• Emmanuel Macron to increase France’s defence budget by one-third over the next seven years.
• France is intending to increase its air defences by 50%.
• The new defensc bill for 2024-2030 hoped to boost military equipment production.

Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, President Emmanuel Macron announced plans on Friday to increase France‘s defence budget by one-third over the next seven years.

The announcement came a day after more than a million people protested in France against a proposed reform to reduce pension deficits.

Macron stated that he would ask parliament to approve a new budget of more than €400 billion ($430 billion) for 2024-2030, an increase from €295 billion for 2019-2025.

“After we repair the armed forces, we will transform them,” he told soldiers at the Mont-de-Marsan air base in the southwest.

“We must do better and in a different way,” Macron added.

We must “prioritize rapid action and increasing power because we will not be able to choose the conflicts we will have to fight.”

Macron also stated that the budget for military intelligence would be increased by 60% for the same period and that the country’s ability to respond to major cyberattacks would be doubled.

The presidency also stated that France intended to increase its air defences by 50%.

According to Elysee, the new defence bill for 2024-2030 hoped to boost military equipment production “to respond to the needs of the armed forces” but also “to the expectations of a partner” like Ukraine.

Paris has increased defence spending in recent years, but its military capabilities have come under scrutiny since Russia invaded pro-western Ukraine in February last year.

France has delivered weapons to Ukraine at a lower rate

It has supplied weaponry such as the Caesar howitzer artillery system and established a €200 million fund for Ukraine to purchase equipment directly from French manufacturers.

It has also promised to hand over highly mobile AMX-10 RC light tanks, which are wheeled rather than tracked and have a tank-like cannon.

The French presidency has stated that France’s needs are not the same as Ukraine’s.

“France is not Ukraine. It does not share the same security concerns and does not share a border with Russia “It has stated.

“We have nuclear weapons and are members of the European Union and NATO.”

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