Independence play: Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy
To fulfil its true potential, the EU needs to end its strategic cacophony and focus on capability building
Experts & Staff
Tara Varma
ECFR Alumni · Head, ECFR Paris
Senior Policy Fellow
Areas of expertise
French foreign policy; European security; politics and security in Asia
Languages
French, English, Spanish, Hindi
Biography
Tara Varma was a senior policy fellow and head of the Paris office of the European Council on Foreign Relations until December 2022, where she followed French foreign policy and European and Asian security developments.
She looked particularly at current French defence and security proposals in the European framework. She was also interested in Asian security, and the role Europeans could play in it, notably in the Indo-Pacific region. Varma joined ECFR in January 2015 as a coordinator and then deputy head of the Paris office. She previously worked and lived in Shanghai, Delhi and Paris. She graduated from Sciences Po Lille and SOAS in London in International Relations, with a focus on Asian Politics and Indian and Chinese foreign policies.
What is Europe’s maritime security role in the South China Sea?
Le podcast de notre BCM du 24 juin « What is Europe's maritime security role in the South China Sea? » en présence de Mathieu Duchâtel, directeur du programme Asie…
The WhatsApp election: The fake news challenge to democracy
India’s general election is an important phase in the battle against fake news. But is it too late to avert further social media-fuelled violence in the volatile campaign atmosphere?
L’avenir de la démocratie en Europe
Podcast de notre conférence du 24 avril « L'avenir de la démocratie en Europe » en partenariat avec la Revue Esprit, en présence…
Gilets Jaunes: A French crisis?
Mark Leonard speaks with Simon Kuper, Tara Varma and Manuel Lafont Rapnouil about the Yellow Vest Movement, and whetherit’s only a French phenomenon. The podcast…
Will the yellow vests movement spread across Europe?
The yellow vests could have more influence than expected on the debates leading up to the European Parliament election
Eyes tight shut: European attitudes towards nuclear deterrence
Europeans remain unwilling to renew their thinking on nuclear deterrence, despite growing strategic instability. Their stated goal of “strategic autonomy” will remain an empty phrase until they engage seriously on this matter
Diplomacy dies in darkness: Europe and information manipulation
“Information manipulation” or just plain “fake news”? How France is grappling with a very modern threat
Can Europe become a nuclear power?
Only if Europeans resume a serious debate about their responsibilities for their own security
Macron’s passage to India: a missed opportunity for Europe
Macron’s message to Modi was “Choose France”, rather than “Choose Europe”
Publications
A certain idea of Europe: How the next French president can lead
The next French president should pursue a strong European foreign policy agenda to protect Europeans against the threats they are most concerned about
The fall of the Afghan government and what it means for Europe
ECFR’s policy experts examine what the Taliban takeover means for countries and regions around the world: Europe, the US, the Middle East, Russia, China, Iran, Turkey, and the Sahel
A new transatlantic bargain: An action plan for transformation, not restoration
The Trump years galvanised Europeans’ efforts to strengthen their own sovereignty; they now need to agree concrete offers they can make to the new administration
Health sovereignty: How to build a resilient European response to pandemics
Europe must improve its early warning systems, supply chain resilience, medical R&D, and cyber security and technology, to act decisively in future emergencies
Articles
Rollercoaster vote: Europe’s future after the French presidential election
A recent TV debate highlighted the ways in which the French presidential election could reshape European politics. A win for Marine Le Pen would pose a terrible threat to France, the EU, and the West
Views from the capitals: Russia’s war on Ukraine
The conflict in Ukraine will change Europe forever. Experts from across ECFR’s network of offices describe the view of the war from Berlin, London, Madrid, Paris, Rome, Sofia, and Warsaw
Diplomacy for a sovereign Europe: France’s approach to the war in Ukraine
For France, European sovereignty was at the heart of the recent talks at the meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brest. Paris aims to reinforce Europeans’ position of strength, while doing its utmost to avoid war
After AUKUS: The uncertain future of American and European cooperation in the Indo-Pacific
Europeans – especially the French – want Washington to explain its decision to ally with Australia and the UK. But the EU also needs to decide how to approach the Indo-Pacific
Sputnik in Europe: What Russia’s vaccine could mean for European health sovereignty
The EU is now the obvious platform for strategic health planning – but it still has work to ensure greater trust and solidarity in the face of future health crises
The lonely leader: The origins of France’s strategy for EU foreign policy
Many EU member states argue that President Emmanuel Macron does not consistently follow his own advice on the need for European defence cooperation. France should respond by taking the lead while involving its close partners
Protecting Europe from economic coercion: Strategy after the 2020 US election
Europe needs to enhance its toolbox for protection against economic coercion, carefully balancing its strategy in five areas
Second acts: How Europe can renew the transatlantic partnership
This could be the moment to build a more balanced transatlantic relationship, with Europeans showing the US where we need it to engage, and how – rather than simply waiting for cues from Washington
Views from the capitals: Gas conflict in the eastern Mediterranean
Experts from ECFR’s national offices address the tensions in the eastern Mediterranean over gas reserves
Macron, Merkel, and Europe’s “moment of truth”
The French president has laid down the gauntlet by warning the European political project could end if it fails to embrace burden-sharing. One of two scenarios could now play out.
