Paris (EFE).- French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday defended a 6.5 billion euro increase in defense spending through 2027, saying the move is crucial to strengthen national security and set an example for European allies.
“If approved by the National Assembly, the increase would bring France’s defense budget to 64 billion euros by 2027, twice the amount from 2017, when Macron took office,” the president noted in a speech at the Defense Ministry on the eve of Bastille Day.
The announcement came amid heightened tensions with Moscow.
On Friday, France’s chief of defense, Gen. Thierry Burkhard, warned that Russia now considers France its “main adversary” in Europe.
The additional funds are to be allocated over two years, 3.5 billion euros in 2026 and 3 billion euros in 2027, without increasing public debt.
Macron tasked High Commissioner François Bayrou with finding ways to integrate the budget within France’s broader economic framework.
“Our military independence cannot be separated from our financial independence,” Macron said.
The French government has committed to saving €40 billion by 2026 to reduce the deficit from 5.8% to 4.6% of GDP.
“To be free, you must be feared,” Macron says
The French leader argued that rising global instability requires a renewed commitment to national defense.
“The peace dividends our parents once enjoyed are over,” Macron said. “This effort will not be in vain. Defense spending is and will remain a source of national wealth for our economy and our regions.”
Macron also called for a pay raise for military officers by the end of 2025 and acknowledged weaknesses in France’s current stockpiles. “Certain vulnerabilities must be addressed,” he said.
He insisted that the proposed increase is not only about domestic defense but also about asserting France’s leadership role in Europe. “All of Europe is watching the strength of France,” Macron stated.
Europe against international threats
Macron stressed that European unity in defense is essential given growing international threats. He urged collaboration on joint weapons development projects, dismissing concerns over national sovereignty.
“Let’s move past outdated and ridiculous debates. Building weapons with our European partners will not weaken French sovereignty, it will strengthen it,” he said.
He cited the new military cooperation agreement with the United Kingdom as a model and warned that modern conflicts are becoming increasingly complex due to emerging technologies.
“We are facing hybrid warfare, AI, drones, and the return of electronic warfare are reshaping the battlefield,” Macron explained.
The president also criticized the United States for introducing “a kind of uncertainty” into global security, particularly regarding its stance on Ukraine. “When there are no longer any rules, the law of the strongest prevails,” he said.
“Never since 1945 has the freedom of our continent been so threatened or so dependent on our own decisions,” Macron concluded.
France is the only EU country with nuclear weapons and maintains 200,000 active troops. It is ranked as the world’s seventh-largest military power, just behind the United Kingdom. EFE
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