A few days after Easter, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to visit Athens, with his presence being confirmed by government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis. The French President’s visit is expected to take place within the framework of signing the renewal of the Strategic Partnership Agreement for Cooperation in Defense and Security, which expires within the current year. The most likely dates for Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Athens, according to Kathimerini, are April 22nd and 23rd, when the relevant signatures will be made, while an annex or separate memorandum of understanding (MoU) is expected to be added, which will concern Greece-France cooperation in innovation.
The cooperation in this specific area will concern defense innovation agencies. From the Greek side, the Greek Defense Innovation Center (ELKAK) will be a contracting party, and from the French side, the AID (Agence de l’innovation de défense), which was one of the models followed to create ELKAK.
Simple renewal of the Agreement without any modifications proposed by France
As Kathimerini reports, the French side believes that the 2021 agreement provides adequate guarantees, including activation of the mutual defense assistance clause in case of sovereignty violation, meaning territorial integrity of either country. Therefore, Paris favors the simple renewal of the existing text without any modification, for a duration of another five years, until 2031. It appears that one of the main concerns of the French side is connected to the fluid political situation within France and the possibility that a renewed agreement could become the subject of internal political discussion, which would lead to even greater delays in its renewal either due to bureaucratic obstacles or potentially different ratification process in the French National Assembly.
Already, Athens and Paris collaborate closely in the defense sector, something that is not limited to the supplies made in previous years, such as the 24 Rafale aircraft or the four FDI frigates (the first, “Kimon,” has already been delivered), but also concerns a range of exercises at many levels, with the latest being land operations. In the near future, the Army will participate with battle tanks and elements of mechanized infantry units and special forces in the large multinational exercise “ORION ’26,” conducted in France from February 8th and to be completed on April 30th.
Given the time distance until April, the full program of Mr. Macron is not yet known, who in September 2017, a few months after his first election to the French Presidency, had spoken from the Pnyx about Europe’s future. The scheduled visit for next April, if ultimately realized, will take place one year before the 2027 presidential elections, in which Mr. Macron will not be able to participate. Therefore, many estimate that a visit to Athens during the current critical juncture for the EU’s future could be part of a broader campaign by the French President for more cooperation and cohesion in these difficult times for the common European project.
