THERE IS NO EUROPE:

Officials and diplomats across the European Union are getting really frustrated with the French. 

The scope of what some are calling President Emmanuel Macron's "Europe First" strategy -- which aims to make the EU more independent from Washington for defense and sensitive technologies -- is causing concern in many EU member states and hampering western efforts to forge a united response to the rise of China. 

Macron's stance has become more visible since the humiliating loss of a giant Australian submarine contract this month and has held up preparations for a crucial meeting with U.S. trade officials. The French have also blocked efforts to modernize NATO's capabilities and fueled divisions at the top of the European Commission, according to diplomats with knowledge of those discussions.

Opposition to Macron's approach is most acute in eastern Europe, where many countries see the U.S. as a shield against potential Russian aggression and have little faith in the French -- France just acts in its own interests, one eastern diplomat said. 

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