The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has defended this Tuesday a sovereign Europe, which reduces dependence on others and can “choose its own destiny”. “We must try to be the decision makers rather than the rule followers,” he said during a speech at the Nexus Institute in The Hague, on the occasion of a state visit to the Netherlands.

This speech was highly anticipated, especially after his latest statements, on his trip to China, in which he stated that Europe has to distance itself from the US and not be a follower, but embody “a third pole” in the face of critical issues.

He was referring to the conflict with Taiwan, which China considers part of its territory. The Elysee qualified this morning that France “has not changed its position” on Taiwan and qualified that “the US is an ally”, which has not prevented the rain of criticism from the US and also from other European countries.

Macron defends that, in this context of crisis, Europe must have its own voice, and be autonomous from China and the US, and for this it must strengthen its economic and military independence.

“We want to be open, we want allies, we want good friends, we want partners, but we always want to be in a position to be able to choose them, not depend on them,” Macron said today, reiterating this need for economic and industrial sovereignty.

“We must reduce this dependence to strengthen our identity and our sovereignty”, said the French president, who recalled that, as a result of the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Europe realized “the dependence” it had on essential medicines that came from China and energy from Russia, for example.

Macron has defended “the right to do protectionism on some critical issues.” As Europeans “we have vulnerabilities, but if we see that our interests are in danger, we have to take action”, he has said.

His statements a few days ago distancing himself from US policy have caused discomfort, although Bruno Le Maire, Economy Minister, supported his thesis this morning by assuring that “Europe is an ally of the Americans. We share the same values, many economic interests But just because we’re allies doesn’t mean we have to be against China,” he said.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki criticized from Washington that “some Western leaders dream of cooperation with the whole world, with Russia and with some Far Eastern powers,” he said wryly.

Spanish Economy Minister Nadia Calviño also said Europe “cannot ignore China’s role as a key geopolitical player and trade partner. I think we cannot turn our backs on China and try to ignore it,” Calviño said in Washington.

The European Commission recalled its respect for the “one China” policy, but, at the same time, opposed “any desire for unilateral change of the ‘status quo'” in Taiwan, “particularly with the use of force”. , after the military exercises that Beijing concluded yesterday around the island, according to the spokesman for the Commission, Eric Mamer.

It is not the first time that Macron has bothered with his statements on Europe. Before the war in Ukraine, he already stirred up some of his European allies by trying to talk with Russian President Vladimir Putin, without having agreed with the rest of the leaders. He also did it by pointing out that Russia should not be “humiliated”. In 2019 he had already said that NATO was in a “brain dead” situation.

In the Netherlands Macron and his wife were received with military honors and national anthems at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam by King Willem-Alexander and his wife Máxima. The last state visit was in 2000, with Jacques Chirac.

Before his speech began, Macron was interrupted by some people in the room, who tried to pull out a banner reading “president of violence and hypocrisy”. “Where is French democracy?” and “the climate convention is not respected”, they shouted at him. France is experiencing a crisis derived from the approval of the highly controversial pension reform, which is opposed by a large part of the country.

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