Macron may offer up UN seat in push for EU army
France’s position on the Security Council could be ‘put at disposal’ of Brussels if it backs military plans
FRANCE’S seat on the United Nations Security Council could be put “at the disposal of the European Union” if its governments back Emmanuel Macron’s plans for an EU army, a close ally of the French president has said.
Paris is spearheading a diplomatic push for closer EU military integration after Australia pulled out of a £45billion contract for diesel-powered French submarines and signed the Aukus security pact with the US and UK instead.
A standing EU army remains a distant prospect but Mr Macron, who is on the cusp of becoming the EU’S most influential leader as Angela Merkel prepares to bow out of politics after Sunday’s German elections, is determined to lay its foundation stones.
Top European officials this month proposed the creation of a 5,000-strong rapid reaction force, after America’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan caught the bloc short. “I think that if we move on these things we can put on the table also the discussion on the Security Council,” Sandro Gozi, a former Italian Europe minister now serving as an MEP for Mr Macron’s party, said.
The EU will soon discuss ways of bolstering common defence, Maro Sefcovic, the deputy head of the European Commission, said yesterday.
His remarks came after US president Joe Biden said America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan marked an end to “relentless war” involving US forces at the opening of the UN General Assembly in New York.
France is the only EU member state to have a permanent seat on the Council after Brexit. The EU only has observer status. The UK, US, China and Russia have the other four permanent seats and veto rights on the body charged with maintaining international peace.
French demands on influential countries such as Germany, Italy and Spain to boost their defence spending have drawn reciprocal demands from Berlin that Paris puts its UN seat to work for Brussels.
Mrs Merkel and Olaf Scholz, the front-runner to succeed her as Chancellor, have both put forward the request – but it has always been rebuffed by Paris.
Mr Macron is understood to be willing to discuss sharing the UN seat if he can secure concessions that will allow the EU to speak with a single voice on foreign policy, as well as steps towards common EU defence.
France and Germany want EU member states to be stripped of their effective veto on foreign policy, replacing the need for unanimity with a vote weighted by population. The move would hand Paris and Berlin even more influence and faces opposition from some member states.
The Élysée gave a “no comment” response when asked about the plans last night.
Britain has long opposed the creation of a European military force and MPS warned sidelining the UK post-brexit would only play into the hands of enemies of the West.
“The UK represents a quarter of Europe’s entire military capability. It would be only helping our adversaries to exclude us from any discussion about advancing our continental defence posture,” said Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the defence select committee.
Bob Seely, a senior Tory MP, warned: “If the EU Army undermines Nato, or results in the separation of the US and Europe or produces a paper army, Europe will be committing the most enfeebling and dangerous act of selfharm since the rise of fascism in the 1930s.” He said that while potential adversaries are “rearming, an EU Army will amount to European de-arming”.
France takes on the six-month rotat- ing presidency of the EU on January 1, handing it a pivotal role in intergovernmental negotiations. Mr Macron is to hold a joint summit on EU defence with the European Commission president during this period.
“This is a unique opportunity for him and for Europe,” said Mr Gozi, who was handpicked by the French president to be one of the first “transnational” MEPS.
Transnational MEPS representing the EU rather than countries is a pet project of Mr Macron, who sees them as a way of bolstering EU democracy. They were introduced to take some of the vacant seats left by British MEPS after Brexit.
“We must be prepared to confirm our transatlantic alliance but also to become adult in terms of our security and take on our responsibility,” Mr Gozi
said. “Certainly Macron will push a lot. I would say this is probably his highest priority now.”
There are plans for the EU to bolster common cyber defence and intelligence sharing and set up a joint situational awareness centre, alongside the 5,000 strong force.
The European Commission has said VAT could be waived on Eu-made military equipment to hand French defence companies an advantage over their international rivals.
France and Italy have said the Aukus pact proves the EU has to build its “sovereign autonomy” and be less dependent on an unreliable US.
Talks began in earnest on building capacity and pooling defence after Donald Trump upbraided EU leaders – his Nato allies – for not spending enough on their militaries.
But Mr Biden’s foreign policy has fuelled discussions.
“I think that after Kabul, after Aukus, this was, I would say the natural conclusion, that we need to focus more on the strategic autonomy,” Mr Sefcovic told reporters after a meeting of the EU’S European affairs ministers in Brussels.