
France, Its Nuclear Deterrence and Europe: How to Help It Take the Leap
The European Neighborhood Council (ENC) released a new analysis on “France, Its Nuclear Deterrence, and Europe: How to Help It Take the Leap.”
The article is written by ENC Academic Council Member Florian Galleri, ENC Academic Council Member and a doctor at the University of Nantes.
France has long championed a stronger European defense, yet its nuclear deterrent remains outside collective frameworks. As the EU’s only nuclear power, France faces a key challenge: balancing its strategic autonomy with the need for European security cooperation. This ENC analysis explores the tensions between France’s nuclear independence and European solidarity, the skepticism surrounding nuclear deterrence in Europe, and the potential pathways for integrating France’s nuclear capabilities into a European security framework.
The full analysis is available here.