France could be pivotal in making Europe's defense sector autonomous. But the country will have to overcome hurdles — and shouldn't go it alone, experts warn.

French President Emmanuel Macron was already making the case for what he called "strategic autonomy" back in 2017.

"When it comes to defense, our aim should be for Europe to have the capacity to act autonomously, alongside NATO," he said during a Europe speech at Sorbonne University in Paris.

At the time, his appeal fell on deaf ears in the European Union, especially on those of then German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Eight years on, the mindset has changed. Russia has been invading Ukraine for three years now. More recently, Donald Trump was elected for a second term as US president. He's adamant his country should no longer be the guarantor of Europe's security.

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video

The EU has reacted to the new geopolitical reality by announcing it wants to spend €800 billion ($882 billion) on defense until 2030 under a program called ReArm Europe.

Several EU countries are planning to increase their national defense spending — including Spain, Italy and........

© Deutsche Welle