French President Emmanuel Macron has urged this Monday to turn the page on the failure of the European FCAS (Future Combat Air System) program, designed to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet between Spain, Germany, and France, emphasizing the importance of strengthening joint defense projects on the continent.
During his traditional address to the Armed Forces on the eve of the national holiday, Macron has once again defended the increase in military spending and has called for an authentic European perspective to be adopted to articulate a war economy in the face of growing threats facing Europe.
"We have launched a war economy, but is it enough? No," he stated, emphasizing that the European rearmament process must not be called into question and warning that austerity policies in defense have had negative effects on the French Armed Forces. Therefore, he advocated for increasing investment, strengthening cooperation between the public and private sectors, and fostering greater "risk-taking" by industry in order to advance new military programs.
In a speech with a farewell tone, as it is his last national holiday at the head of the French government, the French leader recalled that in 2017 he committed to increasing the defense budget and that, nine years later, he has "fulfilled that commitment."
Macron insisted that peace, freedom, and law must be protected "at the price of blood, if necessary," asserting that France's rearmament process makes it possible "to continue supporting Ukraine" and, at the same time, strengthens Europe's security.
Boost to new European initiatives and criticism of nationalism
The head of the French executive has also called for overcoming the fiasco resulting from the withdrawal from the FCAS project, following the disagreement between the French consortium Dassault Aviation and the European manufacturer Airbus, which ended up blocking the initiative.
In this regard, Macron has defended relaunching major industrial programs on a European scale and has cited the Bromo initiative, aimed at building a continental satellite giant, as well as the SAMP/T anti-aircraft system and the European early warning system Jewel.
The president has appealed to join forces and not to give in to "the absurdity" of "nationalism," reiterating that he "regrets" the outcome of the European fighter jet project, which has finally been shelved.