Macron and other French officials are apprehensive that the so-called revitalization of Germany\u2019s defense sector would involve signing large contracts for American systems, which could limit European \u201cstrategic autonomy\u201d and increase dependence on external suppliers.<\/p>\n
For them, the correct approach is to strengthen European cooperation in the defense sector through collaboration and joint production of arms and reduce dependence on non-European suppliers.<\/p>\n
The French do not seem to appreciate that Germany is on track for a 3.5% defense spending target by 2029, while Paris faces fiscal pressures (third-highest debt in the EU) and plans to spend only around 2.6% by 2030, limited as its hands are under the so-called\u00a0 \u201cChainsaw Plan\u201d to cut \u20ac43.8 billion from public spending to manage its debt.<\/p>\n
It may be noted that following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Germany created a \u20ac100 billion special fund to build its military and is committed to meeting NATO\u2019s 2% of GDP target. This fund was created outside normal budget rules. As a result, by 2024, German defense spending had risen to \u20ac90.6 billion, making it the largest defense budget in the EU.<\/p>\n
At present, Germany is already spending much more than its European partners, overtaking them to reach the target that all NATO countries agreed at their summit last year to fund core military requirements at 3.5 percent of national income by 2035.<\/p>\n
According to<\/a> the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based research organization, Germany is expected to spend about $127 billion this year, by far the most in Europe. In contrast, the UK\u00a0 will spend about $84 billion, and France about $70 billion.<\/p>\n It is said that this gap between Germany and other NATO partners in Europe is only going to expand. Whereas the UK\u00a0 is committed to reaching 2.5 percent by 2027, France aims to reach 2.3 percent by 2028, and Italy is targeting 2 percent by 2028, Germany is confident of spending 3. 5 percent of national income by 2029 \u2014 an estimated $189 billion a year, according to the Atlantic Council tracker.<\/p>\n In other words, the imbalance in defense spending between Germany and others will only become steeper.<\/p>\n With a deeper pocket to spend, Germany\u2019s procurement budget is believed to reshape the European arms market. What worries the French the most is that Germany has already ordered F-35s, CH-47 helicopters, P-8 patrol aircraft, and Arrow-3 missiles worth tens of billions of dollars.<\/p>\n This is most likely to bypass, so runs the argument, European programs like FCAS, Eurodrone, and MGCS, in which France has vital stakes. In the process, it would diminish the importance of France and of France\u2019s military industry, led by Dassault, Naval Group, Nexter, and Thales.<\/p>\n Even otherwise, the EurAsian Times had once explained <\/a>the growing differences between France and Germany over major Franco-German military projects. For instance, the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) fighter jet program, a next-generation fighter jet with a network of drones, is not progressing due to big differences between France\u2019s Dassault Aviation and Germany\u2019s Airbus Defense and Space over the project\u2019s leadership roles,\u00a0 workshare, and technical specifications.<\/p>\n France wants the overall leadership status in the project, which Germany is not prepared to accept. The \u201cprimary pillar of FCAS\u201d is the New Generation Fighter (NGF). The development of this combat aircraft is led by Dassault Aviation, the French aerospace company that currently produces the Rafale. Dassault sees the NGF as the \u201cheart<\/a>\u201d of the FCAS, around which other pillars are arranged.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/dk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/FCAS-e1753422922171.jpg\")
This photograph taken on June 18, 2023 shows a mock-up of the European New Generation Fighter (NGF) for the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) under development by Dassault Aviation, Airbus and Indra Sistemas during the International Paris Air Show at the Paris\u0096Le Bourget Airport. (Photo by JULIEN DE ROSA \/ AFP)<\/p>\n