The European Union's strategic autonomy is not an empty phrase

The United States, originally at the origin of the rules-based liberal international order, has made a radical paradigm shift by now basing international relations solely on the law of the strongest. This upheaval is extremely dangerous, for Ukraine but also for Europe and the World. Russia has also embarked on this path, and tomorrow China and other states could follow suit. Faced with this observation, Europe must act, take steps to ensure its strategic autonomy, whether in defence, energy, agriculture, health or trade relations. In 2022, Russia's invasion of Ukraine sounded the alarm bell over the Russian threat. Today, the imperialist policy pursued by Donald Trump has made us understand the need to build our own strategic autonomy. With this double shock, Europe, in order to secure peace, must wake up and move from the era of naivety to the era of the war economy. It cannot afford to appear weak and indecisive. The first requirement is to speak with one voice. To be heard on the international stage, Europe must be strong in the face of Russia and the United States, with a powerful Franco-German duo capable of countering the extremes. Industrial priority and trade policy must go hand in hand. Donald Trump is not the defender of the free world but rather a dealmaker. His goal boils down to imposing his world and his vision of non-civilisation on Europe, not hesitating to resort to tariffs. Yet triggering a trade war is in no one's interest, neither the United States' nor Europe's. However, Europe has said it will retaliate as it did in 2018, by imposing retaliatory measures on strategically chosen products. Trade policy is an exclusive EU competence. The response must therefore be European. With Donald Trump we are in a power struggle. Author of “The Art of the Deal”, he defines himself as a negotiator. Aware that the United States is a superpower that no longer needs its former allies, he trades and bargains everything, whether in trade, defence, migration or even peace in Ukraine, with the aim of seizing Ukrainian rare earths, etc. He places the trade issue at the centre of broader negotiations, namely those on peace in Europe. With China in his sights, aware of the political and economic threat it poses, Donald Trump does not hesitate to sacrifice President Zelensky, calling him a “dictator” even though he holds full democratic legitimacy. His ultimate priority is to decouple China from Russia, at any cost. We know that free trade has raised living standards in Europe. We are, moreover, in favour of free trade agreements, provided they are consistent with our European standards. This is not the case with the EU-Mercosur agreement, which turns agriculture into the adjustment variable. Trade must strengthen our social and environmental model, not destroy it. We therefore remain opposed to ratifying this agreement as it stands. We must protect our agricultural sectors against unfair competition and once again ensure our strategic autonomy in this area. “It is time to learn from our mistakes. Having lost the race on solar panels, batteries, microchips, steel, AI... do we also want to lose our ability to produce our own food?” We must also work on our strategic autonomy in defence. The war economy has become a reality. Heads of State and Government clearly grasped this when listening to the words delivered by US Vice President J.D. Vance in Munich, trampling on the transatlantic relationship and sealing the rupture with Europe. The recent meeting between Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump, together with the simultaneous vote on the resolution marking the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine at the UN General Assembly, reflect a reversal of alliances. Preparing minds by telling citizens the truth, accelerating investment, increasing our budgets, acting in a coordinated manner and freeing ourselves from dependence on the United States through a major strengthening of the European pillar within NATO are the next steps in consolidating our strategic autonomy and the tangible sign of Europe's awakening. We must use this shift in transatlantic relations to equip ourselves with our own defence. It has been 3 years since Ukraine fell victim to the Russian invasion. It deserves a just and lasting peace on its own terms. The peace plan for Ukraine cannot be negotiated without Ukrainians or Europeans. Are the Americans still allies of Europe and Ukraine? We can hope so, and we must work towards it. The US is a necessary ally, because if not, after Ukraine, Russia will turn its imperial ambitions towards Georgia, Moldova, the Baltic states, Romania (politically), thereby directly targeting Europe. The humiliation suffered by President Zelensky in New York is unacceptable and reflects a new reality: a Trump/Putin axis. The extraordinary European Summit in London, with Canada, Norway and Turkey, is a signal of Europe's awakening, a counterweight to the Trump-Putin duo, a European response to President Trump's attacks on European lethargy in defence matters, a response of support from the EU and NATO (without the US) to President Zelensky, a response of resistance from the EU (without Hungary) to the Putin-Trump axis. The Franco-German and Franco-British duos on European defence are a stroke of historical fortune to show unity, solidarity, and therefore reliability. In London, the primary goal is to create political coherence. We must not fall into the trap of 2003 (the Iraq war), we must not let ourselves be divided. We must decide to guarantee European security, build a European defence plan worth hundreds of billions of euros with the support of the ECB, and decide on Franco-British nuclear protection in the service of Europe. We need a ceasefire (a 30-day truce, in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure), a peace plan and an interposition force on the ground, failing guarantees for the Ukrainians. At the European level, we must build this defence Europe, with those who want to move forward through enhanced cooperation. On a broader level, one could think of a defence task force with NATO members ready to make the effort. We sincerely hope that the idea of a community of interests may still find an echo with the American President, failing a community of values. The United States wants to be repaid, and thus paid through rare earths. D. Trump needs a deal and cannot definitively break off dialogue with President Zelensky. On the other hand, without the US, Ukraine would not hold out for more than 6 months. Reconciliation is in everyone's interest. Strategic autonomy is not an empty phrase. It is a reality that takes on its full meaning in these historic moments. If the European Union wants to compete on equal footing among the great powers, it must free itself from its economic dependence on China, its military dependence on the United States and its energy dependence on Russia, and become a powerful Europe.

Benoît Cassart, Member of the European Parliament