00:00Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
00:32Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
01:00Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE
01:01και έλεγαν για λόγικό χρόνο να διευδοσύνει τις Ευρώπενες,
01:05να διευθύνουμε την επίσημη.
01:06Υπότιτλοι AUTHORWAVE,
01:07και βλέπετε Ρσία στους αντιμετωπικούς.
01:11Ήταν έτσι σε Ρσία στην Ρσία στην Ευρωπαϊκή Ευρωπαϊκή Μεταρμή,
01:15όπου είχε το Ευρωπαϊκό το Ισία της Ευρωπαϊκής Ευρώπης.
01:18Ένα άλλο κόντρια, όπως Μόλδοβα,
01:20like Sweden and Finland that joined NATO that wants to get rid of Russia's tutelage
01:26and they're closer to Europeans' norms and standards.
01:29This is the reality of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine.
01:32If that is the case, as you say, and Russia is being weakened by Ukraine's resistance,
01:39isn't that then an opportune moment for Europe to step in and to say it's time to talk?
01:44I know President Emmanuel Macron has previously called for this.
01:47No, you're right.
01:47President Macron has always said that when the time is right,
01:50we should have our own channel of communication with Russia
01:53because there's no reason to let the Americans alone at the negotiation table
01:58when, first and foremost, it's the security of Europe that's at stake.
02:02Now, you have to look at the reality, which is that Russia is not engaging seriously in diplomacy.
02:06It's not interested in the ceasefire and peace.
02:09It continues its escalation.
02:10So I think the key now is to continue to provide our support to Ukraine.
02:14It's to continue to increase the pressure on Russia economically.
02:17So just for clarity, I understand you're saying now is not the right time.
02:21And if so, doesn't it make sense for Europe, nonetheless, to be preparing for that time,
02:27including thinking of who could do this role?
02:30Who has the credibility, the clout to speak to the Russians?
02:33No, look, I see that this debate is going on in the media and the commentary.
02:37And you're right that once again, you know, Europeans need to take matters in their own hand.
02:41And so there's no reason why we should let others negotiate on the behalf of European,
02:46of the European security architecture.
02:49So Europeans should be ready also to have their own diplomatic track,
02:53as President Macron has said repeatedly.
02:55But I would say our priority now, clearly, is to continue to support Ukraine,
03:00to continue to increase the pressure on Russia.
03:01In the meantime, Ukraine is pushing for swift progress on its enlargement path.
03:08The German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has recently proposed, of course,
03:11this kind of concept of associate EU membership.
03:15Participation in talks, but no real votes.
03:17How do you receive his proposal?
03:19Well, first, look, you know, France supports Ukraine, Moldova's EU candidacy.
03:26And the next step for me, the immediate step, I would say,
03:29looking at the June European Council,
03:31is the opening of the first cluster of negotiations on fundamentals,
03:36which, as you know, has been weaponized, instrumentalized by Viktor Orban before,
03:41for electoral domestic reasons.
03:43Now that he lost the elections, I think, you know, it should be based on the own merits.
03:47and each country should advance based on its reforms,
03:50on the integration of the ITK communitaire.
03:52Ukraine and Moldova are ready to open the first cluster.
03:55So first, let's do this.
03:56And then it's important that we continue this work on the reforms.
03:59This is why, by the way, we've always said there's no shortcut.
04:03It's a long, it's a demanding process.
04:05It's about the fight against corruption, the independence of judiciary,
04:09the protection of minorities, etc., etc.
04:11Now, with that being said, you know, France was the country initially that pushed,
04:17you know, a few years ago for a more gradual form of accession,
04:20where you integrate certain blocks of policies.
04:24And I understand also the need to send a message,
04:26to send a signal to the Ukrainian population
04:28that we want Ukraine down the road to be a member,
04:31a full member of the European Union.
04:34So we're ready to work also on how to,
04:37I would say, complete, how to perfect that gradual integration.
