The leader of the European People’s Party (EPP) in the European Parliament, Manfred Weber, has urged EU heads of state and government to hold talks about creating a European nuclear protection framework.
Weber made the call in Zagreb, Croatia, after an EPP summit, describing French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to offer France’s nuclear arsenal for this initiative as a “generous offer.” He cited recent developments in the United States as a reason for taking action now.
Weber, who is also vice-chair of Bavaria’s Christian Social Union (CSU), stressed the importance of EU leaders seizing Macron’s proposal. He encouraged them to meet and explore how French nuclear weapons could contribute to European security, adding that such discussions are necessary.
Macron first suggested a European partnership on nuclear deterrence in 2020 during Donald Trump’s presidency. However, the idea received lukewarm responses from then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her successor Olaf Scholz. Current German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, who expressed willingness to discuss the matter during his election campaign, reaffirmed his openness to the talks during a visit to Paris in May.
France and the UK are Europe’s only nuclear-armed states, with Britain no longer an EU member. According to estimates from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), the US has over 1,770 deployable nuclear weapons, compared to France’s stockpile of around 280.
Currently, NATO’s nuclear deterrence relies on US weapons, with approximately 100 reportedly stored across Europe. Though their locations in countries such as Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, and Turkey are widely believed, they have not been officially acknowledged.
