French President Emmanuel Macron has urged Europe to increase investment in strategic sectors in order “not to be swept away by competition from China and the United States.” He also believes that Europeans “need to prepare for new manifestations of hostility from the United States.” Macron made these remarks in an interview published on Tuesday by several European outlets, including Le Monde, The Economist, and The Financial Times.
In the interview, the French leader argued that the European Union should not mistakenly interpret the current lull in tensions with Washington as a lasting change. The so-called “Greenland moment,” as Macron described it, should be seen as a warning signal and a catalyst for long-delayed reforms aimed at strengthening the EU’s global influence.
Emmanuel Macron, whose second presidential term ends in the spring of 2027, once again called on the EU to expand joint borrowing in order to enable the 27-nation bloc to invest on a large scale.
The French president’s comments were published ahead of a European Union summit scheduled for Thursday, which Macron said should be used to address the bloc’s competitiveness.
Speaking about the current state of relations with the United States, Macron described President Donald Trump’s administration as “openly opposing Europe” and seeking the “dismantling” of the EU. He added that he expects further deterioration in relations with the Trump administration, including over the regulation of digital technologies in Europe.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos last month, Macron also delivered a sharp assessment of Donald Trump’s recent actions and statements. At that time, he again rejected both Trump’s claims regarding Greenland and U.S. threats to impose tariffs on a number of European countries. Speaking in Switzerland, Macron warned that global rules could disappear, leaving only the law of the strongest.
Donald Trump himself, since returning to the White House more than a year ago, has frequently criticized European allies and NATO, accusing them of inefficiency and urging member states of the North Atlantic Alliance to increase defense spending. In a December interview with Politico, much of which focused on relations with the European Union, Trump described EU leaders as “weak” and EU countries as being “in decline.” He also said that Europe was “doing a bad job” in handling the war, referring to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte warned European countries in January against severing defense ties with the United States, amid the Trump administration’s claims over Greenland and other disagreements between Washington and EU states. According to Rutte, those who believe Europe can defend itself without U.S. involvement can “keep dreaming.” He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “would be pleased” if Europe were to create a unified army or another military structure outside NATO.
