France announced this week that it is ending its 40 year break from NATO.  You can read about it HERE but in a nutshell the French government has decided non-membership in NATO now threatens its independence.  An odd perspective considering the French pulled out of NATO because Charles de Gaulle thought that membership undermined Frances sovereignty.  

What has changed that led to Frances change of heart?  NATO is slowly morphing into a tool of the EU’s “High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy”.  This office is currently held by Javier Solana.  Here’s a list of Solana’s responsibilities and titles…

• Secretary General of the Council of the European Union
• Secretary General of the Western European Union
• President of the European Defence Agency
• Head of the proposed External Action Service
• Responsible for the European Union Special Representatives
• Co-ordinating the European Security and Defence Policy

Solana is easily the most powerful man in Europe having control over EU defense and policies.  He certainly has one of the largest titles. In 2003 he crafted an agreement with NATO giving his office control of NATO assets during crisis situations.    NATO has many assets and some of them are nuclear. 

During his announcement Mr Sarkozy said there was no sense in France - a founder member of Nato - having no say in the organisation’s decisions on military strategy.  ”This rapprochement with Nato ensures our national independence,” said Mr Sarkozy. “To distance ourselves would limit our independence and our room for manoeuvre. We have to be progressive,” he said. “A solitary nation is a nation that has no influence whatsoever. We need strong diplomacy, a strong defence and a strong Europe.”

If NATO has become the EU’s military instrument then France can no longer afford to not be involved.