The forgetting of the Europe of defence. Holland close to zero
(BRUSSELS2) Singular oversight. In his "60 proposals", François Hollande, the Socialist candidate for the Presidency of the Republic, made a remarkable impasse on European Defense. The one who regularly recalls his European fervor and having “called to vote for the European Constitution” does not really seem to put this European project at the heart of his international concerns. The "defense" proposal is also the last of its proposals.
If the candidate has shown at Le Bourget or on the set recently on France TV - on the program Des Paroles et Des Actes against Alain Juppé, a certain brilliance, a presence and a presidential fabric, it is undeniable, the weakness of the socialist project in diplomatic and defense matters is obvious... and worrying.
The socialist project sets aside the Union for the Mediterranean, Sarkoz's project, today stillborn. But for all that, it does not put Europe back at the heart of the project with the countries of the South, it is France and France alone that is at work. A little light!
This is candidate Hollande's most innovative proposal in terms of defence, even if it seems difficult to hold. No more French troops by the end of 2012 means beginning an accelerated withdrawal now. It is a severe blow to the solidarity between NATO allies. As for the start of new negotiations between Israel and Palestine (let us emphasize that we no longer speak of the Occupied Territories), this is indeed desirable. But it is unclear which initiatives might be acceptable to both parties. Here too, it would be desirable to involve the other countries of the European Union.
We can notice that this proposal is not very far from that of Nicolas Sarkozy. Except to restore national service, the army-nation link seems rather a political notion of appearance to counterbalance the paragraphs on action against terrorism or nuclear deterrence. The ambition to limit NATO to collective security does not automatically mean territorial security. When there is an operation in Afghanistan, it is in the name of collective security. As for the role of the European Union, although at the heart of the solidarity clause and the mutual defense clause present in the Treaty of Lisbon, it is totally absent from this proposal.
Download from the B2 website the 60 proposals
