Macron to visit Sweden to talk EU defence amid Hungarian NATO block

French President Emmanuel Macron will visit Sweden from 30 to 31 January at the invitation of Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf to discuss European defence issues, as Hungary remains reluctant to vote on Sweden’s NATO bid and EU states hold differing views on defence policy.

At a time when Sweden is in the final stages of joining NATO, European defence and reaffirming their support for Ukraine will be on the top of the agenda of the meeting.

“Sweden is one of our partners in the European Union, and the finalisation of its accession will make it an ally in NATO”, the Elysée said.

Macron’s visit also comes days ahead of a sensitive European Council meeting on 1 February, where EU leaders will discuss the proposed €50 billion financial aid package to Ukraine, which Budapest has blocked, as well as military support, as the Ukraine war will soon hit its two-year mark.

The Commission is also due to present its overarching European Defence Industry Strategy (EDIS) at the end of February to boost the bloc’s arms production.

‘Sweden thinks like France’

Even though both countries do have strong defence ties through their participation in the  French-led anti-terrorism Takuba task force in the Sahel and have always found a compromise, Paris and Stockholm have repeatedly demonstrated in recent months that they do not share the same vision of what EU defence policy should look like.

While Paris has repeatedly pushed for the bloc’s defence industry to be given priority in the Union’s defence programmes and funds, Stockholm – along with the Baltic and Eastern hawkish EU members – has argued that this is incompatible with the urgency of war needs and replenishing stockpiles.

That said, the French presidential staff noted that “Sweden is a country that thinks like France”, both in European bodies and at NATO, and added that the two countries wanted to go further regarding European security, but without giving further details.

The new debate on a long-term defence industry strategy has brought the two together somewhat, with Politico reporting that they recently signed a position paper calling for a ‘bottom-up’ approach.

So when it comes to strengthening bilateral relations between the nuclear powers France and Sweden, there is a “shared desire”, the Elysée said, as Stockholm is still waiting to join NATO.

Meanwhile, Macron wants to “confirm France’s place as Sweden’s trusted partner in defence and security”, it added.

The French president is expected to deliver a speech on European defence issues to young Swedish officers and representatives of the armed forces.

Frustration in Hungary

The Turkish parliament approved Sweden’s bid to become NATO’s 32nd member on Tuesday, leaving Hungary as the last hurdle on the Nordic country’s path to full membership.

In Hungary, the opposition Social Democratic Party MSZP has called for an immediate vote on Sweden’s NATO application, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said ratification should take place “as soon as possible”.

However, in an interview for index.hu, the speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly of Hungary, László Kövér, said there will probably not be an extraordinary vote on Sweden’s NATO membership.

“I don’t feel that anything is urgent for us,” Kövér said.

According to him, Sweden has slandered Hungary and should have done more to improve diplomatic relations between the two countries, to which Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström made his position clear.

“No, I do not share the judgment that we did that. As foreign minister, I did not slander Hungary,” Billström told the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet.

Hungarian President László Kövér’s statement only reflected “his opinion”, said Billström.

“He represents parliament, but I assume that the Hungarian side is aware of the promises they have made to the outside world. That they will not be the last to ratify Sweden,” Billström added.

Hungary has previously said that it will not be the last to ratify Sweden’s membership of the defence alliance. A promise that is not set in stone, according to the Hungarian parliament’s speaker.

“Someone has to be last”, he simply said.

(Charles Szumski | Euractiv.com, Clara Bauer-Babef | Euractiv.fr, with additional contribution by Aurélie Pugnet)

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