Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on January 20, 2025
3 min readLast updated: January 27, 2026
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Macron urges Europe to diversify defense spending beyond US arms, advocating for investment in local industries and joint European weapons development.
PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron warned on Monday that the billions of euros of taxpayer money spent on Europe's military budgets should not be used to buy only American weapons, pushing for more investment in home-grown defence industries.
Speaking minutes before the inauguration of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has complained that Europeans do not pay enough for their defence, Macron said the continent should spend more.
But he added, in a New Year address to military top brass: "We can't raise debt together, spend more for our defence to subsidise the industry, wealth and jobs of other continents.
"When we say 'let's spend more for our armies', in many countries it means, way too often, 'buy more American materiel'."
France, which has a large defence industry, has often complained when other European Union members have opted to buy U.S. weapons when French or European alternatives exist.
Germany's decision in 2022 to launch the "European Sky Shield" air-defence system with U.S. and Israeli hardware, ignoring a Franco-Italian alternative, particularly angered Macron.
Such concerns have long been dismissed as self-serving by countries that have relied on the U.S. security umbrella since at least World War Two. But Trump's more aggressive stance has made EU members more receptive.
Macron said Europeans should also simplify the European defence industry. Europe has 47 different industrial platforms for its naval industry while the U.S. has only six, he said.
He called for more joint European weapons development, even without French companies in the lead, adding: "We won't always be the European champions. But at least we'll be sure the European champions have a global reach."
Macron said France now had "Europe's most efficient army" and met NATO's military budget target of 2% of GDP, but could not rest on its laurels at a time when the U.S. might withdraw troops from Europe.
And he suggested that 2% might not be enough "when the world is going off track".
Macron also said Russia would pose a security challenge for Europe and the wider world for a long time, even if there was an end to the war in Ukraine, which Trump promised to end within 24 hours of becoming president.
"Let's not fool ourselves, this conflict will not be resolved tomorrow. Or the day after tomorrow," he said, adding that peace in Europe required Europeans to be at the negotiating table.
(Reporting by Michel Rose; Editing by Kevin Liffey)
Macron warned that taxpayer money spent on Europe's military should not solely be used to purchase American weapons, emphasizing the need for Europe to develop its own defense capabilities.
Macron expressed anger over Germany's choice to launch the 'European Sky Shield' air-defense system with U.S. and Israeli hardware, instead of opting for a Franco-Italian alternative.
Macron called for more joint European weapons development, stating that Europe should not always rely on French companies to lead these initiatives, ensuring that European champions emerge.
Macron highlighted that Russia would continue to pose a security challenge for Europe and the world, even after the conflict in Ukraine is resolved.
Macron stated that France meets NATO's military budget target of 2% of GDP but suggested that this might not be sufficient given the current global security landscape.
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