French President Emmanuel Macron has called on European Union (EU) member states to unite behind a “massive, common funding” initiative aimed at bolstering Europe’s defense and security, potentially unlocking investments worth hundreds of billions of euros.
In an interview published on Sunday in multiple French newspapers, Macron emphasized the urgency of strategic autonomy for Europe, citing diminishing U.S. commitments and shifting global priorities. His appeal comes just days before a crucial EU summit on Thursday, where leaders are set to discuss ways to strengthen European defense capabilities.
“We will give a mandate to the European Commission to define our capacity needs for a common defense,” Macron said. “This massive funding probably reaches hundreds of billions of euros.”
Macron’s renewed push underscores the growing concerns within Europe regarding the continent’s military reliance on the United States, especially in the face of evolving global geopolitics and the uncertainty surrounding NATO’s future.
The French president has long championed the idea of European strategic autonomy, arguing that the continent must reduce its dependency on U.S. military support and invest in its own defense industry. However, he now warns that the necessity for such a shift has become even more urgent.
“It’s quarter to midnight,” Macron told Le Parisien. “As there are doubts over the support of the Americans towards Europe over time, we need to mobilize hundreds of billions of euros. It is Europe’s strategic wake-up moment.”
His comments reflect concerns that Washington is pivoting away from its commitments in Europe. With an American presidential election on the horizon and growing bipartisan skepticism in the U.S. about long-term European defense funding, European leaders are scrambling to secure their own military future.
NATO, traditionally seen as the bedrock of European security, has faced growing uncertainty due to U.S. policy shifts. Macron has previously described NATO as experiencing “brain death,” a comment that stirred controversy but now appears increasingly relevant as discussions over Europe’s military independence gain momentum.
Germany, Europe’s largest economy, has signaled support for increased EU defense autonomy. Friedrich Merz, expected to become Germany’s next chancellor, has stated that making Europe militarily independent from the United States is his “absolute priority.”
Merz’s stance aligns with Macron’s vision of a self-sufficient European defense strategy. While Germany has historically relied on NATO and U.S. military guarantees, recent geopolitical shifts have pushed Berlin toward seeking stronger European security cooperation.
“We must strengthen Europe as quickly as possible and achieve independence from the USA,” Merz said in a recent statement.
Germany’s growing defense ambitions coincide with a broader European reevaluation of its strategic priorities, with many nations recognizing the potential vulnerability of overreliance on American military support.
On Sunday, European and Canadian leaders gathered in London for high-level discussions on the deteriorating relationship between the U.S. and Ukraine. The talks come amid increasing concerns about Washington’s shifting stance on Russia and its broader foreign policy in Eastern Europe.
Countries such as France, the U.K., and Italy have expressed their willingness to step in as mediators between Washington and Kyiv, seeking to prevent further diplomatic breakdowns. While European leaders remain committed to Ukraine’s security, there are growing fears that continued American disengagement could lead to a weaker NATO presence in the region.
The London meeting is expected to set the stage for Thursday’s EU summit, where defense spending and security cooperation will dominate the agenda.
A centerpiece of the upcoming EU summit will be discussions on the creation of a new defense spending tool aimed at pooling European financial resources to strengthen military capabilities. Macron has suggested that this could involve both loosening EU fiscal rules and encouraging banks to finance defense projects.
- Joint EU defense bonds to raise capital for military investments.
- Relaxation of fiscal constraints on defense spending within the EU’s Stability and Growth Pact.
- State-backed financial incentives for European defense firms to accelerate military production.
Macron acknowledged that meaningful progress on European defense would take years but insisted that now was the time to start laying the groundwork.
“It’ll take five years, ten years to really boost European defense,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter, because I believe today is the strategic wake-up moment.”
The proposal for a large-scale European defense fund echoes previous efforts to strengthen EU military cooperation, including the European Defence Fund (EDF), but on a much larger scale. The ambition is to secure long-term defense investments that reduce Europe’s reliance on external allies, particularly the U.S.
One of Macron’s most striking proposals involves the potential extension of France’s nuclear deterrence to its European neighbors. As the only EU country with nuclear weapons, France holds a unique position in the bloc’s security architecture.
“We have a shield, and they don’t. And they can no longer rely on the American nuclear deterrence,” Macron said.
The French president has suggested initiating strategic conversations with non-nuclear EU nations about sharing France’s nuclear capabilities as a collective deterrent. This move could fundamentally reshape Europe’s security landscape, particularly if NATO’s nuclear umbrella, traditionally dominated by the U.S., becomes less reliable.
While the details of such an arrangement remain uncertain, the idea could provide European nations with a renewed sense of security in the face of global instability. However, the proposal is likely to generate intense debate, as nuclear-sharing agreements come with significant political and strategic complexities.
Macron’s call for a massive, unified European defense investment is a bold move that underscores the growing realization among EU leaders that Europe can no longer afford to be complacent about its security.
The upcoming EU summit will serve as a crucial test for European unity on defense matters. If leaders can agree on concrete funding mechanisms and a long-term roadmap, Europe could take a major step toward military self-sufficiency. However, significant political and financial hurdles remain.
- Will all EU nations support a large-scale, common defense fund?
- How will such investments be financed, and will fiscal constraints be adjusted?
- Can European leaders convince their populations of the need for greater military spending?
- How will France’s nuclear-sharing proposal be received by other EU nations?
With geopolitical tensions rising and America’s global strategy shifting, Europe finds itself at a crossroads. Macron’s warning that “it’s quarter to midnight” is a call to action that European leaders may no longer be able to ignore.
The coming months will reveal whether the EU is ready to embrace a new era of defense independence—or whether internal divisions will continue to hinder progress on Europe’s strategic autonomy.
