The French President’s move has incensed other NATO countries, as US defence chiefs and Brussels diplomats warn that Macron’s stance could split the alliance and threaten security.
Under plans being pushed forward by French President Emmanuel Macron, Britain’s defence firms will be frozen out of lucrative EU contracts once Brexit is done and dusted.
There has been a torrent of furious criticism targeting the scheme, with The Express quoting an official from an EU country as saying France wanted “protectionism without protection”, as French defence companies would stand to benefit from Emmanuel Macron’s proposals.EU defence ministers, who discussed the rules governing the pact on Tuesday, are trying to agree upon legislation by June on how to allow the involvement of non-EU countries, including post-Brexit Britain and the United States.
German Minister of Defence Ursula von der Leyen, along with her French counterparts, has campaigned for increased cooperation within the EU, repeatedly stressing the importance of European independence.
The defence minister said “we Europeans are doing what our American friends have been demanding from us for many years,” adding “our job now is to build confidence that NATO will benefit from the Defence Union efforts.”