Macron calls go-it-alone defence strategies in Europe an 'absurdity'

PARIS, July 13 - French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday warned European countries against go-it-alone national defence policies, as governments ramp up military spending in response to Russia's threat and pressure from the U.S. to increase military spending.

The speech came a month after the collapse of a Franco-German project to develop a next-generation fighter jet following months of deadlock between defence companies, underscoring the industrial rivalries that risk undermining Europe's drive to rearm together.

"Every time we create fragmentation, we may feel good in the moment, but we are creating the delays of tomorrow. Every time we pander to nationalism, in France or elsewhere, we misunderstand our own history. Patriotism, yes; nationalism, never," Macron said in his annual address to France's armed forces on the eve of Bastille Day, France's national day.

"At a time when Europe is rearming, to think that the course of history lies in each of us separately accumulating capabilities is an absurdity," he said.

Macron, now in the final year of his second term, said he "deeply regretted" the failure of the FCAS fighter jet project between Airbus, representing Germany, and France's Dassault Aviation, but urged European nations and arms makers to avoid duplicating defence capabilities and to pursue other cross-border industrial projects, such as Franco-German tank maker KNDS..

The speech also comes amid growing anxiety in France over Germany's rapid increase in military spending, which French officials fear could provide new competition in an area of traditional French strength.

Macron took satisfaction in having delivered on a pledge made at the start of his first term to double France's defence budget over a decade, but he warned French arms manufacturers that they would need to move faster if they were to meet surging demand at home and abroad.

"When it comes to drones, air defence systems, missiles and ammunition, we are not producing quickly enough and we are not producing at sufficient scale," he said. REUTERS