mr. Macron also said the European Union needed a comprehensive doctrine to ensure the bloc's economic security, one based on principles like stronger European integration and a common industrial policy.

The French president didn't mention Taiwan in his Tuesday address, but recent remarks he made about the island loomed large. While traveling to Beijing and the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Friday, Mr. Macron told reporters from Politico and French daily Les Echos that Europe should avoid becoming a follower of the U.S. and aim to become a third superpower, alongside the U.S. and China.

"If the tensions between the two superpowers heat up. . .we won't have the time nor the resources to finance our strategic autonomy and we will become vassals," Mr. Macron is quoted as saying by both publications.

"The trap for Europe would be . . . to get caught in crises that aren't ours," Mr. Macron is quoted as saying by Les Echos. French officials confirmed the remarks.

Mr. Macron's remarks sparked anger on both sides of the Atlantic, although White House officials said Monday they were comfortable in their relationship with France. One leading U.S. lawmaker called the comments embarrassing and disgraceful while others, like Republican Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, asked whether the French president's views reflected Europe's stance.

On Tuesday, a group of European parliamentarians said this was "the worst moment to send a signal of indifference over Taiwan."" [1]

1.  World News: Macron Renews Call For a Sovereign Europe
Bisserbe, Noemie; Norman, Laurence.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 12 Apr 2023: A.18.