04:41And I think opening the debate and opening the conversation on this is positive.
04:45But Ukraine would say, this is part of our security guarantees.
04:48This is actually about securing our future.
04:51And there are active efforts from the US, for example,
04:55to broker peace talks, where these kind of details will be discussed.
04:59So I'll ask you again, does France have any ideas right now
05:02about how this kind of swifter integration of Ukraine could look?
05:06Are you open to some of the ideas that have been floated here in Brussels?
05:10Well, first, a couple of points on what you mentioned in your question,
05:12because you talked about the US diplomatic track.
05:15But let's be clear, it's not up to either the US or Russia
05:19or any actor external to the EU to decide
05:21who gets a membership within the European Union.
05:24That's a negotiation, a track, a reform process of Ukraine with the Europeans.
05:29And we're there to support Ukraine.
05:31We're there to accompany Ukraine.
05:32There is no shortcut for this accession.
05:34This is precisely, by the way, why the public opinion support
05:38the enlargement process in the candidate states.
05:41It's because they know that it's synonymous with anchoring the rule of law,
05:45anchoring liberal democracy, with ensuring checks and balance,
05:49ensuring the fight against corruption.
05:51We've always been in support of more gradual accession,
05:55where you don't switch off and off the light when you get in,
05:59but you progressively integrate certain blocks of policy.
06:01And that's work that we can shape, that we can work on with Germany,
06:04with our partners, with the European Commission.
06:07I want to ask you about the EU's long-term budget,
06:10which is under negotiation right now.
06:12And there's clearly a rift between the more frugal, let's say,
06:16states who want a smaller budget,
06:17and those and an increasing number of countries who say,
06:20we need more own resources and we need more joint borrowing.
06:24Where does France stand in the middle of this?
06:26And can you mediate between these two camps?
06:29Look, it's very clear when you look at the historical situation
06:32which we're in right now,
06:33that we need more investment capacities for Europe
06:36to strengthen our strategic autonomy in all the key strategic areas.
06:40When you think of defence, space, AI, quantum, green tech,
06:44this budget, you know, because when you're going to look at it
06:46through an accounting perspective,
06:48at the end of the day, it's a political and strategic conversation
06:51about the kind of Europe that we want for the next decade.
06:53In this context, yes, we need an ambitious budget.
06:57And it's true that it cannot rely solely
07:00on the contribution of the member states
07:01because there's not the fiscal capacity for this, let's be honest.
07:05So this is why, and France has said this repeatedly,
07:09a sine qua non condition for us for the adoption of the budget
07:11is having an ambitious package of own resources.
07:14I think what's important is own resources
07:16that they don't weigh on European companies
07:20or household actors that are external to Europe
07:23and protect our single market
07:24and that they don't duplicate national resources already existing.
07:29And then you mentioned common borrowing.
07:31Yes, look, you know, we did it in other critical moments for Europe.
07:35We did it, of course, during COVID with Next Generation EU.
07:38For the first time, we managed to overcome a taboo
07:40and pull together common debt
07:43to be able to invest into the recovery of our economy.
07:46But let's be honest, we also did it just a couple months ago
07:49with the 90 billion loan to Ukraine.
07:52And once again, we borrowed on the market
07:55with safe liquid assets from the European Union.
07:57There's actually a lot of demand on markets
07:59for assets coming from the European Union,
08:02which is a reliable, trusted financial partner.
08:04And I think when you look at areas like defence,
08:07like space or like AI, where we're under-investing,
08:11we're under-leveraged compared to the US, for example,
08:14this is where it would make sense indeed
08:16to once again borrow on the markets
08:18and inject investment massively
08:21to support our own innovators, our own companies.
08:23Your president, Emmanuel Macron,
08:25has been pushing for this, of course.
08:26In February, he did say at the previous summit,
08:28which was held here in Belgium,
08:30that there needs to be a plan now
08:32to kind of revive Europe's competitiveness by June.
