Emmanuel Macron to deliver his vision for stronger defences، economic reforms or else Europe may vanish

Emmanuel Macron، the French president، delivers a speech about his vision for stronger defences، economic reforms or else Europe may vanish، next to slogans reading 'A powerful Europe' and 'A Europe that controls its borders' in the amphitheatre of the Sorbonne University in Paris، France، as he wants to set the stage for more robust European defense and drive support for Kyiv، yet he faces a battle to get results or convince voters at home to back him.

Emmanuel Macron calls for a common European defense force

Emmanuel Macron، the French president، outlines his vision for Europe at Paris’s Sorbonne University on Thursday، echoing a landmark speech he gave there months into his first term in 2017 as his calls then for a common European defense force، budget and doctrine now seem prescient in a world that has become more hostile، with war returning to European soil.

While Emmanuel Macron، the French president، is often lauded for his analysis of Europe’s challenges، he’s also criticized for offering bold rhetoric without always delivering concrete solutions as some argue he prioritizes grandstanding over quiet diplomatic coordination with European Union partners.

Emmanuel Macron is determined to make a lasting impact on the EU

Emmanuel Macron، the 46-year-old leader، unable to seek a third mandate in 2027، is determined to make a lasting impact on the EU، which he has long viewed as integral to his legacy but he is currently gauging support for alternative European Commission heads such as former European Central Bank chief Mario Draghi، people familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg.

Lately، Emmanuel Macron، the French president، has made Ukraine a central focus of his campaign for European Parliament elections in June، though polls still point to a massive setback for his centrist political alliance against Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally party.

Emmanuel Macron invited experts to the presidential palace to discuss Europe defense

Ahead of the speech، Emmanuel Macron invited experts to the presidential palace to discuss Europe on Tuesday، telling them he had won the ideological victory on defense، according to attendees who spoke on condition of anonymity، however، some of them urged him to offer concrete proposals to help Kyiv rather than just setting out grand visions.

While Emmanuel Macron، the French president، revealed that it pains him to say it but there’s no such thing as a real European defense today، and Europeans have been downgrading their ambitions now for 25 years، while he earlier in the war in Ukraine، also made missteps with Vladimir Putin، seeming to overestimate his influence on the Russian president as he sought to keep communication channels open، irking Kyiv.

Europe has to deal with a lack of available equipment

Sven Biscop، a political scientist at the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations said that after all these years one starts to wonder، does Emmanuel Macron، the French president، really want it?،  while everyone wants to sustain Ukraine’s defense، Europe has to deal with a lack of available equipment but he has also highlighted his ability to talk to Arab countries since the Israel Hamas war.

One French diplomat said the Emmanuel Macron، the French president’s diplomatic experience and relationships mean he is well positioned to advocate for Europe، but that it’s crucial that his ideological victories translate into tangible action as the French leadre has experience working with Donald Trump، who may return to the White House next year، and has built relationships with leaders of Global South emerging economies such as Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and India’s Narendra Modi. 

Emmanuel Macron shook up his allies by opening the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine

Emmanuel Macron، the French leader، shook up his allies by opening the possibility of sending troops to Ukraine and this fueled discussions on how to confront Russia amid concerns of potential US disengagement from NATO and Europe under a second Trump presidency، yet it appeared to backfire as Germany and the US publicly dismissed the idea.

Emmanuel Macron has also backed a Czech initiative to purchase ammunition abroad for Kyiv، lifting previous reluctance to support non-EU made equipment as unlike countries like Poland، Germany or Denmark، France still hasn’t said how much it will commit to the plan، however.

Emmanuel Macron warns the continent is nowhere near being the war economy 

While the French defense industry has lifted the pace of production، the continent is nowhere near being the war economy  that Emmanuel Macron proclaimed in the summer of 2022، while Paris is miffed about data compiled by the Kiel Institute that shows French commitments to Ukraine lag European peers.

President Emmanuel Macron appealed on Thursday for stronger، more integrated European defences while the continent must not become a vassal of the United States، and  outlined his vision for a more assertive European Union on the global stage as with just three years left of his second and final term in office، and after losing his parliamentary majority in 2022، he wants to show his critics that he retains the energy and fresh thinking that helped propel him into the presidency in 2017 and that he has not become a lame duck leader.

Military، economic and other pressures could weaken the 27-nation EU

Emmanuel Macron warns in his speech at the Sorbonne University in Paris، that military، economic and other pressures could weaken and fragment the 27-nation EU as there is a risk Europe could die for its states are not equipped to face the risks and he said Russia must not be allowed to win in Ukraine، and he called for a boost in Europe's cybersecurity capacity، closer defence ties with post-Brexit Britain، and the creation of a European academy to "train high-ranking military personnel.

Emmanuel Macron said: "We must produce more، we must produce faster، and we must produce as Europeans، as there is no defence without a defence industry، we've had decades of under-investment،  adding that Europeans should give preference to buying European military equipment".

Emmanuel Macron has long called for European strategic autonomy

Emmanuel Macron has long called for European "strategic autonomy" involving less reliance on the United States، a stance that has gained greater resonance in the face of Donald Trump's renewed bid for the White House، who has often accused Europe of free loading on defence at the United States' expense، however، many EU officials believe there is currently no credible alternative to the U.S. military umbrella، and some suspect Macron of pushing French industrial interests.

Emmanuel Macron indicated that  Europe also risks falling behind economically in a context where global free-trade rules are being challenged by major competitors، and he said it should aim to become a global leader in artificial intelligence، quantum computing، space، biotechnologies and renewable energy، while the EU should also cut red tape and agree exemptions to its own competition rules so it can support firms in sectors such as AI and green energy in the face of "oversubsidies" by the United States and China.

Emmanuel Macron hopes his speech will have the same impact as a similar address 7 years ago

The French leader hopes his speech will have the same impact as a similar address at the Sorbonne he made seven years ago that prefigured some significant EU policy shifts but since then، much has changed، with major geopolitical challenges including the war in Gaza، Russia's invasion of Ukraine and growing China-U.S. tensions.

Thursday's speech was billed by Macron's advisers as France's contribution to the EU's strategic agenda for the next five years، which is due to be decided after the European elections، when EU leaders will haggle over the bloc's top jobs as Macron has seen his personal popularity tumble، while his centrist Renaissance party is trailing the far-right Rassemblement National (RN) in polls ahead of the June 6-9 European Parliament elections.

Emmanuel Macron in his landmark speech، stresses need for strong defences

Emmanuel Macron in his landmark speech، which comes against troubled global backdrop، stresses need for strong defences، says Europe must support firms in AI، green energy and hopes to repeat success of 2017 Sorbonne speech as he is keen to energise his base ahead of EU election Speech، while another challenge for Macron is that in the European Parliament، his group، Renew، is now the third-biggest but could fall to fourth place، opinion polls show، which would further limit his influence.

A French official said while everyone wants to sustain Ukraine’s defense، Europe has to deal with a lack of available equipment، while Emmanuel Macron said last week that France was working on sending more Crotale short-range missiles. Paris also aims to provide missiles for the SAMP/T that Kyiv already uses and the French official cited the example of Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense systems that France needs to provide security for nuclear facilities and the Paris Olympics this summer.