"New Caledonians voted overwhelmingly against full sovereignty and independence in a context of high abstention. New Caledonia will therefore remain French."
"The Nouméa Accord is coming to its legal end. The promise of a "common destiny" it contained has never been so tangible and must continue to guide us."
"I welcome New Caledonia's response with respect and humility. We will need more time. We cannot ignore the fact that the electorate has remained deeply divided despite the passage of years."
"We will have to build a response to the institutional and legal questions in order to define a political organization. But the discussions to come cannot be limited to institutions. The bond that unites us is not only legal, it is a bond of solidarity and humanity."
"On many subjects the State and local institutions can and must work together". The French President notably mentioned the reduction of inequalities, education, food and energy autonomy, land issues, support to the nickel sector or the situation of women.
"Tonight, France is more beautiful because New Caledonia has decided to stay. It is up to all of us to write our history with ambition and respect. France is proud to be your homeland." [End]
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The overall ambition: pushing for greater European sovereignty to have the "freedom to decide, choose and act" to defend 🇪🇺 interests. This ambition is translated into 6 priorities.
1/ Agreeing on a common threat assessment among Europeans through the adoption of the Strategic Compass which will set the 🇪🇺 level of ambition for the next 10 years. "It won't be just another report but a real concrete action plan".
🇪🇺🇫🇷 President Macron just presented France's priorities for its presidency of the Council of the EU (which starts next January). Brace yourself for a long 🧵 on the main takeaways of a long speech 👇
First, the presidency will happen in a tense strategic environment with rising regional tensions especially in Europe's neighborhood, the persistence of the pandemic, growing global inequalities and climate change.
Against this backdrop, President Macron's ambition is to "move from a Europe of cooperation within its borders to a powerful and fully sovereign Europe that masters its destiny on the global stage".
New German foreign minister @ABaerbock did her first official trip in Paris to meet with Minister @JY_LeDrian. A testament of the importance of a close and strong 🇩🇪🇫🇷 relation for Paris and Berlin. Some excerpts of the joint press conference 👇
Le Drian: "I would like to thank you for having chosen France for your first trip in your new position. This first visit is a fine tradition in Franco-German relations. This relationship is essential, not to say vital, for our two nations".
Le Drian: "The orientations of the German government's coalition contract largely overlap the priorities France will advance on behalf of the Europeans during its presidency of the EU Council".
What should we expect from the Macron-Biden meeting later this week in Rome? In this @TheNatlInterest piece, I try to put into perspective the ongoing diplomatic row between Paris and Washington over #AUKUS. A short 🧵 on the main takeaways 👇 nationalinterest.org/feature/aukus-…
If you think that the 🇫🇷🇺🇸 diplomatic tensions over AUKUS are only a bilateral matter over the loss of a submarine contract, then you’re mistaken.
The AUKUS crisis is actually revealing of a larger trend in the transatlantic relationship, with Washington increasingly focusing on its competition with China sometimes at the risk of overlooking Europe's role and interests.
Yesterday, France launched with success a military communication satellite called SYRACUSE IV. This is an important milestone in France's space defense strategy. A short 🧵 to explain why 👇
Syracuse IV will provide secure communications to French armed forces regardless of the distance. This satellite will be part of a constellation of 3, replacing the existing system (Syracuse III) in place since 2007.
This constellation will have a bandwidth 3 times higher than the previous generation and will connect together more than 400 ground stations.
French foreign minister @JY_LeDrian testified yesterday at a French Senate hearing on the implications of #AUKUS. An important discussion with French Senators which will be followed by other hearings. A 🧵 on the main highlights 👇
First, minister Le Drian presented in detail the Franco-Australian Future Submarine Program. An intergovernmental agreement was signed in December 2016 and then a Strategic Partnering Agreement in February 2019.
The production was supposed to start in 2023 and the first submarine to be delivered by 2033/2034. Le Drian noted that the program included an industrial partnership with the U.S. with Lockheed Martin in charge of the weapon system.