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There is something that Europe always does wrong

There is something that Europe always does wrong

Jacques Attali has never been afraid of controversial thoughts. Even now, at the age of 78, he is not afraid that he is convinced that European countries should start shaping their economies on the basis of a new reality: at the borders of our political space there is a war that involves us, although not directly on the battlefield. It will no longer be possible to ignore this reality, says the French economist, entrepreneur and historic advisor to the Elysee Palace.

You also propose to rapidly increase arms production in Europe. Why?
Because we can not afford to make the same mistakes as in the 1930s, when Germany was rapidly rearming, while France was not. We can assume that today arms factories in Russia are working full time, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They are in war economy.

What is the situation in Europe?
We are vulnerable. Many of our mothers were given to Ukraine. I share this choice, but it must be admitted that you can not have all the good things. The fact that we rearmed Ukraine means that there are fewer weapons in our countries. So we are vulnerable because we are defenseless. We must not allow ourselves this condition.

Do you think it is possible for Moscow to attack any European Union country? It seems that the Russian army already has a lot of problems in Ukraine ...
I do not think this is possible, but it is not a reason to encourage aggression by ignoring the need for reliable forces. Russia may decide to take the final step, the probability is low, but it is not zero. Even if it does not happen, the threat remains undeniable, we can not ignore it.

Instead, it appears that an economic war is raging between the European Union and Russia, launched by manipulating the gas market.
Certainly this crisis accelerates the trend towards autonomous energy production. We need to be much more sovereign in this and reduce fossil energy consumption. This trend had already started, now it is even more necessary. Despite the Russian threat, we must be aware that the sooner we make this leap the better it will be.

Meanwhile, Moscow is demanding that Europe start paying for gas in rubles within two days, and we Europeans are refusing to do so. What will happen?
This history of payment in rubles would force us to make a decision that we hesitate. I have some experience in negotiations and when talking the behavior should be such that we are not desperate to get the goods for sale at any cost. If the trader sees despair in our eyes, he will raise the price more and more. If he sees that we are able to do even without what he has to offer, he will be more resilient.

But Germany is very reluctant to make decisions about Russian gas ...
The German government has clearly stated that it does not accept payment in rubles. Walks forward step by step. Not all decisions are made at the same time.

The $ 100 billion increase in military spending in Germany has been warmly welcomed. But is not it that here and there fear has arisen in Europe?
It is true that the French may fear a very powerful Germany. But here I see three scenarios, two of which are very negative: A very powerful Germany independent of any other country and a Germany enslaved by the Americans. But there is also a third scenario: A Germany that is tightly integrated into Europe and an Airbus (civil and military aircraft manufacturing company) for the defense of France, Italy and Germany. That would be something very positive.

But are European citizens willing to accept this kind of strategic vision, in which enemies may arise from whom they must defend themselves?
Public opinion in Europe, as well as the ruling caste, has lost its tragic sense of history. To escape, we must prepare for the worst. Whereas in Europe, we always have the idea that everything is fixed, everything takes its place. This is not the right approach to face the challenges of our time.

* Born in Algeria in 1943, Jacques Attali is a French economist, political scientist, publicist. In 1973 he was appointed economic adviser to socialist leader François Mitterrand. After his election as President, he held the same position until 1991, when he was appointed president of the EBRD. The interview for Stefano Montefiori was translated into Albanian by Erjon Uka. The interview for Federico Fubini was translated by Erjon Uka.