“France is the 7th largest military power in the world and the 2nd largest arms exporter globally, though still far behind the United States. In 2024, out of a total budget of €58.7bn for the Ministry of the Armed Forces, €56.8bn was allocated to the “defense” mission, including €9.5bn for pensions (retirement and disability). The 2024-2030 Military Programming Law has set a budget target of €100bn for the “defense” mission by 2029, representing 3% of GDP compared to the current 2.1%. Can the European defense shift benefit the French economy? Germany, France’s largest trading partner, voted for a legislative package amounting to €1tn over 10 years (see special report), which includes an exemption from the debt brake for all defense expenditures exceeding 1% of GDP. However, Germany accounted for only 0.4% of French arms exports between 2010 and 2024 (France accounted for 6.1% of German arms imports, making it the 3rd largest supplier, far behind the United States with 58% of total import share).”
Morten W. Langer
