French President Emmanuel Macron announced an additional €6.5 billion ($7,6 billion) in military spending over the next two years on Sunday, warning that Europe faces “greater threats” to freedom than at any point since the end of World War II.
In a speech to French armed forces on the eve of Bastille Day, Macron said Russia’s war in Ukraine, instability in the Middle East, and foreign-led disinformation campaigns have created an urgent need for stronger European defenses.
“Since 1945, freedom has never been so threatened, and never so seriously,” Macron said. “To be free in this world, we must be feared. To be feared, we must be powerful.”
The new spending plan brings France’s projected defense budget to €64 billion ($74,8 billion) by 2027, doubling the €32 billion ($37,4 billion) allocated when Macron first took office in 2017. Macron insisted that the country can afford higher military investments even as it works to reduce national debt levels.
While conservative and far-right parties have broadly supported Macron’s push for greater defense funding, left-wing critics accuse the government of prioritizing military budgets over social programs.
The French president also urged defense leaders to open a “strategic dialogue” with European partners about the role of France’s nuclear arsenal in regional security. In a rare move, Paris and London recently agreed to deepen cooperation on nuclear defense as part of broader European security initiatives.
Macron’s speech comes ahead of a high-level NATO meeting in Washington and as U.S. President Donald Trump prepares to make an announcement on Russia.