A President with a Continental Vision
From his first days in office, Emmanuel Macron cast his gaze beyond France’s borders. Standing beside Angela Merkel in Berlin in May 2017, he called for a new “road map” for Europe—even suggesting EU treaties could be changed.
He argued that the old habit of relying on the United States and NATO had left Europe vulnerable. His answer: strategic autonomy—a Europe capable of defending itself and charting its own course.
Treaties and Alliances, Old and New
To anchor this vision, Macron deepened ties with key neighbors. He signed new treaties with Germany and Italy, notably the Quirinal Treaty with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi in 2021, designed to align both countries on EU policy, defense, migration, and economic coordination.
He also courted Central and Eastern Europe, pitching his ideas at forums like GLOBSEC in Bratislava, where he called for bigger EU budgets, integrated capital markets, and a more coherent European defense policy.
Standing Up to Washington—and Beijing
Macron did not shy from clashing with allies. During the China–US trade war, he secured €40 billion in trade and business agreements with Beijing, including a huge Airbus order and cooperation on wind farms, factories, and shipbuilding.
At the same time, he warned Europe against simply siding with Washington in a future US–China confrontation, particularly over Taiwan. After a 2023 visit to China, he urged Europe to reduce dependence on the US dollar and become a “third superpower.”
A pan‑European think tank later found that many Europeans shared his instinct to keep some distance from US‑China rivalry.
Crises with Allies
His strategy sometimes brought diplomatic storms. The AUKUS submarine pact between the US, UK, and Australia blindsided Paris, costing France a lucrative submarine contract. Macron’s government recalled its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra—something France had never done to the US.
A tense phone call with President Joe Biden eventually calmed relations, with the White House admitting better consultation could have avoided the crisis.
Facing Russia’s War and the New Security Order
Russia’s full‑scale invasion of Ukraine was a brutal test of Macron’s European vision. He traveled to Kyiv with German and Italian leaders to demonstrate unity, backed sanctions, and sent weapons—including long‑range SCALP missiles.
Yet he also insisted on keeping channels open to Vladimir Putin, arguing that Europe would one day have to negotiate peace. Over time, his tone hardened: by 2025 he was calling Russia an “existential threat” to Europe and applauding Germany’s massive rearmament.
Macron convened special meetings under expanded Weimar‑style formats, seeking to coordinate a continental response and push Europeans to shoulder more of their own defense.
The Unfinished Project
Macron’s Europe is a work in progress: more assertive on defense, more cautious about US dominance, more engaged with China—but still deeply divided internally.
Whether his push for strategic autonomy will produce a truly independent European pole or remain an ambitious French blueprint depends on whether other European capitals follow where he has tried to lead.