Australia, France Row Over the Conventional Submarine Deal; Affects European Union Backing Macron
(Photo : THOMAS SAMSON/AFP via Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron greets Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the Elysee Palace in Paris on June 15, 2021.

The conventional submarine deal that was ditched when the US offered nuclear weapons to Australia caused a fallout in France's relations over the broken agreement. When the European Union is backing Australian Prime Minister Macron, who deserved to let grievances be heard as a member.

Continual fallout from how the White House handled the Aukus deal added to the Afghan debacle is what has been happening with US Foreign policy.

France-Australia tension escalates over broken deal

For some, the European Union sticking up for a fellow member France should not have interfered with the two countries row over the Aukus, reported the Express UK.

Since 2018, there have been talks over trade with the EU and Australia. But, France feels Australia just broke the deal by choosing another offer from the US.

The lucrative deal said observers might be lost because the Union might have to pay the price, dropping the agreement altogether.

Neither French President Emmanuel Macron nor Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison is backing down from their stands, which will heat tension between the two.

It seems that Paris won't let Canberra off the hook when signing the Aukus deal for new nuclear subs. The problem is that Australia had signed the agreement but pulled out fast without consultation at the last minute. The European Union backing Macron is not surprising, and it's looking out for your own.

Read Also: Ex-Australian PM Blasts Trilateral Nuclear Submarine Deal With US, UK; Doubts Biden's Credibility To Stand Up to China

France not happy with UK betrayal

France's Defence Minister, Florence Parly, has ditched talks with Ben Wallace, her counterpart in the UK. The reason is the security agreement with the US and UK that led to the previous agreement's abandonment.

But the UK PM Boris Johnson said that Paris need not worry over the Aukus deal in one interview.

His comment was enough to set off the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, who took to remarking in barbed tones over the betrayal by an ally. PM Johnson was called an opportunist as a member of the deal, adding the UK is a permanent opportunist, noted the Financial Times.

FM Le Drian added more to his opinions about the AUKUS deal, saying it was a deception by Canberra with a major loss of trust and worse in the contempt exhibited against France goodwill. Nothing is okay, and they caused a crisis.

The Aussie PM Scott Morrison gave reasons for not continuing the deal or upholding the French submarine. He said that it was in the national interest to consider the national security of his country. He added that France's submarines, which are Attack-class subs that will not be sufficient for their initiatives, cited Defense Connect.

Australia's interests are tantamount, which is a crucial strategic decision. The dropped deal signed by the two nations is worth A$50bn (£26.47bn) to build 12 non-nuke subs that were negotiated for five years.

AUKUS deal comes packaged with eight nuclear submarines for the US and UK that edged out the French offer. It would be worthy to note that the former deal was ten times costlier than the competing US offer, which would have increased the EU GDP very much. Morrison took the cheaper offer and broke a commitment to an ally nation.

The European Union backing Macron might lose the sub deal, but Australia loses a market for the meat and dairy products. Both lost something, but the loss of trust is the worst casualty.

Related Article: EU Needs to Develop Own Army After AUKUS Deal Casts Division With US Alliance