President Emmanuel Macron has called 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 World War II.
"We are living a pivotal moment," Macron said on Sunday in a speech to the armed forces on the eve of the national Bastille Day holiday.
The president announced 6.5 billion euros in extra military spending – €3.5 billion in 2026 and €3 billion in 2027 – to face new and unprecedented threats from Russia, terrorism and online attacks.
He referred to the "permanence of a Russian threat" at Europe's borders, from the Caucasus to the Arctic, denouncing "imperialist policies", "annexing powers" and the notion that "might is right".
"Never has peace on our continent depended to such an extent on the decisions that we take now," said Macron, adding that France faced the challenge "of remaining free and masters of our destiny".
'Present at their battle stations'
"If you want to be feared, you must be powerful," he noted, calling for all government departments to mobilise for national defence.
"Everyone must be present at their battle stations," Macron said.
French military and security officials have been warning of global threats weighing on France. On Friday the head of the army Thierry Burkhard said 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.
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Russia currently views France as its "main adversary in Europe", Burkhard said.
He also warned of the consequences of a diminished US commitment to Europe, along with cyber threats, disinformation campaigns and the risk of terror attacks.
"We have to take account of the fact that there has been a change in strategic parameters," he said.
On Sunday, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu weighed in, telling the La Tribune weekly newspaper that "it's our job to provide answers".
France needed to make "a new effort" if it wanted to "depend on nobody" in the future, the minister said.
France's defence budget has already increased sharply since Macron took power, rising from €32.2 billion in 2017 to €50.5 billion currently, and is projected to reach €67 billion in 2030.
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'Sacrosanct' defence budget
If confirmed, the major defence spending boost could threaten French efforts to cut deficits and reduce its debt mountain, amid pressure from the EU Commission on Paris to impose more fiscal discipline.
The servicing of France's debt alone will cost the Treasury €62 billion this year.
Prime Minister François Bayrou, who on Tuesday is to outline his budget plan for 2026 with a further €40 billion in savings, has declared the defence budget to be "sacrosanct" and exempt from budgetary cuts.
In Sunday's speech, Macron rejected any financing of the additional defence spending through additional debt.
Several NATO countries are boosting their military spending, after the alliance's members agreed last month to spend five percent of their gross domestic product (GDP) on security.
Britain aims to increase its defence budget to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2027, and to 3.0 percent after 2029. Germany plans to reach a defence budget of €162 billion by 2029, equivalent to 3.5 percent of its GDP, while Poland already dedicates 4.7 percent of its GDP to defence.
(With newswires)
