France to increase military spending - Macron announces additional 6.5 billion euros in next two years
French President Emmanuel Macron announced an additional 6.5 billion euros in military spending over the next two years. Macron outlined the plans in a speech in which he called for intensified efforts to defend Europe and support Ukraine in the face of a full-scale Russian invasion.
France will aim to spend 64 billion euros a year on defense by 2027, according to Macron. That figure is double the 32 billion euros the country was spending on defense when he became president in 2017.
"Since 1945, freedom has never been so threatened and never so seriously," Macron said in his traditional speech to the army on the eve of the national holiday of Bastille Day. "To be free in this world, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be strong," he added.
Macron insisted that France can afford higher military spending even as it seeks to reduce its national debt. While conservatives and far-right parties broadly support his push for greater defense investment, left-wing parties have accused the government of undermining social welfare in favor of the military.
Macron warned that Europe faces growing risks from Russia's war in Ukraine, conflicts in the Middle East and foreign-led disinformation campaigns, including propaganda targeting children.
He also instructed France’s military and defense leadership to launch a “strategic dialogue” with European partners about the potential role of the country’s nuclear arsenal in Europe’s security architecture. In a rare step, France and Britain recently agreed to deepen cooperation on nuclear defense.
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