Europe’s leaders want a strong and autonomous Europe. After some 6 hours of discussions over an informal dinner at Brdo pri Kranju on Tuesday 5 October, they agreed on the EU’s objectives on the international stage: to increase European influence autonomously, and at the same time to work closely with allies.
For the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, strategic autonomy is not incompatible with strong multilateralism. Like French President Emmanuel Macron (see EUROPE 12805/2), he believes that a strong Europe will be more attractive to partners. “Strong allies make strong alliances”, he told EUROPE after the EU-Western Balkans summit on 6 October.
For some heads of state or government, too, the EU’s influence in the world must be based on multilateralism, in order to assert itself against powers that do not share the same values. “We have to be careful that in the future there is not just a kind of ‘G3’ with the United States, China and Russia, and that Europe no longer has a say”, Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel told the press on 6 October.
The Slovak Prime Minister, Eduard Heger, agreed. But, for him, the EU must also show strong engagement with its neighbourhood: “If we want to have this credit in the eyes of the partners, definitely we need to be able to deal with the issues in our neighbourhood (Western Balkans, Ukraine, Sahel). If we manage theses relations in a great manner it will increase our credit in the discussions with the global leaders and I think this is a very important step to take”, he told the press ahead of the EU-Western Balkans summit.
United States
The transatlantic relationship is at the heart of the European strategy on the international scene. The events of the last few weeks have disturbed the EU’s agenda and led some Member States to rethink the strategy for the relationship with the US in the coming months. However, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, sent a rather positive message on the issue. Interviewed by EUROPE, she recalled the constructive exchanges she had had on the phone with US President Joe Biden on 4 October, on vaccines, COP26 and the EU-US Trade and Technology Council.
The oral conclusions communicated by Charles Michel at the end of the dinner do not mention Washington or the feeling surrounding the current ties. But Xavier Bettel said he was happy “that we have not crossed the US off our list of friends”.
According to a European diplomat, the EU is observing recent events and current US moves in order to better prepare for what comes next.
China
The EU’s relations with China did not figure prominently in the leaders’ discussions. Mr Michel said in his conclusions that the EU would pursue “its own interests, particularly with regard to China” and recalled Beijing's characterisation as a ‘systemic partner and rival’.
According to the same EU diplomat, leaders agree that the EU should not close the door completely to China. However, further consultations and discussions with the Member States are needed to organise the further development of the relationship and its form.
Defence
While the leaders agreed on the principle of extending European influence in the world, there are still some differences in defining what strategic autonomy actually is, as Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte reported after the informal dinner: “There is consensus in the broadest sense of the word. Some countries put more emphasis on European defence, others focus more on transatlantic ties. However, everyone agrees that both are important”.
Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen insisted on this last point too. “The dinner clearly confirmed that NATO is the strongest military alliance, and the EU will never be one. But there are scenarios where you don’t see NATO. And the EU could be able to act. So it is about improving our capabilities, but also interoperability, and strengthening industrial basis for new threats”, Ursula von der Leyen told EUROPE.
The next step to realise this vision will be the preparation by the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, of the ‘Strategic Compass’. He will present the first version of his paper to the Defence Ministers in November, before a discussion at the European Council in December. This ‘compass’ is expected to be adopted at the March European Council, which should be devoted to defence. In parallel, the EU will negotiate a new joint declaration with the Atlantic Alliance, which should be adopted ahead of the NATO summit in June 2022 in Madrid.
After the dinner, Mr Borrell said that Europeans needed to act “to create a common strategic culture and share the challenges they are facing”. Next week, he will meet with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in Washington.
See Charles Michel’s oral conclusions: https://bit.ly/2WKz52y (Original version in French by Léa Marchal with Camille-Cerise Gessant)