BRUSSELS - Germany's arms drive is causing concern among politicians in France, which risks losing its status as Europe's dominant military power, Politico Europe reports.
While Germany is expected to increase its defence budget to €153 billion by 2029, France plans to spend only €80 billion on defence by 2030. Germany has much more room for manoeuvre to finance its spending thanks to its lower debt levels. And with the Bundeswehr's planned purchases of around €400 billion, the largest share of new orders will go to German defence manufacturers.
„It's something between vigilance and threat,“ a French defence official told Politico, referring to the mood among French politicians. „It will be difficult to work with them because they will be extremely dominant,“ He added. He also joked that Germany would not have to invade Alsace and Moselle as it did in 1940 because „they (Germany) can just buy them“.
The latest friction concerns the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, a European sixth-generation fighter aircraft programme involving France, Germany and Spain, Politico explained. Amid disputes over whether France or Germany will get a larger share of the project, Berlin is considering potential cooperation with Sweden and Britain, or whether it can proceed only with Spain. „This prospect worries Paris,“ wrote the server Politico.
An EU official described Germany's weaponization as „telluric,“ an earthquake, as the country that was once the economic superpower of Europe is now turning into a military-industrial power, while France clings to its nuclear superpower status and Poland is becoming a conventional power, Politico continues. „In Brussels, this reorganisation is a test: Can the EU channel this momentum into common structures, or will it deepen the fragmentation of the bloc's defences?“ the issue asks rhetorically.
gnews.cz - GH
English 
Czech 
Spanish 
French 
Italian 
Russian 
Chinese 
German