France’s Emmanuel Macron calls on Europe to push international nuclear arms control

French President Emmanuel Macron will address the nation and provide more details on the extension on Monday 13th April, in the evening. Credit: Twitter.

FRENCH President Emmanuel Macron has unveiled his nuclear doctrine which calls on a more coordinated defence strategy in the European Union where France would hold a central role.

In a highly anticipated speech to military officers graduating in Paris, Macron urged EU member states to take a more direct role in halting a new nuclear arms race, stating that the EU could no longer “remain spectators against threats to the Europe’s collective security.”

Setting out his country’s nuclear strategy, which was seen by political experts as an attempt to show leadership a week after the UK officially left the EU, Macron highlighted how France sees its nuclear weapons as a deterrent against attacks from “belligerent foes.” He added that: “In the absence of a legal framework, thee EU could rapidly face a new race for conventional weapons, even nuclear weapons, on their own soil.”

He also warned of “the possibility of a pure and unrestrained military and nuclear competition, the likes of which we haven’t seen since the end of the 1960s” where “the vital interests of France now have a European dimension.”

Macron claimed that European nations should also insist on being signatories of any new deal to limit the development of new intermediate-range weapons, stating: “Let us be clear: if negotiations and a more comprehensive treaty are possible, Europeans must be stakeholders and signatories, because it’s our territory.”

Macron’s speech comes as part of his long-standing push for stronger defences after US President Donald Trump pulled away from European allies.

Author badge placeholder
Written by

Isha Sesay

Comments