Overview
- German foreign minister Johann Wadephul labeled France’s military spending drive insufficient and urged budget choices that prioritize defense.
- Wadephul rejected President Emmanuel Macron’s call for mutualized European borrowing for defense, saying NATO targets under discussion — including a 5% goal by 2035 — are national commitments.
- Budget figures highlight the gap: France plans about €57 billion for its armed forces this year versus roughly €108 billion for Germany, which includes transfers from a special Bundeswehr fund.
- Chancellor Friedrich Merz has launched a rapid rearmament program, with reporting citing planned investments of about €650 billion over five years and a stated aim to make the Bundeswehr Europe’s most powerful conventional force.
- Merz disclosed confidential talks with Macron on a potential European nuclear deterrent, even as senior German figures urge caution and stress alignment with NATO, and reporting points to fresh strains on the joint SCAF fighter program.