Who still remembers General de Gaulle? Yes, he was the French President in the years that followed World War II. Interestingly however, the Gaullist doctrine, a set of political and philosophical principles inspired by the thinking and actions of Charles de Gaulle, is now becoming very relevant at the European level, in a Europe that wants to be autonomous, even independent. The concept of open strategic autonomy of the European Union was formulated as a balance between strengthening the EU's independence in key sectors and maintaining an economy open to global partnerships.
Of
course, the French General de Gaulle was projecting the doctrine only at the
level of his own country, saying that: "France must be a strong and
independent nation, free from foreign influence (neither from the USA nor from
the USSR, in the context of the Cold War)".
If
we talk about independent foreign policy and military autonomy, France wanted
"the development of an autonomous military capability, including
through the creation of a French nuclear arsenal" 80 years ago. There
was even a "third way" approach in the Cold War, which was neither
pro-American nor pro-Soviet.
If
we put everything in the context of European industrial champions, we notice
that the then President specified that "The state must support the
economy through strategic planning, without falling into socialism. We support
strategic industries".
And
to put the icing on the cake, "The executive power must be firm, and
the President must have a dominant role in governance." The doctrine
of Gaullism is not strictly right or left, but seeks to unify the nation around
their national interest.
Can
we say that the current vision of the European Commission is inspired by the
Gaullist doctrine, of course translating it from the French level to the
European system?
Dan
LUCA / Brussels
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