German Finance Minister slams Macron's autonomous EU idea as 'naïve'
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The Minister says the EU and the US should be trading partners because they share common values.
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French President Emmanuel Macron gives a news conference in Brussels, Belgium, February 25, 2022 (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron's call for an autonomous EU is "naive", said German Finance Minister Christian Lindner on Friday.
“The idea of strategic autonomy of the European Union, I fear it’s naive,” Lindner said in response to a question while at Princeton University to deliver a speech. “Security on European soil without the strategic nuclear potential of the United States at least is unthinkable.”
The German Minister said the United States and Europe should be trading partners just as they are partners in values, touching upon ongoing talks between the bloc and the White House over the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), a US program that if executed in its current form would cause significant damage to Europe's economy and investing environment.
Lindner's remarks came after Macron made bold and surprising remarks earlier this week after his return from a three-day visit from China with regards to the EU's relationship with the US, Europe's policy on China, and its take on the Taiwan issue.
Emmanuel Macron urged Europe to develop more strategic autonomy as a way to avoid the risk of turning EU countries into “vassals” in the event of a global crisis such as a US-China confrontation.
“Strategic autonomy must be the battle of Europe,” the French President told the business daily Les Echos during last week’s visit to China. “We don’t want to depend on others for critical topics,” Macron said in the interview, published on Sunday, citing issues such as energy, defense, social media, and artificial intelligence. Similar comments were published by Politico.
In an interview published on Sunday, April 9, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Europe must not be a "follower" of either the US or China on Taiwan, warning that the EU risks becoming entangled in "crises that aren't ours."
"The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans must be followers and adapt ourselves to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction," he told media including French business daily Les Echos and Politico.
“Strategic autonomy must be the battle of Europe,” he added, stressing that the bloc doesn't, "want to depend on others for critical topics.”
"We must be clear where our views overlap with the US, but whether it's about Ukraine, relations with China, or sanctions, we have a European strategy," he emphasized, stressing that Europe "should not be caught up in a disordering of the world and crises that aren't ours."
Last Wednesday, the French leader reaffirmed his previous statements regarding relations with Washington saying that "Being an ally does not mean being a vassal... doesn't mean that we don't have the right to think for ourselves."
