Macron Calls for Strategic, Balanced Trade

(MENAFN) French President Emmanuel Macron urged European nations on Wednesday to focus on trade partnerships that are balanced, reciprocal, and advantageous, while also aiming to reduce the continent's economic dependencies.

"Europe must continue to pursue balanced and mutual, beneficial trade partnerships, but trade policy must now become a strategic tool to reduce dependencies and vulnerabilities," Macron emphasized in his address at the European Industry Summit held in Belgium.

He highlighted the importance of "critical roaming materials and strategic inputs," warning that despite numerous trade and mineral agreements, "Europe remains dangerously exposed."

Macron stressed the necessity of turning agreements into tangible actions: "So, we must move from agreements on paper to concrete projects on the ground. This means supporting extraction, processing and refining capacity, investing in recycling and traceability and building strategic reserves, including a European stockpile of critical materials."

He further outlined that a comprehensive European industrial strategy should rest on four key pillars: shared simplification and deepening of the single market, diversification of trade, protection and European preference, and significant investment and innovation.

Finally, Macron underlined the importance of energy security, stating, "We must deliver a genuine energy union capable of providing stable, predictable, and competitive energy to industry."

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