A top European Parliament lawmaker on Saturday called on European leaders to hold concrete talks on a European nuclear umbrella in view of recent tensions in the trans-Atlantic relationship.
Manfred Weber, head of the European People’s Party (EPP) in the European Parliament, described French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to make France’s nuclear arsenal available for European defence as a “generous offer,” particularly given “new developments in the US.”
He said European leaders should now seriously consider how French nuclear weapons can be used for European security.
France has 280 operational nuclear weapons, compared to 1,770 in the United States, according to estimates by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. The United Kingdom is the only other European country to possess nuclear weapons.
NATO’s nuclear deterrent is based on US nuclear weapons, of which an estimated 100 are stationed in Europe, including in Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy.
Macron already suggested talks on European cooperation on nuclear deterrence in 2020 during US President Donald Trump’s first term in office.
Trump’s unpredictable moves since returning to office, including his aggressive push to take control of Greenland – which belongs to NATO ally Denmark – have sparked EU efforts to take more responsibility for the bloc’s defence.
However, there are fears that Trump could withdraw US nuclear weapons if Europe moves to create its own nuclear umbrella.
A European nuclear shield would also present financial and organizational challenges.