Macron Calls for Creation of European Military

French President Emmanuel Macron arrives in Sofia for a EU summit in 2018. (Plamen Stoimenov, EU2018BG)

French President Emmanuel Macron suggested the creation of a “real” European army and warned of the fragility of peace in Europe during his tour of the main battlegrounds of World War I on November 6, in preparation for the centenary commemorations of the armistice that ended the war.

As he prepared to host heads of state in Paris, among them President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, to celebrate the centennial of the armistice, Macron urged France and the rest of Europe to be cautious of their own vulnerability in the face of rising nationalism.

“We will not protect Europeans unless we decide to have a true European army. We have to protect ourselves with respect to China, Russia, and even the United States of America,” Macron told French station Europe 1 during his tour.

“When I see President Trump announcing that he’s quitting a major disarmament treaty which was formed after the 1980s Euromissile crisis that hit Europe, who is the main victim? Europe and its security.” Macron argued. “I want to build a real security dialogue with Russia, which is a country I respect, a European country—but we must have a Europe that can defend itself on its own without relying only on the United States.”

The armistice commemoration is not meant to celebrate the victory but to emphasize the need to safeguard peace. Macron used the commemorations as the stage to tell Europe to be wary.

Macron is concerned with the similarities he sees between today and the years following World War I and the armistice signed a hundred years ago. He believes, like today, “nationalism [played] on people’s fears” during the 1930s. World War II, the most destructive and callous international conflict in history, followed soon after.

"The peace and prosperity which Europe has enjoyed for 70 years are a golden moment in our history," continued Macron during his radio interview. “Peace in Europe is precarious; it has never lasted so long.”

Just as Air Force One landed in Paris on November 9, Trump, who had not been responsive to Macron’s message earlier in the week, struck back with a tweet, saying, “President Macron of France has just suggested that Europe build its own military in order to protect itself from the U.S., China and Russia. Very insulting, but perhaps Europe should first pay its fair share of NATO, which the U.S. subsidizes greatly!”

Macron and Trump met on November 10 for a bilateral dialogue. On November 11, Trump and other world leaders attended the official World War I armistice commemoration. The event was followed by the Paris Peace Forum, a conference meant to discuss global threats to world peace.