Emmanuel Macron arrived this Tuesday, April 11 in the morning, in Amsterdam. The President of the Republic and his wife were welcomed by King Willem Alexander and Queen Maxima on Dam Square. This two-day visit is the first by a French president for twenty-three years. It comes in a context where Emmanuel Macron is under fire from critics because of his statements on the plane returning from China where he was last week.
AT Amsterdam, Emmanuel Macron will talk about European sovereignty, a theme on which the French president has insisted a lot since the Covid-19 and the war in Ukraine, two events which have revealed certain weaknesses in Europe. And so here in the Netherlands, the leader of theEtat wants to present a doctrine of economic security.
Make Europe an independent power
Emmanuel Macron insists on the need to make Europe an independent power, a third pole between the EUnited States and China. And this is of course where we are waiting for clarification on the words of Emmanuel Macron reported by THE Ethings And Politico, and kept on the plane returning from China. The leader of theEtat mentioned the sensitive issue of Taiwan and slipped in this sentence which was interpreted as a distancing from the United States: “ The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans should follow suit on this subject and adapt to the American rhythm and a Chinese overreaction. »
I’Elysée tries to temper
Today theElysée tries to temper and let it be known that there is no “ equidistance between the United States and China and that THE EUnited States are our allies “. As for China, theElysee describes her as ” a partner, a competitor and a systemic rival “. A text explanation in an attempt to bring down the critics.
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An important visit for economic relations between the two countries
Emmanuel Macron arrives in conquered land. Relations between France and the Netherlands are warm. They were even strengthened with Brexit in 2016. The Netherlands in fact lost a traditional ally, the United Kingdom, in European negotiations and had to turn to the continent. This country in northwestern Europe is the one where France invests the most, after the United States.
France, meanwhile, is the third largest customer of the Netherlands and its eighth supplier. More than 1,500 French companies are present in the Netherlands. And not the least: TotalEnergies, Alstom, Danone. There are several reasons for this: the port of Rotterdam, the largest in Europe, facilitates trade. Moreover Amsterdam and Rotterdam allow access to 95% of the most lucrative markets in Europe in just 24 hours. The country has gas and offers advantageous taxation for companies.
During this visit, a pact for innovation and sustainable growth should be signed between the Medef and the main Dutch employers’ organisation. Paris and The Hague should also sign several cooperation contracts, particularly in the field of electronic chips, quantum physics and energy.