Specials
Independence play: Europe’s pursuit of strategic autonomy
To fulfil its true potential, the EU needs to end its strategic cacophony and focus on capability building
Eyes tight shut: European attitudes towards nuclear deterrence
Europeans remain unwilling to renew their thinking on nuclear deterrence, despite growing strategic instability. Their stated goal of “strategic autonomy” will remain an empty phrase until they engage seriously on this matter
Podcasts
The NATO Summit and the future of European Defence
Mark Leonard is joined by Nick Witney, Jana Puglierin, and Tara Varma, to evaluate the outcomes of the NATO Summit in Madrid, especially regarding European defence
How Putin’s war is shaping France’s election
What kind of role did foreign policy play in the election campaigns before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and what role is it playing now?
French Connection: Macron’s plans for Europe
What are Macron’s plans for the EU Council presidency in 2022 and beyond?
The transatlantic meaning of AUKUS
What does AUKUS mean for the future of transatlantic relations?
Anxious allies: European sovereignty after the US election
How much impact does the future US president have on the very concept of European sovereignty? Will the idea and initiatives to build more strategic autonomy in Europe be put back to bed with Joe Biden in the White House?
Rifts under sea and on land: The multiple crises in the Eastern Mediterranean
In the eastern Mediterranean, a scramble is under way between countries in the region for access to recently discovered gas fields, often overlapping with wider…
The Biden effect and the future of US-Europe relations | Part II
After last week’s discussion with Matt Duss and Jeremy Shapiro, Mark Leonard follows up by gathering the European views on a possible Biden win and…
Europe’s role in global health & how to build European health sovereignty
“If it’s about Europe´s role in global health, a big part of it is Europe's health sovereignty which we want to make one of the…
Fighting racism together: anti-racism protests in the US and Europe
The ongoing anti-racism demonstrations in the United States spurred by the brutal killing of George Floyd spread across the Atlantic. In many European countries, people…
“We are all in this together” – The coronavirus crisis as a collective emotional experience?
Emotions are an increasingly important part of contemporary politics. Strategies based on fear, nostalgia or hope are used by political leaders all over Europe to…
Events
6 Apr
Invasione russa dell’Ucraina: Ruolo dell’UE nel contesto regionale e globale
Gli europei richiedono maggiore cooperazione a lungo termine su diversi dossier, in particolare in materia di sicurezza e difesa
11 Mar
Identifying and countering China’s global digital strategy
NBR, Institut Montaigne (IM), and ECFR partner for a joint virtual event to discuss China’s global digital strategy
10 Mar
A new era for Europe: Do Europeans trust France on Russia?
Our panel will discuss insights from new public opinion polling of 15,000 citizens across 12 EU member states, captured in the upcoming report by Susi Dennison and Tara Varma.
28 Jan
Construire une souveraineté stratégique européenne ensemble
Dans le cadre de La Fabrique Défense, l’ECFR Paris présentera une table-ronde en personne
14 Dec
Joining forces with the Indo-Pacific: Kick-starting Europe’s new approach to the region
Over the course of the day, we will discuss how Europe and Asia can redefine the Indo-Pacific in terms compatible with their mutual interests. The 3 sessions will look specifically at trade, connectivity, and the Green Transition
27 Jan
The EU and Belarus in 2021
How is Europe planning to keep Belarus on the agenda and will it provide more political support for Belarusian civil society?
In the media
The French president’s state visit to the United States demonstrates the restoration of relations between Paris and Washington
Tara Varma was interviewed by L’Express on the potential reestablishment of a good relationship between the US and France
Tara Varma says the midterm elections have once again displayed the extent to which Europe still depends on the United States
Tara Varma comments on the current French-German relations in terms of defense, energy and the question of EU expansion
For a certain number of countries, the american presence is so reassuring that there is no need for an alternative and no need for the deepening of a European strength
Tara Varma was quoted in Le Monde on the dependency of Europe on the United States, suggesting a weakening of European sovereignty in light of the war in Ukraine
French leadership matters hugely to the future of the European project
Tara Varma and Susi Dennison on the France’s election results and its impact for the EU