Geopolitical Europe Pulse: France's role in European security and defence
26 April 2024
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The Geopolitical Europe Pulse is a compilation of articles and resources on a specific topic of current affairs with particular relevance for Europe’s, and the EU’s, role in the world. This week’s edition brings you a roundup of content on Macron’s “Sorbonne 2.0” speech, and more broadly French foreign policy change and its implications for Europe.
This Thursday, almost all eyes were on French President Emmanuel Macron for his Sorbonne 2.0 speech. Seven years after his first speech at the same venue, the President outlined his vision for Europe with the three buzzwords “power, prosperity, and humanism”. The full text of the speech can be found here (in French), and a readout is available as a Geopolitical Europe Brief.
Why bother about French foreign policy, and why does it matter for Europe’s, and the EU’s, role in the world? France arguably has significant leverage in the EU, and in the past considerably shaped EU foreign policy. To what extent this might work for European defence is discussed by top European security experts in the compilation “Judy Asks: Will Macron’s Vision for European Defence Gain Traction?”.
More broadly, French foreign policy has undergone significant transformations since the start of Russia’s war against Ukraine. In her piece “Macron, the Hawk”, Célia Bélin provides a deep dive into these changes, and argues why Europe should follow France’s lead on Ukraine.
Beyond its role in defence of the European continent, France also importantly contributes to maritime security in the Mediterranean and the Indo-Pacific - two theatres with increasing relevance in the future. Mathieu Droin and Emanuele Rossi discuss the role France can play, together with Italy, and make “The Case for a Franco-Italian Spearhead in the Mediterranean-Indo-Pacific Continuum”.
TODAY
French Friday - Twitter Space: How has French foreign policy evolved under Macron, and particularly since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine? How can the Sorbonne 2.0 speech be understood in this context? Listen in on Friday, 26 April, 17:00 CET (11:00 EST) to the Twitter/X Space “French Friday: a conversation on French foreign policy” with Célia Bélin (ECFR), Mathieu Droin (CSIS), Georgina Wright (Institut Montaigne), and Gesine Weber.