""European NATO members are under pressure from the United States to build up their defence spending. Though they pledged last June to raise their defence and security-related outlays to five percent of GDP by 2035, Wadephul said progress in Europe so far had been lacking. "Unfortunately, efforts in the French Republic have also been insufficient to achieve this so far," Wadephul said. "France, too, needs to do what we are doing here with difficult discussions.""
""Germany last year exempted most defence spending from constitutionally enshrined debt limits and current budgets foresee Berlin spending more than 500 billion euros on defence between 2025 and 2029. Under financial pressure, France has less room for manoeuvre. The country has the European Union's third-highest debt burden as a proportion of GDP after Greece and Italy, almost twice the 60-percent ceiling set in EU treaties.""
France's defence spending is judged insufficient to turn European security sovereignty ambitions into concrete capabilities. European NATO members face United States pressure to boost defence outlays and pledged to reach five percent of GDP by 2035, but overall progress remains limited. Germany has reallocated fiscal rules to enable significant defence investment, planning over €500 billion for 2025–2029. France carries a high debt burden, constraining fiscal manoeuvre and making difficult budget choices, including potential welfare cuts, necessary to create breathing space. Tensions are growing in Franco-German relations as capability and spending disagreements persist within Europe.
Read at The Local Germany
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