PARIS — The French government presented its updated military planning law Wednesday that earmarks an extra €36 billion for defense by 2030.
“The goal is for our armed forces to be capable of facing a potential major deployment within a timeframe that no one can predict,” French Armed Forces Minister Catherine Vautrin told reporters. “There will be additional orders of all types of munitions,” she added.
The bill allocates an overall €63.3 billion for defense in 2027, €68.3 billion in 2028, €72.8 billion in 2029 and €76.3 billion in 2030; those sums will need to be approved every year by parliament in actual budgets. However, France is unlikely to reach NATO’s 2035 spending target — 3.5 percent of GDP — as even €76.3 billion would only amount to about 2.6 percent of the country’s GDP.
It doesn’t foresee Paris purchasing additional warplanes or warships and prioritizes instead the significant boosting of munitions stocks. However, as previously reported by POLITICO, the text includes studies for a new tank to replace the flagship Leclercs.
“The Main Ground Combat System program is running about 10 years behind schedule,” Vautrin told reporters, referring to the Franco-German program to jointly develop a next-generation tank. “France needs an interim tank: The platform will come from KNDS France or KNDS Germany, that hasn’t been decided yet, and be paired with a French turret.”
The updated military planning law will now go through both the houses of parliament: the National Assembly and the Senate. President Emmanuel Macron has given lawmakers until July 14 to approve the text.
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