Crunch time - France and the future of European defence

Britain’s vote to leave the European Union has left France standing at the centre of the debate on European defence. Within two years France will be the only nuclear power in the EU and the only EU country with a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council.

This Friends of Europe study, written by seasoned EU affairs editor Paul Taylor, looks at the stakes and the way ahead. Like the rest of Friends of Europe’s work on peace, security and defence, it takes a comprehensive, whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to the topic of security. The study is available in both English and French.

The study is divided into four chapters which cover, for example, the French defence cooperation and defence industry, the Islamist nexus as well as challenges related to cybersecurity. It also includes a comprehensive take on France’s strategic options under the new presidency: will France become a lone ranger, or will it take the lead in developing the European pillar of NATO?

The study will be complemented by a similar study on Germany’s role in European Security and defence, published in October 2017.