As France prepares to play a pivotal role in Europe’s defense sector, the country must address several hurdles to achieve strategic autonomy, including sourcing raw materials and training engineers.
France is poised to play a pivotal role in making Europe’s defense sector autonomous, but the country faces several hurdles that must be addressed.
French President Emmanuel Macron has long advocated for ‘strategic autonomy‘ in defense, calling for Europe to have the capacity to act independently alongside NATO. This mindset shift comes as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine and the United States signals a decrease in its commitment to European security under the Trump administration.
Emmanuel Macron is a French politician who served as the President of France from 2017 to 2022.
Born on December 21, 1977, in Amiens, France, he rose to prominence as an independent centrist candidate.
Macron previously served as the Minister of Economy and Finance under President François Hollande from 2014 to 2016.
He won the presidential election in 2017 with a campaign focused on economic reform and European integration.
In response to these new geopolitical realities, the European Union has announced plans to spend €800 billion on defense until 2030, with several countries including Spain, Italy, and France increasing their national defense spending. France’s current defense budget of around €50 billion is set to double by 2030, which could boost economic growth by up to 1.5%.
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic union of 27 member states located primarily in Europe.
Founded in 1993, the EU aims to promote 'economic integration, peace, and stability' among its member states.
The EU has a single market that allows for the free movement of goods, services, capital, and people within its borders.
It also has a common currency, the Euro, which is used by 19 of its member states.
French defense companies, employing approximately 200,000 people, are the backbone of the continent’s defense sector. According to Fanny Coulomb, a lecturer at Sciences Po in Grenoble, France has maintained its skills and expertise in the sector since the 1960s, with a strong presence in all segments.
However, Sylvie Matelly, a defense expert, notes that this ‘war culture’ in French society is essential for understanding the nature of threats and selecting the required weapons. France has maintained its capacity for military analysis, unlike countries such as Germany.
Despite the potential benefits, several hurdles must be overcome. Raw materials, particularly those from Russia, are difficult to source due to sanctions. Training more engineers and specialists is also necessary, as industrial sectors have declined over the past few decades.
Russia is the largest country in the world by land area, covering over 17 million square kilometers.
It spans across much of northern Eurasia and shares borders with Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia, and North Korea.
Russia's population is approximately 145 million people, with its capital city being Moscow.
The EU’s rearmament drive has sparked increased interest in the defense sector among investors. Defense Angels, a Paris-based agency, expects more influx this year, with its 90 investors capable of funding around 30 startups in the sector.
Francois Mattens, co-founder and vice president of Defense Angels, emphasizes the importance of innovation and state-of-the-art technology in the defense sector. Dynamic startups are better equipped to provide this than large, inert groups.
Experts agree that France should not play a lone hand but rather cooperate with other countries, such as Germany or Italy, to achieve economies of scale. Delphine Deschaux-Dutard, a political scientist, warns against France coming across as too haughty in its pursuit of strategic autonomy.
