Paris sees Berlin’s record defense spending as a challenge to its political clout in Europe, sources told the news agency
France is growing increasingly concerned over Germany’s military buildup, fearing it will tilt the military and political balance in Europe and undermine its influence on the continent, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, citing sources.
According to the agency, France is “watching with both awe and unease” as Germany has embarked on a “historic” rearmament campaign, committing to spend more than €500 billion ($582 billion) on defense by 2029. For 2026 alone, the German military budget is expected to reach about $127 billion. Berlin has also eased borrowing limits, meaning that few other European countries would be able to match its buildup speed due to fiscal constraints.
While NATO has welcomed Germany’s plans, many in France have had more mixed feelings. Paris has long urged Berlin to shoulder more of the defense burden, although four French officials told Bloomberg that “there is a general unease about Germany’s growing military power and the political influence that comes with it.”
“France is in a fragile situation, and the fact that Germany is committing with such determination will of course create a dynamic that could leave us on the side of the road,” French lawmaker Francois-Xavier Bellamy told the agency.
Tensions have also surfaced in joint defense projects, with France feeling sidelined by Germany’s European Sky Shield Initiative for missile defense and by Berlin’s decision to buy US-made F-35 fighter jets rather than European-made aircraft, the article said. A joint European sixth-generation fighter program is also at risk due to longstanding disputes between French and German companies over production shares.
Germany’s domestic politics are adding to unease, with the far-right and Euroskeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) currently polling about 26%, according to a December INSA survey.
Moscow has condemned Germany’s militarization, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accusing Berlin of being “on the path of confrontation” and suggesting that the country is “becoming dangerous again.” Moscow has also rejected Western speculation that Moscow plans to attack NATO, calling it “nonsense” and a pretext for rearmament.
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