Rarely a day passes without Europe having to confront the extent to which it has become a hostage to three threats: the collapse of the postwar US strategic guarantee of European security; the determination of Russia to continue its policy of destabilising the liberal order; and finally the silent economic hegemony of a rising China.
The conjunction of these three factors raises the question of how, in such a context, Europe and the EU can guarantee its survival. Some will argue that the EU is not ready to meet these challenges collectively and that, as a consequence of its abdication of a leadership role, member states must play their own hands separately.
All this is undoubtedly true. But nevertheless the French view of the political autonomy of Europe and of the necessity for the EU to play the game of global power politics is gaining traction with Germany and other member states.