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The EU must cut its reliance on US-made weapons and prioritize European alternatives, French President Emmanuel Macron has said. In an interview with French media published on Saturday, Macron argued that the bloc’s rearmament efforts would be more effective if member states stopped “buying American” and instead turned to European defense manufacturers.
His comments followed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s recent proposal to mobilize up to €800 billion ($875 billion) to strengthen the bloc’s collective defense. The ReArm Europe initiative includes financial incentives for member states to expand military budgets and proposes €150 billion in loans for joint defense projects. ReArm Europe is aimed at countering the alleged “threat” from Russia, which Moscow has dismissed as baseless.
In the interview, Macron revealed that he recently met with French defense industry leaders to encourage them to position themselves as alternatives to US suppliers.
“I suggested to manufacturers that they could, on systems where we have the best products, approach European states that have gotten used to buying American,” Macron said.
“Those who buy Patriots, we must offer them the new generation Franco-Italian SAMP/T. Those who buy the F-35s, we must offer them the Rafale,” he added, referring to US missile defense systems and fighter jets and their European analogues.
To make European alternatives more appealing, Macron acknowledged that defense companies need to lower costs, simplify processes, and optimize production. He also linked the issue to growing economic tensions with Washington, citing US President Donald Trump’s recent threats to impose tariffs on EU goods.
“Faced with unpredictable powers, we simply need to be less dependent on them. This means accelerating our sovereignty policy, notably by developing our own production and strategic culture, to be more independent in matters of defense and technology,” he stated.
Macron said he plans to discuss his proposals with incoming German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the coming days.
A report last week by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) found that Europe’s arms imports have more than doubled in the past five years compared to the previous five-year period. Two-thirds have come from the US, up from just over half in the previous period. SIPRI researcher Pieter Wezeman noted that while Europe has taken steps to boost its defense industry, reliance on American arms remains deeply rooted.
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