France allocates an additional 36 billion euros to defense, bringing the budget to 76.3 billion by 2030.

AA / Istanbul / Wafae El Baghouani

The Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, announced on Wednesday, following the Council of Ministers, that the French government would allocate an additional 36 billion euros for defense, bringing the budget to 76.3 billion euros by 2030, in the context of the deterioration of the global security environment.

Government spokesperson Maud Bregeon detailed the executive’s priorities, especially in the areas of foreign policy, agricultural sovereignty, and support in the face of rising fuel prices, against the backdrop of the economic and security repercussions of the crisis in the Middle East.

At the beginning of the briefing, she welcomed “good news” following the announcement of a ceasefire in the Middle East, calling for “everything to be done to implement it.”

She emphasized “the consistency of the French position,” articulated around three axes: securing French territories and interests, supporting France’s partners “in a defensive posture,” and efforts to accompany the resumption of maritime traffic.

The spokesperson also indicated that President Emmanuel Macron had instructed the government to continue supporting the most exposed economic sectors, including fishermen, farmers, and transporters. She also announced work on “structural measures,” including an “electrification plan” to be presented “in the coming days,” noting that the crisis had highlighted “the price of our dependencies.”

During the same press briefing, Minister of Agriculture, Annie Genevard, presented the emergency agricultural law, which she described as a text of “operational solutions,” developed “for and with farmers.”

She explained that this project is based on three pillars: simplifying farmers’ daily lives, protecting farmers and their land, and building the future by strengthening prospects.

Among the measures proposed, the minister denounced an “abnormal situation of unfair competition” that, according to her, allows for the import of goods treated with substances prohibited in the European Union, ensuring that the text will prohibit such imports and strengthen controls.

She also advocated for a relaxation of rules on water storage, providing more flexibility, or even derogation, to prefects. According to her, around 90 hydraulic storage projects could be unlocked.

Regarding livestock, Annie Genevard called for a simpler and clearer system to facilitate the installation, expansion, or modernization of buildings, criticizing the current procedures as excessively burdensome. She added that the text should also protect farmers against abusive claims, intensify the fight against thefts on farms, strengthen the protection of livestock against wolves, and prepare a health model against emerging diseases.

The minister also affirmed that public canteens should contain European and French products, which she described as needing to be “showcases of food patriotism.”

Asked about shortages, she mentioned a risk of a “worldwide egg shortage” linked to avian flu, while praising France’s policy of massive and mandatory vaccination in poultry farms.

Minister of the Armed Forces, Catherine Vautrin, then presented the update of the 2024-2030 military programming law, justified by a strategic environment that “has considerably hardened.”

She assured that this update does not question the existing trajectory but aims to go “further” in terms of capacity and standards, with the goal of enabling the French armed forces to face “a major commitment” in an uncertain future.

The minister advocated for the strengthening of resources allocated to ammunition, drones, anti-drone warfare, air-defense, early warning, space defense, and operational readiness.

She announced an additional 36 billion euros, bringing the defense budget to 57.1 billion euros in 2026, and then to 76.3 billion in 2030. She emphasized that by 2027, the defense budget would have doubled compared to 2017, when it stood at 32 billion euros.

Catherine Vautrin specified that 8.5 billion euros would be allocated to ammunition, totaling 26 billion over the period, while an additional 3.9 billion euros would go to military space. She also indicated that 10,000 FPV drones had been ordered for 2026, with 5,000 expected to be delivered this year.

Regarding anti-drone warfare, she announced an additional 1.6 billion euros to fund a range of devices from jamming rifles to laser-guided rockets.

The minister also confirmed a modernization of the fighter jet fleet with an additional 3.5 billion euros for the Rafale, evolving towards the F5 standard, and the addition of two aircraft to compensate for losses recorded in the summer of 2025.

On the naval front, she acknowledged a debate on the fleet’s format and the need to go further in terms of frigates, while reminding that a fifth defense and intervention frigate should be delivered in 2032.

She also confirmed work on an “intermediate tank” to fill the delays in the Franco-German MGCS program, with the aim of eventually replacing the Leclerc tanks whose end of life is expected by 2040.

Regarding norms, Catherine Vautrin indicated that the text would extend the possibility of imposing strategic stockpiling on economic operators, strengthen cost control, simplify certain environmental procedures for the Ministry of Armed Forces’ projects, and introduce new tools to enhance national resilience.

She also mentioned the increase in the operational reserve, with an objective of 50,000 reservists by 2030, for a total of 330,000 armed and civilian personnel.

Finally, responding to questions about the surge in fuel prices, Maud Bregeon stated that the government was not at all seeking to delay expected announcements, highlighting that the executive had already supported “the most exposed sectors.”

She, however, noted that the recent evolution of the international situation should be considered in the development of potential new support measures.

According to her, the priority now is that the observed decreases in global oil prices are reflected “as quickly as the increases have been” at the pump. She announced that a meeting would be held on Thursday at the Ministry of Economy with distributors and refiners to ensure this.

The spokesperson stated that she had heard the UFIP mention a 5 to 10 cent decrease in the next 48 hours at gas stations, while expressing caution.

When asked about the “control plan” mentioned by the Prime Minister, she indicated that verifications would be carried out by the DGCCRF to ensure that the barrel price decrease is indeed passed on.

Regarding a possible taxation of oil companies, Maud Bregeon stated that France was “absolutely not” closing the door in principle, while noting that reflections were underway at the European Union level.