Macron warns of renewed friction with US, urges EU to use 'Greenland moment' to push reforms

PARIS: Europe should brace for more moments of U.S. hostility, French President Emmanuel Macron has warned, and should treat what he called the "Greenland moment" as a wake‑up call to push through long‑delayed reforms to strengthen the bloc’s global power.

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Macron says recent calm with the US is temporary and warns that Washington is acting anti-European and may target the EU over digital regulations.
He urges Europe to stand firm against US pressure, calling for joint borrowing like eurobonds to strengthen the EU's economic power.
EU leaders will meet to discuss how to fortify Europe's economy and better compete with the US and China.

In an interview with several European newspapers, the French leader said the European Union should not mistake a lull in tensions with Washington for a lasting shift despite a pause in U.S. threats over Greenland, trade and technology.

Macron urged EU leaders to use a summit in a Belgian castle this week to inject fresh energy into economic reforms to bolster the bloc's competitiveness and strengthen its ability to stand up to China and the United States on the world stage.

“When there’s a clear act of aggression, I think what we should do isn’t bow down or try to reach a settlement," Macron told Le Monde, the Financial Times and other newspapers in comments published on Tuesday. "We’ve tried that strategy for months. It’s not working,”

Macron said the Trump administration was being "openly anti‑European" and seeking the EU’s "dismemberment". He said he anticipated further tensions with the Trump administration, including over Europe's regulation of digital technology.

"The U.S. will, in the coming months — that’s certain — attack us over digital regulation," Macron added, warning of potential U.S. import tariffs from U.S. President Donald Trump should the EU use its Digital Services Act to control tech companies.

'EUROPE NEEDS PROTECTION, NOT PROTECTIONISM'

Europe needed to be more resilient in the face of a double challenge from the United States and China, Macron said.

"We have the Chinese tsunami on the trade front, and we have minute-by-minute instability on the American side. These two crises amount to a profound shock — a rupture for Europeans," he continued.

Macron, whose second term finishes in spring 2027, renewed his call for the EU to embark on more common borrowing to help the bloc of 27 nations invest at scale and challenge the hegemony of the U.S. dollar.

"World markets are increasingly wary of the U.S. dollar. They're looking at alternatives. Let's offer them European debt," Macron said, adding that Europe's democratic institutions were a major asset for investors at a time when the U.S. was "drifting away from the rule of law".

The EU used joint debt in 2020 to re-boot the European economy after the COVID-19 pandemic, but French attempts to make such tools permanent have faced stiff resistance from Germany and other more frugal northern member states.

Thursday's summit will include discussions around French-led plans for a “Made in Europe” strategy that would set minimum requirements for European content in locally manufactured goods. The approach has split EU countries and alarmed automakers.

"For me, the economic strategy to make our Europe a power lies in what I call protection, which is not protectionism, but rather European preference," Macron said.