Fresh from the launch of a new super-sub, President Sarkozy will press on with his European defence integration ideas at his summit with Brown. Sarkozy is proposing the French return to the NATO military structures it left in the 1960s.
In return, he wants broad-based acceptance, including from the Americans, of an independent European defence capability.
French Defence Minister Herve Morin argues that an effective Atlantic alliance and European autonomous capability are not incompatible:
"Within the context of European defense, the French initiative is not hostile towards the Alliance. Understanding this will enable the situation to evolve. There is still a long way to go of course. But all the European countries, including the British, understand that for us there is no opposition between one and the other."
European defence is outlined in the EU's not yet fully ratified Lisbon reform treaty but Brown is wary of how it might affect NATO.
France is trying to stir up interest in all the bloc's capitals ahead of its six-month EU presidency, which starts in July.
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