In an interview with the French website Le Grand Continent on Wednesday (September 8), President Charles Michel of the European Council made a severe assessment of the recent U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and pointed out that the European Union needs to step up its efforts to establish its strategic autonomy.
“The events of the past few days have caused tragic losses. We must admit that despite our best efforts, this is a failure for the international community,” Michelle said in an interview, in the U.S. military and the Taliban. Before the agreed deadline of August 31, Western nationals and some Afghans were evacuated sharply.
“To take a step back, what shocks me as a European is that when the United States chooses to negotiate with the Taliban under the Trump administration and then confirms their withdrawal, they rarely consult with their European partners.-In fact, they did not provide. ,” Michelle said.
When asked what lessons Europe can learn from the collapse of Afghanistan, Michel replied:
“The Afghan crisis only strengthened and consolidated the belief that I have shared for some time and shared with many others, that the idea of EU strategic autonomy is designed to strengthen our ability to exert influence in accordance with our interests and interests. Our values, but also Emphasize our ability to act.”
‘stunned’
Michelle continued: “Faced with the chaotic acceleration of the U.S. military withdrawal, people can only be stunned.”
“Seeing that one of the most solid economic powers in the world like the European Union, a democratic power with extremely strong values, and a military power composed of 27 countries, without the support of the European Union, it is impossible to ensure the United States alone. The evacuated nationals and the Afghans who support them provide the necessary assistance, which requires our response,” he said.
Michelle bluntly said: “This observation will only accelerate the urgency of in-depth discussions on strengthening European strategic autonomy. Today, we must translate this into action.”
America first
When asked how the Biden administration has done to the European Union in the recent Afghanistan incident, Michel said that he believes the new US president supports European integration, but acknowledged that Washington tends to put his own interests first.
“In my opinion, the structural trend in the United States that existed before Donald Trump is to prioritize US interests. We must be clear about this reality, which is also reasonable. I can understand the domestic controversy that led to President Biden’s confirmation of his withdrawal. I can hear this sovereign and legal decision made by the United States.”
When asked about the theme that the EU can try to establish a common geostrategic approach, Michel said that the EU needs “an active project, an active project, a project that supports rather than opposes, and it will limit its presence. Facing anxiety and facing fear”.
In this regard, he mentioned climate change and green agreements, acknowledging that the problem is how to align short-term measures with long-term goals.
Michel also said that the EU should not give up the unanimous decision, which many observers believe has weakened its ability to act quickly. He said he was aware that this position might be considered “atypical”, but added that it is worth reflecting and avoiding the trap of “wrong good idea”.
“The risk of abandoning consensus too quickly is also abandoning the efforts necessary to build this kind of solidarity, resulting in situations that will leave some member states with the impression that their views are unimportant or unwelcome. Because we don’t need it anyway. They, therefore, no longer have any reason to work together to build a common project,” Michelle said.
[Edited by Zoran Radosavljevic]
