Emmanuel Macron announced plans to double defence spending by 2027, as he warned Europe’s liberty is facing a “greater threat” than at any time since World War Two.
He pledged to increase France’s military budget three years earlier in response to a complex geopolitical moment.
In a speech to the armed forces in Paris on Sunday on the eve of Bastille Day, the French president said: “To be free in this world, you must be feared.
“To be feared, you must be powerful.”
The world had witnessed the “proliferation of major conflicts”, Macron said, referencing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the “ups and downs in American support” for Kyiv.
He also mentioned the US bombing of Iran and fighting between India and Pakistan.
A military budget that stood at 32 billion euros ($2.7bn) in 2017 will rise to 64 billion euros by 2027, with an additional 3.5 billion euros allocated for next year and another three billion euros in 2027.
Macron said the accelerated spending, which comes as France is struggling to make 40 billion euros in savings in its 2026 budget, would be paid for by increased economic activity.
“Our military independence is inseparable from our financial independence,” he said.
“This will be financed through more activity and more production.”
Macron said Prime Minister Francois Bayrou would provide more details in an address on his plans for the 2026 budget on Tuesday.
Bayrou is facing an uphill battle to steer billions of euros worth of savings through a bitterly divided parliament, as France strives to lower its budget deficit to keep EU bean-counters and foreign investors at bay.
Thierry Burkhard, head of the French army, said Russia saw France as its “main adversary in Europe”.
Nato members agreed to commit to spending five per cent of GDP annually on defence, up from the previous target of two per cent.
Last month Defence Secretary John Healey called plans to boost the UK’s military might a “message to Moscow”.
The Government has pledged £1.5bn to set up at least six factories, and will support the procurement of up to 7,000 British-built long-range weapons in response to the strategic defence review.
The new funding will see UK munitions spend hit £6bn during this parliament and support around 1,800 jobs throughout the country.
