Defense: 63% of French people in favor of creating a European army

In a geopolitical context marked by the escalation in the Middle East and the entrenchment of the war in Ukraine, Europe seems to be quite alone. According to a study conducted by Ifop for the Jean-Jaurès Foundation, a majority of French people are in favor of strengthening the union of EU member states around a common defensive architecture.

Since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the possibility of a conventional confrontation on its soil has resurfaced, overshadowing the “peace dividends” born from the fall of the USSR. This is compounded by the war in Iran and, since Donald Trump’s return to the White House, the questioning of NATO. Published in December 2025, the American security doctrine blames a “declining Europe” for “not assuming its fair share” of contribution to the Atlantic alliance.

According to this survey, 63% of French people are in favor of creating a European army. While the concept is less widely accepted than in 1999 (72%), it enjoys bipartisan support, from supporters of LFI to those of RN. In 2025, the European Commission announced the launch of “ReArm Europe,” renamed “Readiness 2030,” an €800 billion investment plan to strengthen the military capabilities of member states over five years. Could this revive the aborted project of the European Defense Community? In the 1950s, the idea of creating a European army under NATO’s rule inflamed public opinion, until the rejection of the text by the National Assembly in 1954.

European nuclear deterrence
In this light, the idea of European nuclear deterrence appeals to 58% of survey respondents. On March 2, Emmanuel Macron announced the principle of “advanced deterrence” in partnership with eight European countries, to host strategic air forces on their soil, namely Rafale aircraft carrying the ASMP-A missile. The subject is particularly popular among respondents close to PS (84%), Renaissance (76%), and LFI (75%). Only 45% of RN supporters are in favor, as they are more inclined towards French sovereignty in strategic armament matters.

Implicitly, the survey reveals support for the idea of European strategic autonomy. 48% of French people are in favor of a European defense independent of NATO, 28% for a renationalization of defense responsibilities, and only 24% for the maintenance of the Atlantic alliance.

European defense in the face of challenges
On several occasions, Donald Trump has referred to NATO as a “paper tiger,” echoing the term famously used by Mao Zedong towards the United States. The clear interest of the White House leader in Greenland, the cessation of direct American military aid to Ukraine since 2025, and Europe’s reluctance to support the war threatened by the United States in Iran are all cracks that weaken the alliance and its Article 5, which obliges member countries to provide military assistance to an attacked country.

In his Sorbonne speech in 2017, Emmanuel Macron advocated for European defense, stating that “in defense matters, our goal must be Europe’s capacity for independent action, which must be equipped with a common intervention force, a common defense budget, and a common doctrine to act.” Nine years later, European countries’ military expenses represent 30% of global military spending. Under pressure from Donald Trump, NATO European countries pledged last year to increase their defense and security budgets to 5% of their GDP.

While 58% of French people consider belonging to Europe a “good thing,” they are more attached to the continent as a space of common history and heritage (68%) than to the EU as an institution (46%). In the eyes of our compatriots, it is not Europe’s legitimacy that matters, but its embodiment.