The war in Ukraine is an opportunity for Europeans to realize that they can not transform the world according to their wishes, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in an interview with the French newspaper Les Échos, welcoming the decision of many countries. EU member states to significantly increase their military budgets, while advocating for the reciprocity of the costs of war.
More specifically, Borrell estimates that the Russian economy will suffer very severely from the sanctions imposed by the EU and in particular from the gradual reduction of the gas and oil markets, noting at the same time that the war will not stop overnight… Believes that the embargo on the market Russian gas would be “definitely the best way” if Europe could do without it, adding that the EU would continue to clearly aim to reduce its dependence and markets as soon as possible.
Borel also says that the third “asymmetric shock” – after those of the euro crisis and the pandemic – that the European economy will suffer again requires a collective response, as happened with the pandemic. “We have to deal with an explosion in energy and food prices, especially wheat and fertilizers. There could also be social shock if inflation is too high,” Borrell said.
Regarding the increase, especially from Germany, of the defense budget and whether that is enough to talk about a defense Europe, he says: “We are not going to create a European army and eliminate the national armies, as we did with the euro! France is defending the idea that Europe has its own defense capability, it is not a matter of replacing NATO, but of complementarity. “We have to do it to optimize military spending in Europe, because they are so scattered. Together, we spend about three times as much as Russia and China, but we can not say that we are as efficient.”
Asked why it is so difficult for France to persuade its partners to build this European defense capability, he noted the different perceptions of threats in the Baltic and Mediterranean countries, stressing: “If we want to build a political Union, we must cultivate a common strategic culture and that takes time. ”
Finally, when asked how this common analysis of threats would be reconsidered in the light of the war in Ukraine, if indeed it was the ambition of the strategic compass on which European leaders have been working for several years, he states: “The Russian threat We were already very present and our relations had already deteriorated a lot. We have entered a new era in our relations with Russia and this war will mark European politics for a long time. It will also serve as an accelerator for the geopolitical awakening of Europe. In particular, it will be necessary to eliminate energy dependence on Russia, because it has become a weapon in the hands of Moscow. ”
Source: AMPE
Source: Capital
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