Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has called on European allies, particularly France, to radically increase defense expenditures. Berlin proposes adopting a threshold of 5% of GDP for military purposes, arguing that Paris's current efforts are insufficient to ensure European sovereignty. This criticism comes amid tensions in transatlantic relations and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

German Pressure on Paris

Minister Johann Wadephul publicly assessed France's defense efforts as insufficient and called for an increase in the military budget.

Target: 5 Percent of GDP

Berlin proposes that NATO countries aim to spend as much as 5% of GDP on defense, a level significantly higher than current standards.

Savings Instead of Common Debt

Germany rejects the idea of common defense bonds and suggests France seek funds through cuts in social spending.

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul has issued an unprecedented appeal to European NATO members, indicating the need to raise defense spending to a level of 5% of GDP. In an interview with Deutschlandfunk radio, the minister openly criticized France, assessing its efforts to date as "insufficient". According to Berlin, countries declaring a pursuit of European sovereignty should first complete their "homework" regarding their own defense budgets. Wadephul emphasized that the continent's security is inextricably linked to cooperation with the USA, but Europe must take greater financial responsibility for its own protection. The German proposal to increase spending to 5% of GDP goes beyond the alliance's current guidelines, which assume a minimum of 2% of GDP. Wadephul directly suggested that France should seek savings in social spending to finance army modernization. At the same time, the head of the Foreign Ministry rejected the concept of issuing eurobonds for defense purposes, which is a clear signal of opposition to communal borrowing for armaments. Berlin now awaits the position of President Emmanuel Macron, who is scheduled to deliver an important speech at the end of February. Since 2014, after Russia's annexation of Crimea, NATO countries began gradually moving away from policies of cuts in military budgets, but most countries only began seriously considering the goal of spending 2% of GDP on defense in recent years. Criticism from Germany reflects deep differences of opinion between Berlin and Paris regarding the direction of development of the CSDP. While President Macron often speaks of a vision of a militarily independent Europe, the German side points out the lack of sufficient budgetary figures to back these ambitions. The situation is complicated by uncertainty about the future involvement of the United States in protecting the Old Continent after the presidential elections, forcing EU leaders to revise their current security policy. „Whoever speaks of European sovereignty must act accordingly in their own country. Unfortunately, the efforts undertaken so far in France are insufficient.” — Johann Wadephul Proposed level of defense spending: Current NATO target: 2, German proposal: 5, French spending (estimates): 2.1 5% — of GDP is the new spending level proposed by Berlin

Mentioned People

  • Johann Wadephul — Head of German diplomacy, who publicly criticized France's defense spending.
  • Emmanuel Macron — President of France, whose policy of European sovereignty has been criticized by Berlin.