08:36That's really around the corner.
08:37It's next week.
08:38So has progress been made in terms of convincing others
08:42that euro bonds, joint borrowing, is the way to go?
08:45And if not, could France move along
08:48with like-minded countries
08:49despite not having the support of the 27th?
08:52And I think when you have a core group of member states
08:54that want to move forward,
08:56that want to deepen their integration and cooperation
08:58on these issues, then, you know,
09:00at some point we should be able to move forward
09:02and create momentum for others to join.
09:04Now, on your first question,
09:06has there been a plan and a move?
09:07Yes, because the commission actually proposed
09:09a plan that's drawing on the Draghi and Leta reports
09:12called One Market, One Europe
09:14that precisely gives, I think,
09:16an ambitious legislative agenda
09:17for the next couple of years
09:18to deepen a single market,
09:20whether that's on reducing our internal fragmentation
09:22with the Saving Investment Union,
09:24the 28th regime,
09:27whether that's on simplifying our norms
09:29and we need to accelerate the work
09:30that we've done with the different omnibuses,
09:33whether that's on investment
09:34and we mentioned on the MFF,
09:36we need to protect our industry more.
09:38You know, let's don't be naive.
09:39The Americans do it.
09:40The Chinese do it.
09:41We're facing tariffs from the U.S.
09:43We're facing more aggressive trade practices
09:47coming from China
09:48with subsidized overcapacities on steel, on EVs.
09:52They're coming and they're having
09:53a very destructive impact on our industry.
09:56And that means also tougher measures
09:58against China to address
10:00these overcapacities that you mentioned?
10:02Yes, because at the end of the day,
10:03you know, we're for trade,
10:04but we're for reciprocal trade,
10:06fair trade on a level playing field.
10:08But we can see that the time is running out.
10:10It's 10,000 jobs that are destroyed,
10:1210,000 manufacturing industrial jobs
10:15destroyed every month in Germany
10:17because of the competition.
10:18But do you German counterparts
10:19see this as a serious stretch?
10:21Are you confident that seeing it
10:22in the same way as you're seeing it?
10:24Look, I think there's a realization
10:25that's coming across everywhere in Europe.
10:27For a long time, you know,
10:28we thought that it was safe to export to China.
10:32And now we see, on the contrary,
10:34that you see a technological know-how
10:37that's increasing in China
10:38with the support also of the state.
10:40And that at the end of the day,
10:42you know, we have 450 million people.
10:44We have a strong single market.
10:46There's every reason to be optimistic
10:48about the power that a single market can represent,
10:50but only if we're able to leverage it
10:52and we have all the tools at our disposal,
10:54whether that's safeguard clauses,
10:56whether that's tariffs,
10:57whether that's by European clauses
10:59that we can put with the industrial accelerator,
11:02for example.
11:02So now the key is not to be naive,
11:04look at what others are doing
11:06and protect ourselves as well.
11:08You know, look at the U.S.
11:09The U.S., they didn't have to wait for Trump
11:11to do the Buy America Act.
11:13They didn't have to wait for Trump
11:14to do the Inflation Reduction Act,
11:16which is a massive...
11:16So has Europe been moving too slowly,
11:17Minister, on this?
11:17Yes, I think so,
11:18because I think that we're still
11:20maybe sometimes the last evangelist
11:23of a religion that no one is practicing anymore.
11:25You know, the religion of unfettered free trade,
11:29of the WTO,
11:30which clearly China and the U.S.
11:33have abandoned a long time ago.
11:35So, you know,
11:36the commitment to this international law,
11:38international trade law,
11:39it's important,
11:40but you have to be strong to be respected.
11:42You have to be able to defend your interest as well,
11:44and you have to be able to use
11:46all the tools that you leverage,
11:48especially to impose
11:50just very basic principle
11:52of fairness and reciprocity.
11:53Okay, Minister Adat,
11:55thank you so much.
11:56Thank you.
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