French President Emmanuel Macron has called for increased defense investments in response to shifting global security dynamics.
Speaking in a televised address, Macron emphasized the need for additional military funding without raising taxes, citing growing threats and evolving international challenges.
“We will have to make additional investments without increasing taxes,” Macron stated. He pointed to the near doubling of France’s military budget over the past decade as evidence of the country’s commitment to defense. He stressed that these new investments, now deemed essential, would require both public and private funding. “Given the evolution of threats and the acceleration of these challenges, we will have to make new budgetary choices and essential investments. These will require mobilizing private and public financing, without increasing taxes. For this, reforms will be necessary.”
Macron’s remarks come as European nations reevaluate their security strategies following a shift in U.S. policy. Former President Donald Trump’s reduced military commitment to Ukraine has intensified discussions on strengthening European defense capabilities. Macron noted that France had long anticipated a more unstable world order, stating, “We did not wait for the invasion of Ukraine to recognize an increasingly uncertain world.”
Reaffirming France’s commitment to NATO and its alliance with the United States, Macron underscored the necessity of strengthening European security autonomy. “We remain committed to NATO and our partnership with the United States. But we must do more,” he said. “Europe’s future must not be decided in Washington or Moscow. The threat has returned from the East, and the innocence of the last thirty years, since the fall of the Berlin Wall, is now over.”
Macron’s address reflects growing urgency within Europe to secure independent defense capabilities in response to geopolitical uncertainty. His call for reforms and increased investments signals a shift in European security priorities amid changing international alliances.