The deputies approved on Thursday, May 7, 2026, a new trajectory for military spending for the period 2024-2030, with an additional €36 billion promised to the armed forces. However, parliamentary traffic jams make uncertain the date of resuming debates on the military planning law.
What to Remember:
– The Assembly adopted the flagship article of the 2024-2030 military planning law. It provides for €436 billion in budget investments, with a trajectory aiming for an annual budget of €76.3 billion by 2030 (2.5% of GDP). – The text includes massive budget increases: €26 billion for ammunition and €8.4 billion for drones. These priorities stem from experiences in current conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. – Deputies approved the control of publications by former intelligence agents and the use of surveillance algorithms. Due to the delay in debates on Thursday evening, the examination of the bill could resume on May 18.
In a heavily populated hemicycle, most deputies were already in their constituencies for the commemorations of May 8 when the Assembly adopted the flagship article of the updated military planning law.
It provides for €36 billion additional compared to the last planning law (2023), totaling €436 billion in budget investments for the period 2024-2030. RN and PS deputies abstained, and LFI voted against the article. Approximately €13.3 billion in additional resources are expected to be added to the effort, from real estate revenues or army health service income, for example.
According to Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin, the text reflects the “need to accelerate and intensify our rearmament effort,” with “experiences” from Ukraine and the Middle East, highlighting the importance of missile and shell stocks, as well as the significant role of drones.
The new roadmap includes, for example, an additional €8.5 billion for ammunition (€26 billion over the period) and an extra €2 billion for drones (€8.4 billion over the period). Following this trajectory, the military budget would reach €76.3 billion annually by 2030, representing 2.5% of GDP.
However, the outlined path must be validated each year during the adoption of the state budget, and Parliament may deviate from it. Additionally, the 2027 presidential election could change the landscape. Laurent Jacobelli from the National Rally accused Emmanuel Macron of trying to pressure the future Elysée occupant, who will likely establish a new planning law in line with their program. Bastien Lachaud (LFI) criticized the absence of new tax resources, particularly on high incomes, to finance the announced effort, suggesting it could impact social or public service expenditures: “How can the French accept such military expenses when you explain that there is no money for anything else?”
Resumption in ten days?
Deputies spent most of the week discussing an annex report to the bill, which outlines investments without normative value. Ironically, the article sparked the most amendments – a common occurrence for planning laws – sometimes shifting debates toward the presidential pre-campaign on Defense.
On Thursday, deputies approved concrete measures, such as regulating the publication of works, especially books, by intelligence agents or ex-agents. This measure aims to prevent the disclosure of information that could endanger operations or other agents.
An appointed minister could control the “works of the mind” of certain services’ members (DGSE, DGSI, DRM, DRSD, DNRED, TRACFIN) prior to publication, with criminal penalties and a window of up to ten years after an agent leaves their position. Against their advice, deputies set a two-month deadline for the government to object to the publication; the absence of a response grants authorization.
When will debates resume?
Jérémie Iordanoff (Ecologist) and Aurélien Saintoul (LFI) expressed concerns about an excessive restriction on freedom of speech, potentially compromising whistleblower protection. The Assembly also approved an article expanding intelligence agencies’ use of algorithms to track and leverage web connection data, particularly for national defense against organized crime, drug trafficking, and arms.
A similar measure was previously censored by the Constitutional Council in the narcotrafficking law.
As debates linger, deputies did not finish examining the text within the expected time frame, with around 270 amendments remaining by Thursday evening.
A decision on when debates will resume is expected on Tuesday, amid a heavily congested schedule due to the number of announced bills. May 18 was suggested as a possible date, but it has not been confirmed at this stage.
