On nuclear deterrence, Macron has called for opening a debate with European countries on the role of French nuclear weapons in the Continent’s security.
That’s unlikely to happen under a far-right government.
A National Rally manifesto released in June states that French nuclear weapons can only be used for France’s own defense — a clear response to Macron’s proposal.
Worried allies
U.S. officials are trying to downplay concerns about the impact of a far-right government in Paris.
NATO “is moving to make sure that we have the right defenses across the alliance where they’re needed,” U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said when asked about a Le Pen victory on Sunday. “I don’t actually see that changing, irrespective of the politics of the moment in Europe.”
But European capitals are concerned.
“Europeans are keeping a very close eye on what’s happening in France today, especially the Nordic countries and the Baltic states,” said Renaissance party member Gassilloud. “The rise of the National Rally worries them enormously.”
While the National Rally is in favor of bilateral defense cooperation, it’s unclear what will happen to projects like the Franco-German effort to develop a next-generation battle tank and the French-German-Spanish plan for a new fighter jet. Both National Rally and France Unbowed lawmakers have repeatedly tried to scrap budget lines for the two programs in recent years.
France is also a key player in the revival of closer political and defense ties with Germany and Poland in the so-called Weimar Triangle — but that may fall by the wayside as well, especially if Bardella is in charge.
“For Germany, working productively with a far-right government is a political problem,” said the ECFR’s Franke.
Source link : https://www.politico.eu/article/how-le-pen-could-dash-macrons-european-defense-dreams/
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Publish date : 2024-07-05 05:00:00
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Author : love-europe
Publish date : 2024-07-06 05:54:06
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