Status: 21.09.2021 11:36 a.m.
The EU has assured France of its solidarity in the submarine dispute with Australia and the USA. Council chief Michel accused the United States in particular of a lack of loyalty. Commission President von der Leyen called the behavior “unacceptable”.
The EU states have assured France of their support in the dispute with Australia and the USA over the collapsed submarine business. The foreign ministers of the other 26 member states had expressed “their clear solidarity with France” at a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, said EU foreign affairs representative Josep Borrell. The events are not a “bilateral matter”, but affect the entire EU, he said.
Annoyance because of the broken submarine deal
The resentment in Paris is a consequence of the Indo-Pacific Security Alliance between the UK, Australia and the US announced last week. This goes hand in hand with an agreement by the USA to build nuclear submarines for Australia. This prompted the Australian government to abandon a long-term submarine deal with France worth $ 40 billion – which caused anger in Paris.
Talks expected
The French government ruled indignantly and called their ambassadors from Canberra and Washington back for deliberations. Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian reiterated his allegations of a “serious breach of trust” by the allies in New York. The Europeans would now have to “think carefully” how to react to this.
French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden are expected to phone over the next few days. A conversation between Macron and the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will not take place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, according to Morrison. “There’s no opportunity for that right now,” said Morrison. He is sure that it will come to that in due course.
EU: lack of loyalty
EU Council President Charles Michel said these decisions by the three countries clearly showed a lack of transparency and loyalty. Michel went on to say that the transatlantic alliance is a top priority in the EU. He does not question this alliance. But he wonders if there are doubts in the US about the importance of this alliance with Europe.
Already yesterday, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described the actions of the USA, Australia and Great Britain towards France as “unacceptable”. “There are many open questions that have to be answered,” said von der Leyen in an interview with the US broadcaster CNN. “We want to know what happened and why,” stressed the EU Commission President.