France’s European Minister Benjamin Haddad sharply criticized Elon Musk’s intervention in the German election campaign. “France is solid with its German friends” Haddad said to the “Handelsblatt” (Wednesday’s edition).
Musk’s statements would require “vigilance”. “A private actor as powerful as he, regardless of his nationality or stance, cannot directly interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign countries” Haddad said.
Musk’s actions show that European democracies need to “shed their naivety” and strengthen their own tech industry. “To defend our sovereignty and our institutions, we need European champions” the liberal politician explained. Europe is too dependent on “foreign actors, their strategic agenda, and their values” in this area. Instead of becoming a “digital and industrial colony of the US” the conditions for the emergence of “European Musks” need to be created, Haddad said.