FEATURED COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS

EU Urges More Defense Spending in Dangerous Times

Report
Nov 10, 2025

France’s policy on China: Strategic autonomy and less naïveté

By
Zoltán Fehér

Over the last decade, France’s long-standing engagement with China has transformed into a more nuanced and cautious dynamic, reflecting a growing emphasis on balancing. This shift is guided by France’s pursuit of strategic autonomy, its effort to “de-risk” economic and security ties, and the broader geopolitical realities unfolding in the Indo-Pacific.

China
Economy & Business

EU Urges More Defense Spending in Dangerous Times

New Atlanticist
Sep 8, 2025

Experts react: The French government has collapsed again. What does this mean for France, the EU, and Macron?

By
Atlantic Council experts

On Monday, Prime Minister François Bayrou lost a confidence vote in the National Assembly, removing him from office and leaving France in a state of political uncertainty.

France
NATO

EU Urges More Defense Spending in Dangerous Times

New Atlanticist
Jul 16, 2025

Reading between the lines of the new France-UK nuclear entente

By
Léonie Allard

French President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer released a “truly historic” declaration on nuclear planning on July 10.

France
Nuclear Deterrence

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Content

President of the EU Council Donald Tusk, June 25, 2015

NATOSource

Jun 26, 2015

EU Urges More Defense Spending in Dangerous Times

By Adrian Croft, Reuters

European Council President Donald Tusk urged European leaders to spend more on defense on Friday as deadly attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait drove home his point about dramatic changes to the security situation in Europe and its neighborhood.

European Union
France

In the News

Jun 25, 2015

Gramer and Daniels: France Fills the American Arms Void

By Gramer and Daniels

Transatlantic Security Initiative Assistant Director Robbie Gramer and Middle East Peace and Security Initiative Program Assistant Owen Daniels write for Politico on new French defense contracts with Gulf states in light of strained negotiations between the United States and its partners in the region:

France
International Organizations

In the News

Jun 25, 2015

Dungan on Wikileaks Spying Revelations

By Nicholas Dungan

France 24 quotes Transatlantic Relations Program Nonresident Senior Fellow Nicholas Dungan on how the outrage expressed by French officials about new WikiLeaks revelations that the United States spied on French presidents is just an act of political theatre from a nation that conducts significant spying of its own:

France
Defense ministers of the Netherlands, US, Germany, and Norway, June 22, 2015

NATOSource

Jun 24, 2015

After Ukraine, NATO’s Chance for a New Normal

By Derek Chollet, Defense One

NATO’s responses over the last year have been reactive and by definition (when measured by budgets) temporary.

France
Germany
A pair of French Mirage 2000s

NATOSource

Jun 16, 2015

France Joins NATO’s Integrated Air Defense System

By Allied Command Operations

After thorough preparation and planning, jointly and effectively coordinated between the French and NATO Headquarters, France agreed to declare its assets eligible for NATO Air Policing duties over the French airspace and neighboring countries

France
Missile Defense
David Cameron, Angela Merkel, and Barack Obama, June 4, 2014

NATOSource

Jun 10, 2015

NATO Publics Reluctant to Provide Military Aid to Allies Under Attack

By Katie Simmons, Bruce Stokes, and Jacob Poushter, Pew Research Center

Going forward, most NATO members are willing to provide economic aid to Ukraine and offer it NATO membership.

France
Germany

EconoGraphics

Jun 9, 2015

Where Do Trillion-Dollar Asset Managers Hail From?

By Global Business and Economics

Of the 16 investment firms in the world that hold more than $1 trillion in assets, the US leads with 12 representatives, including well-known firms like BlackRock, Vanguard Group, and the asset management arms of Goldman Sachs and Bank of New York Mellon.

Economy & Business
France

In the News

Jun 1, 2015

Dungan on French Presidential Elections

By Nicholas Dungan

Financial Times quotes Transatlantic Relations Program Nonresident Senior Fellow Nicholas Dungan on the difficulties facing Nicolas Sarkozy in the upcoming French elections:

France

New Atlanticist

May 26, 2015

Western Failure on Iran Deal May Cause Sanctions to Unravel

By Ashish Kumar Sen

European Ambassadors see “erosion” of sanctions regime if US Congress is viewed as cause of deal’s failure Failure to secure a deal that limits Iran’s nuclear program in return for phased sanctions relief could unravel a crippling sanctions regime on the Islamic Republic if that outcome is perceived to be the West’s fault, two European […]

France
Germany
French Mistral warship, Nov. 25, 2006

NATOSource

May 19, 2015

France’s Orphaned Mistrals Can Solve a Sea of Troubles

By Blake Franko and Nicholas Varangis

As the European Union struggles to remain a unified and influential force for the 21st century, geopolitical developments have only made this goal more elusive.

European Union
France
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Experts

Fellow

William Drozdiak

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Europe Center

Europe & Eurasia France

Fellow

Phyllis Berry

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Europe & Eurasia France

Fellow

Didier Acouetey

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Africa Center

Africa Economy & Business

Fellow

Léonie Allard

Visiting Fellow

Europe Center

Africa Chinese

Fellow

Gérard Araud

Distinguished Fellow

Europe Center

English Europe & Eurasia

Fellow

Jason Davidson

Nonresident Senior Fellow

Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security Transatlantic Security Initiative

Europe & Eurasia European Union
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