Emmanuel Macron’s EU army plans torn apart as ‘NATO hard enough’ to organise

Macron’s ally launches scathing attack on Marine Le Pen

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Mr Macron will face far-right rival Marine Le Pen in a gruelling French election run-off. The incumbent came out on top in Sunday’s vote, winning 27.60 percent of the French population’s support with 97 percent of votes counted. Ms Le Pen secured 23.41 percent of vote, setting up a rematch of the 2017 run-off between the two.

Opinion polls suggest the second round of voting will be extremely tight, as both candidates embark on a fortnight of big rallies and major TV appearances in a bid to garner support.

Mr Macron left his campaigning for the first round until the very last minute, insisting that he was focused on the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

Among the issues he has been focusing on is the notion of an EU army.

In a televised speech last month, he called on European defence to take a “new step”, adding: “We cannot let others defend ourselves; whether on land, at sea, under the sea, in the air, in space or in cyberspace.”

Yet the proposal, according to Conservative MP for North Thanet Sir Roger Gale, simply would not work.

Speaking to Express.co.uk, Sir Roger said: “There used to be a thing called the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps which was effectively, in all but name, a European army.

“The problem with a European army is you’ve got to get consent of 27 separate nations to allow it to do anything.

“NATO is hard enough, you have to get the consent of all the members of NATO, but there are clear ground rules in respect of NATO that permit engagement, in fact compel engagement, in a way that Europe is not equipped to do.”

Sir Roger added: “So, my personal view is that 1. It would not serve a useful purpose, and 2.

It is an election pitch on the part of Macron to appeal to the French right.

“But mainly, I’m concerned that I don’t think it would serve a useful purpose.”

France currently holds the EU Presidency, and it had been expected that Mr Macron would use his country’s six-month term to push through common defence plans.

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The country is the bloc’s largest military power after Brexit, with Mr Macron seeking to capitalise on his country’s newfound prominence.

However, many EU members have objected to the idea for many years.

Baltic nations fear it would undermine NATO, and the UK always vetoed the idea for the same reasons when it was still a member state.

Sir Roger added that an EU army would be a further dilution of resources, and is not really necessary.

He said: “There is a danger of how far you are prepared to dilute resources.

“NATO is effectively a European force. It’s a multinational force, of course, because of America, but it’s predominantly a European force in the sense of the territory that it covers.

“I can’t see NATO being called upon to defend the United States.

“So effectively, it is a European force, and it’s a good one too.

Macron 'trying to shake off aloof image' says host

“It’s well run and has been historically, it’s pretty well resourced. There is a strong case for beefing up NATO, but that’s a separate matter.”

Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has prompted a number of unprecedented shifts in European defence policy.

The bloc, which has always styled itself as a “peace project”, has financed the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen visited Bucha last week, the town where hundreds of civilians were allegedly murdered by Russian forces.

She pledged to try to speed up Volodymyr Zelensky’s bid for his country to join the bloc, declaring that she hoped a decision could be made in a “matter of weeks”.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has promised further aid to Ukraine after visiting Kyiv this weekend.

Downing Street said the UK would send 120 armoured vehicles and anti-ship missile systems, as senior Ukrainian officials praised the UK’s role in helping fight Putin.

In a statement after the meeting with Mr Zelensky, the Prime Minister said: “I made clear today that the United Kingdom stands unwaveringly with them in this ongoing fight, and we are in it for the long run.

“We are stepping up our own military and economic support and convening a global alliance to bring this tragedy to an end, and ensure Ukraine survives and thrives as a free and sovereign nation.”

In a direct message to the Ukrainian population, he added: “[Ukrainians] have shown the courage of a lion but you, Volodymyr, have given the roar of that lion.”

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