According to leading CDU politicians, Europe must reduce its dependence on the United States and strengthen its own security and economic power. In a guest piece for the “Handelsblatt”, Union faction leader Jens Spahn and CDU foreign‑policy spokesman Norbert Röttgen write: “We must act….The aim should be to gradually reduce our dependence on U.S. strategic capabilities-ranging from intelligence and air defence to long‑range precision strikes”.
They argue that this requires a group of pioneering governments. “European leaders who are willing and able to move ahead should deepen their cooperation on security and defence” they say, adding that the only rule must be “no veto power”.
Röttgen and Spahn use Russia’s so‑called “shadow fleet” as an example. “For too long European states have allowed Russian oil tankers to pass through our waters, thereby financing the war” they argue. “Europe must establish the legal and operational conditions to confront these circumvention strategies consistently-through sanctions, coordinated inspections, and a visible maritime presence”.
The authors see the era of illusion as over. Europe faces a decisive course choice: either manage its relative loss of influence or recognise that, together, European states possess the economic and political strength to use it for freedom, security and prosperity. Germany, they note, has chosen the latter.