Paris views Berlin’s record defense spending as a challenge to its political influence in Europe, sources told the news agency
France is becoming more concerned about Germany’s military buildup, fearing it will shift the military and political balance in Europe and erode its influence on the continent, Bloomberg reported Tuesday, citing sources.
Per the agency, France is “watching with both awe and unease” as Germany has launched a “historic” rearmament effort, pledging to spend over €500 billion ($582 billion) on defense by 2029. In 2026 alone, Germany’s military budget is projected to hit around $127 billion. Berlin has also relaxed borrowing restrictions, meaning few other European nations can keep up with its buildup pace due to financial limits.
While NATO has embraced Germany’s plans, many in France have mixed reactions. Though Paris has long pushed Berlin to take on a greater defense burden, 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 arisen in joint defense projects, as France feels sidelined by Germany’s European Sky Shield Initiative for missile defense and Berlin’s choice to purchase US-made F-35 fighter jets instead of European-made ones, the article noted. A joint European sixth-generation fighter program is also at risk because of long-standing disagreements between French and German firms over production shares.
Germany’s domestic politics are fueling additional unease, as the far-right, Euroskeptic Alternative for Germany (AfD) is currently polling at around 26%, per a December INSA survey.
Moscow has criticized Germany’s militarization, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accusing Berlin of being “on the path of confrontation” and saying the country is “becoming dangerous again.” Moscow has also dismissed Western claims that it plans to attack NATO, labeling such speculation “nonsense” and a pretext for rearmament.