Macron calls on the EU to take protectionist measures in defense

Speaking during his visit to the Netherlands, French President Emmanuel Macron emphasized the importance of European sovereignty and protectionist measures, particularly in the field of defense and technology.

"If you lose your sovereignty or if you agree to depend on other states, you will no longer make decisions yourself," Macron said.

He added that the war in Ukraine and the coronavirus pandemic have demonstrated the importance of achieving European sovereignty. He noted that "we have to be more competitive".

Speaking about this approach, Macron noted that "this does not mean that we will distance ourselves from our allies, but that we will choose our allies and partners. We should not be the ones who observe, we should be the ones who decide."

"We must take protectionist measures in defense and in technology," the French leader said.

According to him, such measures are also needed "wherever we have vulnerabilities and where European security is under threat."

In addition, Macron emphasized the importance of "strengthening our coordination" between European countries.

Over the weekend, in an interview with two French journalists and the European edition of Politico, the French president said that Europe faces "great risks" because it "gets into crises that are not ours, and this prevents us from building our strategic autonomy."

Author - Serhii Kolomiets, 12/04/2023