French president’s visit focused on “urgency of European investment” in defence
In spite of the very national political crises still filling our media pages, French president Emmanuel Macron’s focus during his two day visit, ending today, is on bringing Portugal on board with regards to increased investment in European defence.
In Porto today to continue with his official itinerary, involving various bilateral agreements, the essence of the visit was made clear during the official banquet in Lisbon last night.
Mr Macron described how Europe “is under threat from all sides” and as such Europeans must ensure that defence becomes “a duty, a requirement and an opportunity.”
The French president spoke after a speech given by President Marcelo, in which Portugal’s head of state accused US president Donald Trump of favouring Russia over the European Union in Ukraine, and attacking the sovereignty of partners and allies.
While the UK’s prime minister was enjoying a similar banquet in Washington with Mr Trump, and lapping up the notion that the US is ready to do a trade deal without the need for tariffs, the EU is very much on the back foot.
Mr Trump recently announced that he will be bringing in 25% tariffs on EU products, telling reporters that the whole ethos of the EU has always been to “screw the United States”.
Thus, President Marcelo will have been reacting to this and other statements made by Mr Trump in the whirlwind month since he took the reins of power. “The United States of America seems, at this moment, to have decided to favour the Russian Federation and its allies, in the situation in Ukraine to the detriment of the EU”, he told his dinner guests..
It was a fairly dismal run-through of recent events, which President Macron said he endorsed wholeheartedly, then bringing the focus back to what European countries (in his opinion) need to do: “Today, more than ever, we must have a Europe that is strong and proud of its values,” he said. “If the references are sinking, we need to keep a direction for the maritime powers. That was very important and we are maritime powers.
“We have to be strong in the storm, believe in the universality of our values and in a strong Europe,” he stressed.
But will he have got anywhere in pressing Portugal to stump up more effort/ money with regards to defence? This is where Expresso raises its doubts, today, saying “Lisbon has its doubts.
“At the extraordinary meeting of leaders called for next Thursday in Brussels, the first decisions on financing a reinforcement of defence, in the short term, and making Europe more sovereign and better equipped, are expected”, says the paper, albeit a source has stressed there are no structured proposals on the table.
“What there are are different hypotheses for financing – some of which are viewed with concern by the Portuguese government” which does not want to use European funds for the purpose of spending more on defence, nor add to expenses of the State Budget.
To an outsider, it looks very much like Emmanuel Macron’s message is not really ‘getting through’ – but then, internally, this government has so many ‘problems’ and ‘little issues’ niggling away at it, it may simply be that ministers haven’t got the time to properly take the warnings to heart, or are hoping/ waiting for the EU to create a special programme for defence spending (along the lines of the PRR created for recovery from the Covid pandemic).
In the meantime, among the agreements signed with President Macron, will be ‘a letter of intentions’ for the acquisition of drones from Portugal, as well as possibly submarines. Portugal is also due to commit to the purchase of 12-36 French Caesar Howitzer systems.
