EU must unite after U.S. pact with Australia, Britain shows, Borrell says

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – A new U.S. security pact with Australia and Britain shows that the European Union must develop its own defence and security strategies, particularly in the Indo-Pacific, the EU’s top diplomat said on Thursday.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said he was not consulted on Wednesday’s agreement for Washington to help Canberra build a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, cancelling a deal with France to design diesel-electric submarines.

“We must survive on our own, as others do,” Borrell said as he presented a new EU strategy for the Indo-Pacific region, talking of the “strategic autonomy” that French President Emmanuel Macron has championed. “I understand the extent to which the French government must be disappointed.”