President Emmanuel Macron has announced a plan for a massive boost to France's defence spending, saying freedom in Europe was facing a greater threat than at any time since the end of Second World War.
Europe is in danger because of Russia’s war in Ukraine and wars in the Middle East, and because “the United States has added a form of uncertainty,″ Mr Macron said in a speech to the armed forces on the eve of the national Bastille Day holiday and military parade.
Other dangers he cited included online disinformation campaigns by unnamed foreign governments and propaganda operations targeting children, in ″the screen era″.
Mr Macron reviewed the troops and relit the eternal flame beneath the Arc de Triomphe as part of the annual parade on Monday. Bastille Day is France's biggest holiday, with 7,000 people marching, on horseback or riding armoured vehicles along the Champs-Elysees, the most iconic avenue in Paris. The Paris event included flyovers by fighter jets, trailing red, white and blue smoke. The evening was due to see a drone light show and fireworks at the Eiffel Tower that have become more elaborate every year.
Mr Macron pledged an acceleration of national defence spending, with the budget set to reach €64 billion ($74.7 billion) by 2027, instead of the previously scheduled 2030 target. He confirmed that the increased funding would not be financed through borrowing but rather by stimulating the national economy.
Mr Macron said the extra funds would address critical shortcomings, including ammunition shortages, and support the development of smart and precision weaponry, as well as capabilities in unmanned aerial systems, space defence and electronic warfare. The budget will also support the modernisation of ground-based air defence systems.
“We are living a pivotal moment,” Mr Macron said. He denounced “imperialist policies”, “annexing powers” and the notion that “might is right” − all a reference to Russia.
France faced the challenge “of remaining free and masters of our destiny”, he added.
Mr Macron said France's defence budget should rise by €3.5 billion ($4.1 billion) in 2026, and then by a further €3 billion in 2027.
“Never since 1945 has freedom been so threatened, and never has peace on our continent depended so much on the decisions we take today,” Mr Macron said. “Let’s put it simply: To be free in this world, you need to be feared, and to be feared you need to be powerful.”
Mr Macron also announced that he had tasked Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu with initiating a strategic dialogue with European partners on the future role of France’s nuclear deterrence, with the outcome to be presented by the end of the year.
French military and security officials have been warning of global threats weighing on France, with defence chief of staff Thierry Burkhard saying on Friday that Russia posed a “durable” threat to Europe and that the “rank of European countries in tomorrow's world” was being decided in Ukraine, invaded by Russia in 2022.
France's defence budget has already increased sharply since Mr Macron took power, rising from €32.2 billion in 2017 to €50.5 billion currently, and is projected to reach €67 billion in 2030.
Mr Lecornu recently said France was concerned about falling behind in “disruptive technologies”, including artificial intelligence and quantum technology.
German warning
Meanwhile, Germany’s Defence Minister Boris Pistorius has called for weapons makers to step up and “deliver” on re-arming Europe by increasing production to match spending plans.
Mr Pistorius told the Financial Times his government had addressed long-standing industry concerns by streamlining hundreds of billions of euros of new military spending. “The industry knows perfectly well that it is now responsible for delivering.”
He said Germany was experiencing delays on individual projects. “Industry needs to ramp up its capacities. That applies to ammunition, to drones, to tanks − really to almost every area.”
Mr Pistorius heads to Washington on Monday to meet US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, to seek clarity on American arms supplies to Ukraine, missile deployment plans and the future of US troop levels in Europe.
Germany loosened its constitutional debt brake to meet Nato's new core military spending target of 3.5 per cent of national output by 2029.
The move will boost German defence spending to €162 billion in 2029, from €95 billion in the draft budget for 2025.
War threat
Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East have transformed the security outlook for Western nations, forcing many to reassess long-standing reluctance to allocate resources to armed forces.
Several Nato countries are boosting their military spending, after the alliance's members agreed last month to spend five per cent of their gross domestic product on security.
Britain aims to increase its defence budget to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2027, and to 3 per cent after 2029, while Poland already dedicates 4.7 per cent of GDP to defence.
