More investment promises from Macron and Scholz in the defense industry

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron declared that they need to invest more in the armed forces and the foundations of the defense industry for a strong Europe of tomorrow.

Scholz and Macron wrote a joint article for the German Frankfurter Allgemeine and the French Journal du Dimanche on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Élysée Agreement. Stating in the article that the first big challenge now is to ensure that Europe has the geopolitical capacity to shape a more sovereign and international order, the two leaders said:

“For a strong Europe tomorrow, we must invest more in our armed forces and in the foundations of our defense industry in Europe. This will improve our defense capabilities and therefore strengthen transatlantic relations. The development of European capabilities and a greater European presence in NATO will make us a stronger partner for the United States on the other side of the Atlantic. We will be better equipped, more efficient and more effective to face the main international military challenges”.

Emphasizing that they are determined to make the dreams of former Foreign Minister Konrad Adenauer and former French President Charles de Gaulle come true, Scholz and Macron used the following statements in the article:

“We are determined to make the European Union an even stronger leader of hope when our children grow up to become citizens of this continent. We know from our many meetings that our partners and friends in Europe also share this belief. With them, we want to make that belief come true. We want to work towards seven strategic objectives to shape our Europe for the next generation.”

Stating that geopolitical power depends not only on military tools, but also on flexibility and the ability to look to the future in strategic areas, the leaders noted that they will increase diversity in strategic resources, strengthen their capabilities in critical areas, and will set out to become the world’s first carbon neutral continent. (AA)