BRUSSELS, Oct 5, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - EU leaders will have a hard discussion

on Europe's place in the world on Tuesday as they seek unity on how to
approach ties with superpowers China and the US.

   The 27 heads of state and government are set to converge on Brdo Castle in
the former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia, the country that currently holds
the EU's rotating presidency.

   While no concrete outcome is expected from the meeting, "this is the first
time leaders have met since June, and with everything that has happened, that
seems ages ago", a senior EU diplomat said.

   The dinner takes place on the eve of an EU-Western Balkans summit in which
countries to the bloc's east will seek assurances on one day joining the
European Union.

   At the dinner, leaders will have a "strategic discussion on the role of
the Union on the international stage", according to an invitation letter sent
out by EU Council chief Charles Michel, the former Belgian prime minister who
organises summits.

   French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to again warn his partners
that Washington's close allegiance to Europe is no longer a given, with Paris
still smarting over the cancellation of a massive submarine contract to the
benefit of the US.

   "It would be a mistake to pretend that nothing happened," said a French
presidency source ahead of the talks.

   France was infuriated last month when Australia cancelled a deal for
French submarines worth tens of billions of dollars, saying it would pursue
US nuclear versions as tensions rise with China.

   EU partners have expressed solidarity with Paris to varying degrees, with
Baltic and Nordic countries reluctant to criticise the Cold War superpower
that they deem their ultimate protector against Russia.

   - Afghanistan lessons -

   The subs debacle came weeks after the US pulled out its troops after two
decades of presence in Afghanistan, seeing the Taliban sweep to power and
catching the Europeans off guard.

   Under the auspices of NATO, the Europeans provided troops and were major
donors to the overthrown Afghan regime and have warned they will not
recognise the Taliban government, made up largely of Islamic hardliners and
no women.

   The collapse in Afghanistan -- on top of the submarine fallout -- has
given fresh impetus to those pushing for the EU to develop its own military
capabilities, with France leading that charge.

   German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the EU's most influential leader for the
past 15 years, will attend as coalition talks advance by inches in Berlin to
come up with the government that will replace her.

   Merkel's cautious, pro-US strategy has dominated Europe and her imminent
departure will see leaders like Macron, Italy's Mario Draghi and Dutch Prime
Minister Mark Rutte seeking to make their mark.

   As leader of Germany, the EU's export powerhouse, Merkel has also always
encouraged close ties with China, but this has also proven harder to defend
as Chinese President Xi Jinping's leadership turns more centralised and hard-
line.

   The relationship with Beijing grew even more complicated when an EU-China
investment deal wanted by Germany was put on indefinite standby after both
sides exchanged tit-for-tat sanctions over the treatment of the Uyghur Muslim
minority in China.

   Spain will highlight more immediate concerns, calling for a bold EU answer
to focus instead on the sudden rise in energy prices, with France, Greece and
Poland also seeking action.

   The EU Commission is expected on Tuesday to offer short-term solutions to
the energy crunch, with a more in-depth discussion by leaders at a summit on
October 21-22.