Macron’s Call for European Self-Reliance Defines France’s Vision for 2025 Amid Domestic Political Instability
In a speech marked by domestic candor and geopolitical urgency, French President Emmanuel Macron used his annual New Year’s address to frame 2025 as a turning point for both France and Europe. He called for a deeper shift toward strategic self-reliance across defense, economic policy, and technological innovation, even as he acknowledged the internal political instability caused by the dissolution of the National Assembly earlier this year.
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| File Photo: Via Albin Kurti |
He singled out the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, along with recent attacks and cyber disruptions across Europe, as immediate threats to French and European security. These developments, he said, reinforced the imperative for Europe to “no longer delegate its security and defense to other powers.”
Macron reiterated France’s ongoing investments in military readiness and its commitment to a European defense posture, which he framed as a continuation of long-standing efforts to strengthen Europe’s role in securing its own borders.
He underscored that “there will be no prosperity without security,” signaling that France would maintain military expenditure levels while urging European partners to speed up institutional and defense integration.
On the domestic front, Macron’s address came at the close of a politically turbulent year in which his decision to dissolve the National Assembly, originally intended to restore clarity in governance, instead resulted in legislative deadlock.
He acknowledged the move had led to “more instability than serenity” and urged the current government and parliament to demonstrate compromise in the face of a fragmented political landscape. The Assembly, now more representative of France’s political divisions, must function through coalition-building, he said—echoing the norms of other European democracies with proportional systems.
The French President also used the occasion to revisit key national achievements of 2024, including the re-opening of Notre-Dame Cathedral, five years after the fire, and the successful hosting of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
These moments, he said, offered symbolic counterpoints to a year otherwise marked by agricultural distress, climate-related emergencies, and territorial tensions in Mayotte and overseas departments.
Macron's address focused heavily on economic sovereignty as a prerequisite for national and continental stability. He criticised the structural asymmetries in global trade, where Europe, he said, “is the only one still respecting the rules,” and called for an end to policies that deepen technological and industrial dependencies on non-European powers. His remarks align with France’s push within the EU for carbon border taxes, AI regulation, and reshoring of strategic sectors.
The President emphasized a pan-European scientific and technological "awakening," highlighting sectors like artificial intelligence, quantum computing, energy, and synthetic biology. His government’s support for nuclear energy—marked by the activation of the Flamanville EPR reactor—and the continued rollout of the Ariane 6 space programme were cited as indicators of French ambition in future-oriented industries.
Macron stated that the year 2025 must be one of “collective recovery,” urging rapid adoption of the national budget to address persistent issues around cost of living, security, judicial efficiency, and access to public services. He also expressed support for mayors and associations working under strained social conditions, reinforcing his focus on local governance as a stabilising force.
Looking ahead, Macron outlined a medium-term vision aimed at 2050, describing the current moment as a “quarter-century checkpoint.” In this framing, decisions made in 2025 across the axes of economy, climate, and democracy would have consequences that stretch beyond current electoral cycles.
His final remarks called on citizens to be participants, not spectators, in France’s democratic future, hinting at the possibility of referenda or public consultations in the coming year. Macron closed with an appeal to unity and civic responsibility, tying France’s capacity for renewal to its shared historical resilience.
The address places France’s internal political recalibration within a broader European and global context—drawing a direct line between democratic functionality at home and strategic autonomy abroad. As the EU enters a pivotal electoral year and confronts cross-border disruptions, Macron’s message was not simply national but continental in scope, positioning France as both vulnerable and vital within a shifting international order.